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Linux Coming to the Nintendo DS
GamersZion writes "A recent IRC conversation with ChaosKnight, a member of the DS Linux development team, revealed information about the status of the DS Linux project. 'It was a bit tough to get the ball rolling, but with PassMe fully functional and everything starting to fall in order, I wouldn't be surprised to see an alpha release within the next month.' While little information is being revealed about the release of this anticipated software, it looks like we can be expecting it sometime in the short future."
Paris Hilton isn't involved, is she?
R(k)
"Linux Coming to the Nintendo DS"
Maybe we should compile a short list of what Linux DOESN"T run on.
...THAT'S what Debian needs to get its release schedule back on track. Project leaders with names like "ChaosKnight".
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PGP Key ID 0xCB8FF658
If they can get it on an NT Kernel, they can get it on anything :P
If I could run an ssh client and a web browser on a DS with a wireless connection i'd go out and buy one tomorrow!!
Now i can play all these great gam--oh, wait...
Just kidding. It's cool, and it might open a door to extend the DS functionality beyond a gaming platform. More like a small PDA, perhaps? It even has the touchpad!
Now I KNOW we are back to regular Slashdot. Attempts to run Linux on everything solid. :)
-Justin
I'm going to go create my own technology news site, with blackjack and hookers. You know what? Forget the news site.
Linux on Nintendo DS?
Knock it off....April Fools was yesterday.
We all know there is no such thing as a Nintendo DS
Why do you people want to put linux on everything under the sun?
"A recent IRC conversation with *insert_generic_nic_here*, a member of the Link_goes_here development team, revealed information about the status of the *instert_name* project. 'It was a bit tough to get the ball rolling, but with *insert_function* fully functional and everything starting to fall in order, I wouldn't be surprised to see an alpha release within the next month.' While little information is being revealed about the release of this anticipated *insert_something*, it looks like we can be expecting it sometime in the short future."
I for one can't wait!
There is still very little known information about the cool hardware features like the touchpad, WiFi, etc. While they (the hacker community in general) have figured out how to tweak things like model data in Metroid Prime, they still haven't figured out how to get the WiFi to work fully. Based on what is currently known the DS doesn't support IPv4 or any public protocols on a higher layer than OSI Layer 2. This means it might still be a while before someone gets a working web browser or telnet client on the DS. However, given the amount of hacks available for the GBA, I'm confident that they'll figure out all the cool tricks pretty soon. Then I won't have to worry about buying a PDA and I'll have an excude for having "using" my DS during work.
--
Want a free Nintendo DS, GC, PS2, Xbox. (you only need 4 referrals)
Wired article as proof
I am not going to rain on these guys' parade, I think that they ought to do whatever floats their boat. If hacking Linux onto the DS is their "thing", more power to them.
But I wonder what people are doing with their exotic Linux installations. Linux on the PS2, on a toaster, on the blender, etc. What are these used for besides showing off? Is there some real-life application to having Linux on these things?
Bah, I want Linux on the toast!
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
1) Buy a DS
2) Carefully remove shrink Wrap
3) Install linux on DS
4) Put a very tiny mark on the packaging then place shrink wrap back on DS
5) Return DS to store so they can restock it on the shelves
- SJ53
Add to that the opie project and you get a fully functional pda...
It seems the PSP is not the only handheld that is being developed on now, this is great news for nintendo fans, as the buzz about the psp "web browser" and other modifications had the posibility to increase market share dramatically for the psp
If stuff like this comes out for the DS, it will put both the consoles on a more even playing field for sales, and therefore neither will be favoured by games producers as much.
Business Voyeur
Backslashdotted ! Now that is evil !
Real life uses for Linux on teh DS:
1: Homebrew game environment...this would allow people to make games for the version of linux that the ds is running on, instead of having to hard code everything in the ds language, you could just use the linux commands
2: Palm Capablities: Think about it! Internet browser, Calculator, Contact manager, 2 large screens, wireless....+ games
3: I want linux on my ds, it would be cool because i guess with some heavy programming, you could eventually "hijack" other ds's and put whatever you want on them or somthing
4: Its not windows
Your skill in reading has increased by one point!
If you put kismet on that I don't think anybodu would notice it. Think about the potential. Instead of using a pda and surfing it just looks like your playing DS.
Running my vibrator. I want it cooing sweet things to me with excellent uptime.
GET. IT. DONE. NOW.
The DS has built-in WLAN. You could be running ettercap while everyone will assume you're playing Mario.
