DS Wifi Bounty Set

Chris_Yates writes "A bounty has been set to go to the first person to release an open-source tcp/ip implementation for Nintendo DS's wifi hardware capabilities. It may not include illegal source from the SDK, it must compile under a free compiler, preferrably GCC, and you can use other libraries as long as they are non-contaminating. There are also three milestones to the bounty, the first one winning 50%, and the second two winning 25% of the bounty. They are: 1) Figuring out the register set to accomplish (specific list) 2) Implementing correct connect/disconnect code and implementing correct send/recieve code, each of which works both with DSes and PCs and 3) Bootstrapping TCP/IP (or, UDP/IP)"

Comments

netbsd stack ?

[johnjones]

is it not already using the netbsd stack ?

if not use that as a start

regards

John Jones

Re:netbsd stack ?

[xenocide2]

It's the wifi part thats the problem. Writing open source drivers is usually terribly difficult without the proper specs on the hardware. Just ask that guy trying to write an OSS atheros driver.

Re:netbsd stack ?

[FLAGGR]

Wow, good idea, why hasn't anyone thought of that?

There has to be a driver written in ndslib before any tcp/ip stack can be written. Jeez read the summary.

Dade Murphy would be proud...

[ZephyrXero]

"Hackers of the planet unite..."
"Hack the planet!"

It's very cool to see a bounty for something like this...

Re:Dade Murphy would be proud...

[Premo_Maggot]

oh man! hackers... I'm going to hack your frontsidebus with the unix codebooks with my mac laptop and custom nikon os!

Re:Dade Murphy would be proud...

[ZephyrXero]

Hey, it may not be very accurate, but it sure is damn entertaining ;)

Close...

[rerunn]

This has been out for a while (last april):http://users.belgacom.net/bn967347/

Here's another explanation: http://www.aaronrogers.com/nintendods/wifime.php

and also of DS interest: http://ds.darkain.com/hack/

Re:Close...

[incom]

That is something different, it allows, with just the right wireless card chipset, transferring executable from your PC to the the, as long as they fit in ram.
This is a bounty for writing a wireless driver and net stack that would allow homebrew and open source projects on the DS to go online.

I did my part

[Synesthesiatic]

I'm a little hard up for cash these days, but I added $5 to the pot. As a DS owner I think I have a lot to gain from a more active homebrew scene.

My question is thus: would this only be useful in allowing wireless play in homebrew games, or would it also be helpful in creating tunneling software (allowing wireless enabled DS games to play through the internet using a PC for tunneling)?

Re:I did my part

[Soul-Burn666]

Well Nintendo plans on doing that anyways. That's one of their "grand visions".
A previous story on /. was about Nintendo wanting to plant some 5000 hotspots in Japan for DS comms.

Re:I did my part

[Apreche]

It would be useful in having a web browser and other internet applications for the DS that will work at any normal wireless hotspot.

gaim with the stylus, here I come.

Re:I did my part

[bleaknik]

Damned. I wish I weren't looking for a job right now... otherwise I'd so be donating... :(

Seriously, this is a great cause. It allows developers of all sorts to work with the DS. I too have desired to develop my own video game, and a successful project like this would allow those of us with too much free time to do something worthwhile.

And I don't know about you, but developing a game for a Nintendo system has a certain amount of pride to go along with it... Sure Sony has released PS Dev Kits (Yaroze, PS2 Linux), and Microsoft's X-box is just an overrated PC... there's an unspoken level of accomplishment knowing you've developed a Nintendo game. :D

Re:I did my part

[doublec]

It would be helpful both for wireless play from DS to DS as well as tunnelling. It also would open up some interesting application ideas for passing data between PC's and the DS of course. PDA applications with 'syncing' to the PC, etc.

If they can't do it until...

[Zangief]

Nintendo releases their first online title, will the bounty go to the already very rich Nintendo?

Re:If they can't do it until...

[bucket74]

Sure, if Ninetendo is willing to release it as open source (rtfa).

Re:If they can't do it until...

[tepples]

will the bounty go to the already very rich Nintendo?

No. The end product must be permissively licensed free software, and Nintendo has to my knowledge never published such a program. In fact, some believe that Sony is marginally more likely to do so for the PSP, especially given that it has released the Net Yarôze kit (for PS1) and the Linux kit (for PS2).

