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Kernel, Shell Boots on DS Linux

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the pokemon-and-penguins dept.

mrseigen writes "According to dslinux.org, the Linux kernel successfully boots on the Nintendo DS along with a simple shell, sash. Input is done via the d-pad. How long until Netstumbler?" While maybe not the most practical platform, it's impressive on its technical merit.

28 of 230 comments (clear)

  1. Netstumbler? by Fjornir · · Score: 5, Funny

    Not netstumbler. I wanna see some tux racer.

    --
    I want a new world. I think this one is broken.
    1. Re:Netstumbler? by Trejkaz · · Score: 4, Funny

      Only it's on the DS, so it has to be called "Touch Racer" instead to comply with marketing requirements for DS games.

      --
      Karma: It's all a bunch of tree-huggin' hippy crap!
    2. Re:Netstumbler? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      Sure to make it a hit at Neverland...

  2. Well by elid · · Score: 5, Interesting

    How long until they can get it working with the touch screen as a text input device in Linux? That would be really amazing.

    1. Re:Well by Janitha · · Score: 5, Interesting

      The familiar linux project mainly aims at the arm processors, but they are slowly but steadily perfective the art of linux on the handtop, and I specially like the few on-screen keyboards, and the handwrite recognition apps they had included. A port of the familar distro (http://familiar.handhelds.org/) would be very nice to see on the DS.

    2. Re:Well by Ctrl-Z · · Score: 4, Funny

      Sure, put one on each screen.

      --
      www.timcoleman.com is a total waste of your time. Never go there.
  3. Where's Waldo? by SpartanVII · · Score: 5, Funny

    All that trouble and you can't get a nice boot screen of Tux? What's the point? :P

  4. That's truly stunning... by tattoi.nobori · · Score: 5, Funny

    Not only for the technical accomplishment, but for the sheer, "why?" factor...

    Rock on, I guess. ^_^

    1. Re:That's truly stunning... by mcc · · Score: 5, Interesting
      Let me see here

      A device with
      • A touchscreen
      • An auxiliary screen
      • 802.11
      • For $150
      Find a way to boot off of a flashcart DS cart, and fuck, this sounds like a really good deal to me.
      --
      Irritable, left-wing and possibly humorous bumper stickers and t-shirts
  5. Linux on a DS? by baryon351 · · Score: 5, Funny

    How about OSX on a Gameboy

  6. D-Pad by doubtless · · Score: 5, Funny

    Input is done via the d-pad.

    What happen when I want to use the other 25 characters? This makes an interesting login/password combo

    --
    geek page at KY speaks
    1. Re:D-Pad by taffer1979 · · Score: 4, Funny

      You know someone will use up up down down left right left right start as their password.

  7. Not practical? by lostchicken · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Yeah, a portable device with a lot of battery power, wireless, two screens and a touchscreen input running a general purpose operating system that's relatively inexpensive and that many of us already have couldn't possibly be practical...

    I'd never want my GameBoy to replace my palmpilot...

    --
    -twb
    1. Re:Not practical? by Zigg · · Score: 4, Insightful

      And, of course, DS homebrew is possible in any number of ways:

      1. With a "PassMe" device -- a card that slides into the DS slot and instructs the DS to execute DS code from the GBA slot. Requires a piggybacked game card, which Nintendo helpfully provides with most DS units.
      2. With "WifiMe" -- a downloadable-from-the-main-menu jump to the GBA slot. You're tied to a PC, but you don't need any hardware besides -- again -- a GBA card.
      3. With a firmware update created by homebrewers that replaces the DS's ability to run GBA games with a new ability to run DS-mode code from the GBA slot.

      Honestly, CowboyNeal... how can this not be practical? Is it just not as cool as playing JavaScript tetris -- tethered to a PC, mind you, and requiring the use of one particular game -- on a PSP?

  8. Troubling... by Sheetrock · · Score: 5, Interesting
    It's a great technical achievement, but I'm concerned it will be turned to piracy uses eventually.

    It would be nice if console developers would release or permit to be released an official version of Linux for their platforms so that hardware and software exploits didn't need to be used.

    --

    Try not. Do or do not, there is no try.
    -- Dr. Spock, stardate 2822-3.




  9. The PSP is next by a3217055 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I bet these guys will get linux to work on the PSP next, that would be just swell. But they should make game hardware that is open and people can install what they want on it. Thus have a great game system and also a great mini computer that can do other small things such as read email or maybe mount remote file systems. Well all this is great congrats guys. A tin of Skoal for eveyone of you :)

  10. Netstumbler? by mooosenix · · Score: 5, Informative
    How long until Netstumbler? A really long time, since it is closed source and a Windows application.

    Kismet? Definately! I would love to see that. Kismet on a DS would rock.

  11. And what do his friends have to say? by Pollux · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Hey man, check it out! I just got Linux to boot on my DS!"

    "Duh, where's Mario?"

    "Forget Mario! Linux boots!"

    "What's Linux?"

    "It's an operating system, you know, like Windows and junk, but I got it to run on the DS!"

    "Does Linux play Mario?"

    "No, Linux does not play Mario! But it can do so much more!"

    "But it can't play Mario. What a geek."

  12. Why not Kismet? by shakezula · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It'd make more sense to wonder about Kismet. Netstumbler is a Win32 app, no Linux port to speak of, and it's not open source.

    --
    I know what you're thinking. Did I forward 65,535 packets or 65,536 packets?
  13. any chance by squidsoup · · Score: 5, Funny

    that a gameboy emulator will compile on this?

    oh.. wait..

    1. Re:any chance by Viper_Viper · · Score: 5, Informative

      Correct me if I'm wrong, but that would be very usefull since the NDS does not play original gameboy games.

  14. Oh Boy! by ackthpt · · Score: 4, Funny
    Now I'll be able to play NetHack on a DS!

    or maybe I should just stick to playing it on a linux pda and stop throwing money away...

    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
  15. This is Cool by linguae · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This seems cool, and it reminds me of when Amid Singh ran some ancient Unices on his GBA emulator. Pretty impressive, it can only get better. Makes me a little more interested in shelling out the $149 for a Ninetendo DS; I can see a lot of usefulness in having an ultra-portable *nix system around me at all times. I wonder if there are any small keyboards for the Nintendo DS?

    Now if only NetBSD does a port....

  16. Actually this has a lot of potential by Frangible · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The DS has two cartridge ports for potential storage, Wifi, and the bottom screen could serve as a soft keyboard. The DS has enough CPU power, but is kinda low on RAM. Still, if this was developed enough, it'd be a decent and inexpensive Linux machine with a lot of possibilities.

  17. Yuo forgot the B A by glrotate · · Score: 4, Informative

    up up down down left right left right B A start

  18. Re:The "why"... by Storlek · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm guessing because it hasn't been done before.

    What, running Linux on some weird piece of hardware? Yeah, no one's ever done that.

    --
    Bears don't normally eat things that talk and move backwards.
  19. Re:PassMe by barawn · · Score: 4, Informative

    There is already the PassMe method, which boots from a GBA card through an adapter in the DS slot. Details on dspassme.com

    Or the WiFiMe method, which boots from a GBA card with a PC with a wireless card. Only a few chipsets supported right now, though.

    Then there's the FlashMe modification, which is a firmware patch. That's the best option, but of course, it requires modding the DS (and having either WiFiMe or PassMe available once for getting an ID #). It's an incredibly minor mod (bridging two pads).

  20. Re:Thats cool by Captain_Chaos · · Score: 5, Funny

    I covered this on my blog earlier today!

    I can't believe I missed it!