The site lists a page titled "Developer Blogs" and on that page lists 2 hackers and zero developers....
I can't wait till my TV remote has linux running on it, then I can program it to watch crap TV while I'm not there
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Because we choose to.
This early on a Satruday and it's already down?
;)
No, it's worse than that...
"We are currently experiencing server difficulties, please remain calm as they are being resolved."
Kicking a server when it's down... Have you no shame CowboyNeil?
Most of the "Linux runs on X" news isn't all that interesting to me. Usually if it would be useful to run Linux on X, it already has a lot of the functionality Linux would give from other software. If X doesn't have software that gives it this functionality already, porting Linux is usually useless for the average chap (like with the PS2).
This, however, is a case of a piece of hardware that could greatly benefit from a Linux OS, but doesn't have anything like it already available. My DS may be the first piece of hardware I have ever run Linux on.
(I feel like I just screamed "WE CAME FROM APES!" to a bunch of Southern Baptists when I typed that last sentence.)
"I survived April Fool's day on the intarweb and all I got was this lousy T-shirt."
:-)
We have normality, I repeat, we have normality. Anything you still can't cope with is therefore your own problem.
I agree that except for the glory, porting Linux to exotic hardware is quite limited.
;)) on the grass under the sun :). The NintendoDS is small enough to take it anywhere with you.
.. not quite as good but heh..)
;)) would have wished, they're still great and everyone motivated enough not to follow the standard path (people who cook their own food) can profit from it. So all in all : Kudos to people who port free software to unsupported hardware :)
But remember Linux on XBOX. At the time it went gold, the XBOX had a good hardware configuration for a decent price (and now it's still OK : $150). It doesn't take too much space, and you can have a linux home server.
Now the same thing applies with the DS (or the PSP but no tactile screen...). It's damn hard to get a Zaurus or equivalent in Europe and it's really expensive. If those nintendoDS hackers can get Linux to run on the DS, can get dual boot, and reverse engeener the tactile screen and the wifi connection, it could become one of the best available PDAs : true games (not crappy Palm games...) and a true OS.
So there's a goal. Now do I think that THIS portable console generation will be powerful enough (in term of batteries, processor, and lack of sufficient storage device) so I will get one and install Linux on it ? Nope.
But maybe in a few years it will be possible on the next Sony or Nintendo. And then I can well imagine myself in my university campus browsing the web, and chatting on IRC (that would require a separate wifi mini keyboard ? hardware hacker, anyone ?
We have a freedom guaranted by free software. When I buy a NintendoDS, it's a closed package. I get what I paid for. But if I can put some free software on it then it goes beyond my first motive of buying it. That's something the current society doesn't want us to do. It wants us to buy prepared food, and they want us to buy prepackaged hardware (which may be excused by pragmatic reasons since it would be impossible to support if we got every hardware piece separated from software). But still if it's my NintendoDS, I can do whatever I want with it. Just like I can buy beef at the chinese and cook my own rice (incredibly cheaper
To sum up, I think that even if such initiatives doesn't always end up as one (= the initiative's founder especially
Well the DS has built in WLAN has a very good touch pad and a stylus, so figure out yourself what you can do with it. If you cannot see the light, there are various PDA systems in the wild which build upon top of Linux (opie being the most advanced thanks to TrollTech and Sharp)
"A recent IRC conversation..." Yes, we should cite those as very reliable sources. ... Because everything you read on IRC is true. ... Did I mention I'm a 18 year old female from your general area?
The server was probably running on a Nintendo DS.
Mada mada dane.
But I wonder what people are doing with their exotic Linux installations... What are these used for besides showing off? Is there some real-life application to having Linux on these things?
I don't know myself, but obviously some people smarter than me seem to think that it is useful:
PlayStation turns supercomputer
Scientific Computing on the Sony PlayStation 2
Playstation 2 Linux Cluster at NCSA
"Go to CNN [for a] spell-checked, fact-checked summary" -- CmdrTaco
You should get a Zaurus. http://openzaurus.org
The days of the digital watch are numbered.
True, but teh Lunix does run on Commodore 64 computers.
Sure, the "run Linux on your toaster" articles are fun and all, but unlike most this actually has potential. The DS would make an excellent multimedia PDA: Touchscreen for a decent form of input, stereo speakers, dual screens backed up by a more than decent graphics card, compact size, and 2 forms of wireless networking (assuming these can get the proprietary shortrange networking to work in Linux.) I could see myself replacing my Dell Axim with a Linux powered DS if this project ever matures to that point. Good luck to the developers!