Re:If they can't do it until...

[FLAGGR]

Uh, did you even read the summary? The bounty is for a driver and open source tcp/ip stack, not an online game. So unless Nintendo releases MarioKartDS as opensource...

I'm glad this finally reached SlashDot.

[Agilo]

I'm glad this finally got placed on SlashDot.
This could really use the publicity.

I wish I could be of more use to the DS' community myself, but I lack a GBA flash card and the experience to code anything for the DS(/GBA).

I may buy a GBA flash card some time soon, though. I've already bought a RaLink Wifi card to be able to send (Nintendo RSA signed) demo's to the DS from my PC and hopefully (but doubtebly) also unsigned (homebrew) code somewhere in the future.

Re:I'm glad this finally reached SlashDot.

[Anonymous Coward]

If you can get your firmware upgraded with FlashMe, you can run .nds files from your PC using the DS' Download Play feature without the need for any flash cart or hacked GBA MP.

If you know someone with a GBA MP or a flash cart, you just need to use it once to apply the FlashMe, and then you're all set.

Though, $25 for a GBA MP, not too big of an investment.

Great!

[rmccann]

This is a fantasic. I really hope that someone figures out how to do this. If it is reverse engineered then the DS could become a very nice PDA type device. Once this happens, and is publicised, then Nintendo could benefit hugely from it. I'm off to donate money and pimp this around the place.

Old News

[gameboyhippo]

This isn't new news, but maybe someone from the /. crowd would be able to figure this out.

no GPL?

[Anonymous Coward]

from the article: "It is acceptable for the implementation to use existing libraries, provided that their licenses are non-contaminating (BSD license, MIT license, LGPL are fine; GPL and MPL are not.)"

Seems like the guy isn't that innocent. I wonder what he'll do with all the money if someone else release a working driver under the GPL...

Re:no GPL?

[dovoto]

A GPLed driver will be considered unusable by much of the homebrew scene. We will simply not look at it and continue developing a truely public domain library. GPL is considered "infecting" because it not only controls its own distribution but also the distribution of all code built against it.

Re:no GPL?

[OneHungLo]

The reason licenses like GPL are not allowed, but LGPL is OK, is because if the driver and IP stack are GPL, anybody who wanted to use them would also have to open-source their application or game due to the licensing restrictions. By using another open-source license like BSD, people are allowed to use it freely even if they decide not to open-source their entire program. The GPL is a good thing, but forcing someone to open-source their software because they linked with a library just isn't right.

Re:no GPL?

[wlan0]

Would he sell the binary to Nintendo or a third party?

Re:no GPL?

[psychopsybin]

Isn't there a foggy legal area already in the realm of hacking game consoles, specifically Nintendo game consoles? I remember all of the N64 doctor companies and such getting hammered by nintendo. Why would someone need to keep their source closed for a homebrew DS game or utility?? I don't think that they would be able to legitamitly sell the software. I mean I can be totally off base here, but thats the first thing that popped into my head.

Re:no GPL?

[stonecypher]

Seems like the guy isn't that innocent. I wonder what he'll do with all the money if someone else release a working driver under the GPL...

Wait for someone to do it right, pretty much. What's this about innocence? I even gave explicit language stating a money release clause at six months, ffs.

The reason that contaminating licenses aren't allowed is simple. I'm part of a homebrew community consisting entirely of people whose greatest dream is to go commercial. It would be counterproductive to force someone to rip the network stack out the second they made the cut.

Besides, almost everyone's stack of choice is lwIP, whose stack is commercial friendly. The TCP/IP part isn't the hard part; the only reason I put any money towards that at all was to convince people that the end product would be easy to use, and thusly to give money (huhu.) The hard part is figuring out how the actual hardware works. That's what the bounty is really about.

Probable Idea?

[leprasmurf]

Well, my question is what can we do with it once its made. I've gathered the fact that you can use it to do tunnel DS games over the internet. Here is my idea (don't know if its possible or practical) what about a GB Advanced cartridge for the TCP/IP stack and little utils (like putty, etc) and a DS cartridge for things like web browsers or email utils. Not sure if it would work to use both cartridges at the same time or whatnot.