Linux on the playstation2

[synexic]

http://playstation2-linux.com/

Linux on the playstation2? I think this was sony's way of 'beating' microsoft's xbox.
It comes with a 40 gig hard drive, ethernet card, usb keyboard & mouse, and playstation linux 1.0. How secure would the playstations linux os be? The whole concept of turning my playstation2 into my desktop is quite.. well. different to me. Sure dreamcast had its linux experence, but I didn't hear much about it. Let me know what you think about this, I find it quite nice. Xwindows on a playstation2.. I can just picture ole Billy Gates working on a way to throw WinXP on the xbox..

[morfius]

Interesting.... just imagine when final fantasy 12 comes out, it will be a MMORPG running on the linux OS. There's just exploits screaming to get out.
But the again, any competition in the computer/console market is good for the consumer.
Just my three cents.
Cheers!

[cross]

people are currently working on porting linux to the x-box, with slow success. A lot of people feel that when these consoles go online, they will be used (abused) by malicious code writers, and their probably right, considering no one from ps2 or x-box is really concerned about security and the security inside the consoles has already been compromised (mod chips and such)... oh yeah, and ffxi is going to be online, so we (you) wont have to wait for xii to exploit online.

[zion1459]

I don't think that many ppl would actually bother exploiting a PS2 or x-box... unless they wanna make it into a slave and use it for DDoS attacks... uuuh, there's a scary thought... M$ and SONY will wake up once ppl make some real nasty exploits.. not before... it's expensive to develop secure software, hmmm, I wonder if lawsuits are gonna be cheaper? hehe

[GreekGoddess]

Okay, this is starting to sound like an upgraded version of the webtv, just with a few more capabilities, like downloading...etc...etc.

I know for a fact that I wouldn't invest the $199 USD to buy a Linux kit for my PS2, I'm just going to buy the connector software when FFXI comes out so I can play online. (And to my knowledge, FFXI will be the first FF that goes multi-platform, and if the computer version ends up being the same, I'll buy it for that.)

I think you would be better off just installing a couple of PS/PS2 emulators on a Linux box instead of vice versa.....I don't see how great the performance can be on a PS2...and like morfius said...exploits are going to run rampant...now, with an OS, I'm sure you'd be able to download AV programs (it said on the site that there would be download capabilities, such as MP3's etc..

My point of view is that.....if you want a computer.....buy one. Keep your PS2 for what it was meant for...GAMES, not surfing the internet...chatting with friends...IT'S A GAMING CONSOLE damn it...

*takes a deep breath*

[avdven]

Regarding Linux for Xbox, there is an anonymous donor who's willing to pay someone $200,000 USD to create a "simple and completely legal way to run Linux on the Microsoft Xbox" Check out the Xbox-Linux Project here: http://xbox-linux.sourceforge.net/

AJ

[##prisoner##]

Yeah!! When I first heard of this, I thought it interesting. But Game console should stay as it is. It doesn't have to be pseudo PC.

[melikesredhat]

Thats cool, did any of you guys hear about the guy who haced the xbox and made it into a desktop computer for himself?

[Phactorial]

These OSs are not built in the context of them being used as a desktop platform, rather as an easier way for developers to develop (developing on your native platform is much better than developing off a remote completely different machine). I am skeptical that anyone could even actually make these boxes actually provide what desktops can provide, and this is what all those people working on porting think. The constraints of game console architecture are way too large for them to be decent operational general operating platforms.

Linux has always been the development operating system for the commercial SDK, it wasn't until later last year Sony decided to release a garage developers edition for hobbyists.

[melikesredhat]

The PS2 can allready run linux.

What he has done is get the md5 keys used to sign code. He hasn't released
it, so someone else is going to need to dup his work.

Having the MD5 codes will reduce the need for mod chips (though there is
still a lot they offer) and voiding your warranty.

There is still a LOT of work needed before linux will run on the xbox, but
it will happen.

I would post a link but I got this from usenet.