Slashdot Mirror
GameCube-Powered Webserver
Daniel Kolph writes "The GameCube Linux Project has just released, what they call the GameCube Linux Alpha
This is an 1 MB busybox-based Linux system that contains screen output, network code, a telnet server and a webserver. They also provide a kernel patch. (Screenshots/Download)"
Let's just get the 'they must be running their website on it' joke out of the way right now.
Looks like their server is powered by a gamecube.
Mario can't handle the load of the pipe, we may need another plumber.
I can't think of any more lame jokes
I can run Linux on my GameCube and OS X on my XBox 2 now? Man today is a great /. day for hacking videogame consoles. PowerPC rocks.
.deviatefromtheabsolute.
Sony PS2/Linux vs. Gamecube Linux vs. Xbox Linux? I'm looking forward to seeing which is the better choice for my database cluster.
Mirror!
"Dad, I'm tired of my old console. It's not cutting edge any more!"
"No problem, son. Give it to me, and I'll turn it into neat server"
So, after things like C64 servers, and various other Linux on console builds, what's the next challenge? A Sinclair ZX81 (Timex 1000) server?
"She's furniture with a pulse"
[Insert witty Beowulf cluster joke here]
Seriously though, why would someone do this? It's not going to be very powerful, there's no way in hades it would survive a
"No beer until you finish your tequila!" -Leela's Dad
Here is a mirror of the screenshots in case the server gets /.ed.
http://hackermedia.net/downloads/gamecubelinux
Hacker Media
You know it's a sad state of affairs when someone has to put a disclaimer at the bottom of thier website about the DMCA. Its really a bummer that you can't just do anything to the things you own anymore. Just how useless does this make things? Oh wow another game system. Or COOL, my game system can do this and this and this! The only reason I bought a Dreamcast was for haXorability, and all the cool software people were writing for it. And it's the cool things like this that make me want to buy a game cube.
(Italian accent) It's a me Linux!
Because it's there.
~Berj
Why is there always telnet? Because of the clear text transmitted password?
Why can't they implement ssh from start up of their project?
Grundgesetz * 23. Mai 1949 - 30. November 2007 - http://www.vorratsdatenspeicherung.de/
with network built in, and a cheap OEM celeron. Mix in bootable USB key, RAM, power supply, shake. Serve cold.
In fact, none of the PS2, Gamecube, or XBox have NEARLY enough RAM to even fathom running a database, let alone much else (since you can't even cache very much from fixed media, for example).
Duh.
It might make a good kerberos or DNS server or something that needs to be "hardened" and always up, with a small in-memory image. But that's probably only going to fly in a college dorm at a Tech University.
THIS THING CAN TURN ON A DIME, MACROSSZERO STYLE ALSO FUCK BETA, ~NYORON
So far, they are just playing with software. They convince the GameCube to load the software over the network port.
:-(
I'm probably not very interested in this unless I can hack the hardware a bit: add a hard drive, add a second network port, etc.
A GameCube would make a sweet firewall/router box if you could get two network ports on it and Linux. The price would be right too.
Note that the optical drive is fairly useless: you cannot burn a disk that will work in a GameCube, not with a conventional CD burner.
steveha
lf(1): it's like ls(1) but sorts filenames by extension, tersely
Runnings Homebrew Code
Can I just burn a 8 cm CD/DVD and use it in the GameCube?
No. The GameCube reads no CDs/DVDs. There is no way to produce a GameCube compatible optical media using a CD/DVD burner.
So do I run homebrew code on the GameCube?
The PSOload method is the only way.
What do I need in order to run homebrew code?
A GameCube, any version of Phantasy Star Online, a Broadband Adapter, a memory card, and PSOload.
Do I need a modchip?
There are no modchips.
Will any of this disable the ability to play games?
No.
3 Helping"If you are going through hell, keep going." - Winston Churchill
He's got a bookmark to Slashdot in Safari! (look at the first screenshot). Real men type it in!
Manta
Let's hope they don't adopt the Street Fighter numbering system for new versions. I can see it now:
Me: But I already have GameCube Linux Alpha 2 Turbo
Salesman: Yes, but you don't have GameCube Linux Alpha 2 Turbo Championship Edition.
Me: WHERE DO I SIGN?!
...and boy are my thumbs tired!
The thing about having Linux on a Gamecube as opposed as installing it on an Xbox is the great power consumption savings.
The Xbox is 4-5 times more power-hungry than a Gamecube, but you'd never get anywhere near 4x performance. For a personal server (even media player) the Gamecube's CPU, GPU and memory performance are great, good enough for most tasks and it has component video and digital audio output capabilities (though Nintendo has never released the digital audio adapter, so the only way to do it is using the Panasonic Q and the component cables are not very easy to get).
The machine is also very cheap at $100 and small enough to fit anywhere, at least better than the Xbox. It may not have a Hard Drive but there's an SD Card adaptor that could be used for mass storage. I really prefer to have a smaller, low power alternative. You just can't get a 40W machine with such strong capabilities for that price anywhere else.
The only thing missing is a way to automatically boot into Linux, as you still need the PSOLoad trick. It would be wonderful if some company like Codejunkies released a boot disk like the Freeloader. I'd hate to be forced into manually loading PSO every time there's a power outage.
- Otaku no naka no otaku, otaking da!!!