PS2 Linux


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OK - so all of us crazy Linux/UNIX users run our favorite distros (or whatever runs on the platform) on our desktops, laptops, servers, personal mainframes (ie. What HP-UX lover doesn't have their own HP9000 K-Class sitting around?! :giggle: ), palmtops, Dreamcasts, and Xboxen....

but has anyone taken the dive into the PS2 Linux Kit offered by Sony? What are the opinions of the community here about it? What are the Pros and Cons of the adddition/modification? What can (and can't) you do on the system?

What is performance like? I know it's geared as a game development platform, but how else have others (or have others seen/heard) utilized the platform?

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I have a PS2 (for my four boys), and I haven't loaded Linux on it. I think you *have* to buy the kit from Sony. I haven't heard of any "Do It Yourself" hacks, like on the XBox. Not sure what you could expect out of it.

I have heard of the clustering of these PS2s to make a supercomputer out of them (and it ranked in or near the top 10, I believe - but maybe only top 50). Not sure I would find it very useful for home use, though...

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Personally I'd just get an Xbox and get a copy of xbox linux.

-You don't need to have PS2 compiled apps

-You have a hard drive and far better hardware

-You are not restrcited to only installing the apps Sony wants you too.

Personally I can't see a big userbase but you can have a look around...

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Personally I'd just get an Xbox and get a copy of xbox linux.

-You don't need to have PS2 compiled apps

-You have a hard drive and far better hardware

-You are not restrcited to only installing the apps Sony wants you too.

Personally I can't see a big userbase but you can have a look around...

the ps2 linux version has a harddrive, and its actually only designed by sony as a game devlopment kit, not a desktop computer, if anyone 'members those old black ps1s (or were they blue?) that wer home game devlopment kits think along those lines; and why cant you compile whatever apps you want on the ps2? i think there is a big website with apps for the ps2, and stuff for booting it as a diskless node

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Personally I'd just get an Xbox and get a copy of xbox linux.

-You don't need to have PS2 compiled apps

-You have a hard drive and far better hardware

-You are not restrcited to only installing the apps Sony wants you too.

Personally I can't see a big userbase but you can have a look around...

Personally, I'd install linux on the computer you're using to look at this.

Sure, there's the cool-factor of installing Linux on a console, but its pointless to buy a console for that sole purpose.

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I just snooped around to enlighten myself on this (as I posted without actual knowledge :blush: ), and see a very good screenshot of what it can run here:

http://playstation2-linux.com/screenshot.jpg

Also, I read in some of the forums information that contradicts some earlier statements in this thread.

You don't need to have PS2 compiled apps [with the XBox]: You don't have to use specially-compiled apps on the PS2 Linux system, if you want to compile yourself. the Sony kit is missing some of the newer libraries (not surprising, since it is distributed on CDs that probably aren't updated frequently), but you can download sources and compile, just as on your desktop.

You have a hard drive and far better hardware [with the XBox]: Probably true there. Plus, the XBox is basically a normal PC with some hardware inhibitors. On the other hand, Sony officially supports Linux on their box, so pick your trade-off.

You are not restrcited to only installing the apps Sony wants you too.: Sony doesn't seem to have these restrictions. The default CD has older libraries, apparently, but (as is customary in Linux) there are few restrictions. Compare to the XBox which is designed to be restrictive. Plus, Microsoft has previously performed "updates" when the XBox is online that automatically disable the Linux hack. And, of course, this is without permission or knowledge of the user.

Interesting to see, but not something I have plans to do.

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I was at a linux conference last year and there were a bunch of people demonstrating the use of linux on PS2, while the kit wasnt an official sony product it was endorsed by them. The main use I could see was the simplification of allot of the PS2 game programming aimed at hobbyists and the emotion engine was still very much in tact despite the obvious performance hit, the version I was using had a pretty stale red hat build but later debian builds are also compatible , however desktop perforance is SLOW (mostly due to the lack of memory in PS2)

But all in all the kit looked pretty cool and apparently is fairly easy to setup and get going with

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I'd say, a good do-it-yourselfer wouldn't be too hard, but the only REAL thing is,,, WHY??? Because the only reason to have *nix on it, is because you want to dev your own games for the PS2, and have like, live, interactive-testing.

But you'd need to iron out linux quite a lot to get that kind of graphics performance, plus, its not like you can draw from comercial-type stuff, you'd be kinda stuck in OpenGL, or whatever you made yourself.

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