What are these used for besides showing off?
I really think it's because they like it (love it at the limit), I mean how could they put so many hours and days to it? Hacking, for some, IS fun, it has something exciting in itself. Taking something apart, doing something with a gizmo that wasn't planified by the designers, moding games, etc. are all parts of hacking... Besides, I don't think showing off with a name alias is very gratifying... (maybe in some cases, like Marilyn Manson, but then...).
These kind of hacks may indeed turn out to be very usefull--I'm certainly eager to see what they can do with the touch screen--but they will never leave the computer elite community. If you think that the whole world is going to run out and grab a DS because it will run linux, you're seriously deluding yourself. It won't make a noticable dent in product sales even if they were to figure out how to use the touch screen and WiFi to their maximum capability.
Now, if Nintendo somehow took interest in the project, bought into it, put linux on a DS cartridge, and marketted it, then it MIGHT see a sales increase of a few percentage points. But there's no question in my mind that Nintendo would have no interest in such a project, they have no intention of breaking into the business PDA market any time soon.
Multiplayer Gaming (defined): Sitting around, discussing single-player games with my friends, at the bar.
It seems the only thing that they can't get Linux to run on is the average user's PC.
did nintendo think that a linux port wouldn't be made for their system? this is frustrating. think about the possibilites. what if nintendo had embraced linux from the begin with? what if instead of having to reverse engineer wifi and touchpad support nintendo instead released a version themselves. with the intimate knowledge of their own hardware, i'm sure they have the resources to do it. market penetration had to be a vital part of their business plan, especially with the PSP being the first legitimate challenger in years. imagine how many more units they'd move and brand loyalty they'd renew if they were the first to support it. they would already have a proprietary medium and an established line of brands... i can't see why nintendo wouldn't have benefited richly from doing this themselves from the very start.
Sun will be running Linux soon too.
Oh wait, not that sun? Doh!
Life is not for the lazy.
Humm, no : it has been done
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I am very seriously interested in buying whatever is necessary to make this work as soon as it's possible. But one very big question.
HOW DO I RUN THIS?
How do I actually load up this ds linux thing? Like, onto the DS? What the hell is a "passme" or a "passthrough"? I'm looking at the photos of "passme" on the front page of dslinux.org and going ugh. I don't understand what's happening in these photos but if I have to have some big thing sticking out of the back of my DS or plug the DS into the computer every time I want to run linux on it... that's not acceptable. I won't bother.
At what point will I be able to somehow plug a little all-rewritable DS card into my computer (preferably my mac), load a linux kernel onto it, and then three days later just pull it out of my pocket, stick it in the DS, and boot?
Maybe they could work on an X or VNC client. Even better, have the client streamed via Wifi to the DS so you don't even need hacks like PassMe.
This way I could just use my DS to connect to my PC from my living room and check mail while watching the TV.
With these linux projects do they often retain the embeded os's for playing games?
Third FUCKING AWSOME!
Fourth how do we do the install?
"But remember Linux on XBOX. At the time it went gold, the XBOX had a good hardware configuration for a decent price (and now it's still OK : $150). It doesn't take too much space, and you can have a linux home server." Don't forget that Microsoft sells XBoxs at a lost. Microsoft can subsidise your Linux server!
imagine a beowulf cluster of...
OK - I've been hanging out on the www.dslinux.org site for a few weeks. This announcement is *WAY* premature. There isn't even a coherent team put together to START the port yet.
/. - but it doesn't represent the current state of affairs one little bit.
What there is right now is a bunch of individual developers who have each individually solved various parts of the puzzle. However, we are quite far from having all of the parts put together in the form of a runnable kernel - and there is ABSOLUTELY NO ORGANISED DSLINUX TEAM YET!
In order to try to pull things together, I am in the process of organising an election to nominate a team leader - and then to collect together the expertise of the disparate developers, set up a SourceForge account (there already is one - but there has been nothing committed to it since December.
I don't know the individual who posted this to
If you need to confirm what I'm saying, visit the forums at www.dslinux.org - or check the emptyness of dslinux.sf.net
Please mod me up so this message gets out.
www.sjbaker.org
I think it would be much more useful for everyone to be thinking you are running ettercap while you are playing Mario.
Speaking for Linux (for Playstation 2) it's primary purpose is amateur software development. But you can do all sorts of things with it. My kit is my personal "desktop" machine. Read my e-mail, read/post to slashdot, IRC chat, play Nethack, listen to streaming mp3 radio..
Well put.
The puzzle IS the goal.