PS3 bitten by Yellow Dog Linux
by Ross Miller 
{ Oct 17th 2006 at 1:56PM }
Sony has as recently as August shown interest in bringing Linux or OS X to the console. Terra Soft's confirmation indicates that they either (a) are wishful thinkers or (b) have made a deal with Sony to bring their Linux variant to the super computer/game console behemoth. Video demonstrations might suggest they have a dev kit in house, but those have yet to materialize.
We've sent off a list of questions to Terra Soft; we'll let you know what we hear.
See Also:
Sony to support homebrew with Linux on PS3
[Via Engadget; thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Sneak @ Oct 17th 2006 2:26PM
Yellow dog linux is a derivative of the Fedora Core, has a very clean and crisp gui. I think a good choice by Sony...i'm sure 1337 linux haxors would agree.
Meh @ Oct 17th 2006 2:20PM
This is from the Terrasoft site:
"Under basic agreement with SCEI, Terra Soft was granted a unique opportunity to develop and bring to market a complete Linux OS for the Sony PLAYSTATION 3. In development of Yellow Dog Linux v5.0, Terra Soft integrated and enhanced code from Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Sony Group, and Fedora in order to offer the following:
- kernel 2.6.16
- gcc 3.4.4 and glibc 2.4
- Cell SDK 1.1
- OpenOffice.org 2.0.2
- FireFox 1.5.0 and Thunderbird 1.5.0
- Nautilus 2.1.4
... and a suite of Personal Accessories, Development Tools; Sound & Video, Internet, and Networking applications. "
So we'll be seeing Firefox on the console. Win!
flapjackboy @ Oct 17th 2006 2:10PM
Sony's sudden interest in Linux wouldn't have anything to do with Nintendo's announcement that the Wii's OS is Linux based, would it...
AirIntake @ Oct 17th 2006 2:12PM
I would never ever pay $600 for a game console/movie player. I will however, pay $600 for a full featured computer running Linux or OSX. If Sony actually puts some effort into this, rather than the half-assed Linux approach on the PS2, I will become a customer.
Yes, I know game consoles are for games, but $600 isn't the price of a game console, it's the price of a computer, so I expect it to operate as such if desired.
Neoxkc @ Oct 17th 2006 2:11PM
I don't see why it would.
Kestrel @ Oct 17th 2006 2:12PM
OMG JOYSTIQ BIAS
flapjackboy @ Oct 17th 2006 2:16PM
@ Neoxkc:
So they can say "Look, we can run Linux too!"
Shapyi @ Oct 17th 2006 2:17PM
Before people say that Wii has a Linux based OS do not forget that the PlayStation 2 had a Linux kit for homebrew developers. The reason they are providing this kind of support is because certian taxes get waved if a console is considered a "computer" in some countries.
Neoxkc @ Oct 17th 2006 2:16PM
"it's the price of a computer, so I expect it to operate as such if desired."
Then if I were you, I'd get ready for some dissappointment.
Neoxkc @ Oct 17th 2006 2:18PM
@ flapjackboy
Yeah, I guess so, but the average consumer(non-fanboys, non-hardcore) will not care either way.
GamerZero @ Oct 17th 2006 2:20PM
Cool,I'm hoping Linux will land on my washing machine too.I reckon it could also handle 'Resistance' as
it washes my clothes damn fine.
flapjackboy @ Oct 17th 2006 2:21PM
That and the fact that a piece of electronic hardware is capable of running Linux isn't really news as you can get Linux to run on pretty much anything with a processor and a bit of memory.
Meh @ Oct 17th 2006 2:22PM
@1 - It was announced ages ago that the PS3 would be running Linux and also the PS2 had a version of Linux for it. Stop being silly.
Evan @ Oct 17th 2006 2:33PM
The PS2 had Linux. Where are all the PS2 Linux homebrew games? Did anyone really use Linux on the PS2? I don't expect Linux on the PS3 to be any more important than it was on the PS2.
Marty @ Oct 17th 2006 2:48PM
@9: Yeah, I can just see you trying to work on office documents in OpenOffice on your TV set, with the Sixaxis. Right. :P
Neoxkc @ Oct 17th 2006 2:29PM
"i'm sure 1337 linux haxors would agree."
That is until Sony institutes mandatory firmware updates. They did it to PSP why do people think they are not going to do it with the PS3, they have the same GUI for crying out loud!
loungemonkey @ Oct 17th 2006 2:30PM
" Sony's sudden interest in Linux wouldn't have anything to do with Nintendo's announcement that the Wii's OS is Linux based, would it..."
yeah they JUST tacked that on there....give me a break, Sony announced it would support Linux on the PS3 ages ago, before Nintendo announced its support.
joe smith @ Oct 17th 2006 2:44PM
Wow. This should sell an additional 5 consoles for them.
JodyAnthony @ Oct 17th 2006 2:38PM
wii doesnt support linux. wii runs a variation of linux. wii doesnt have openoffice and stuff like that.
Really, is this anything other than a good thing? now people will be able to use their ps3 for stuff besides gaming. how does that make it a worse system? Just like the wii channels, how can sony fanboys say that the different wii channels make it a worse system? They are extra things that you don't have to use, but many people will. They are GOOD things, be they wii channels or ps3 linux or whatever.
God, everyone is so fast to run to their respective companies of choice and not focus on what matters most. Two brand new game consoles. Who cares what one does and what another doesnt? Both systems are destined to have great games. Makes me sad to see hardcore folks from any of the three sides call themselves gamers. If any of you are going to attack any of the consoles, you are not a gamer. you are an idiot.
That being said, anyone know if this will be built into the system, or will you have to buy a disc? There are plenty of live cd/dvd linux builds (knoppix, etc) so is this something like that, or is it actually built into the system from the get-go?
MrMastodonFarm @ Oct 17th 2006 2:40PM
I'm a little shocked if this is true. I've always thought that the PS3 would be Sony's first attempt at their own OS. I suppose that supporting Linux doesn't help too many of their competitors though...
Azurite @ Oct 17th 2006 2:42PM
Comparing PS2 Linux with YBL5.0 won't get you anywhere since the difference is too vast.
rockintom99 @ Oct 17th 2006 3:12PM
@AirIntake
600 dollars is the price of a computer? Maybe a *cheap* one. If this ran linux, it would be a hell of a deal. I would buy a ps3 if it ran an actual, real version of linux.
Ethan @ Oct 17th 2006 3:02PM
uhhh, Linux has been announced for the ps3 for almost a year now, I dont really think sony put it in because the wii has retarteded down simple version that cant even be used, when the wii wasnt even named a year ago. Nintendo Fanboy idiots.
LayLow @ Oct 17th 2006 3:06PM
I Guess the Linux Guru's will be hard work on November 17th...
get over it @ Oct 17th 2006 3:19PM
"Yeah, I can just see you trying to work on office documents in OpenOffice on your TV set, with the Sixaxis."
seeing as a lot of 360 owners have them hooked up monitors or HD sets i'm assuming the same can be done with the PS3... and usb or wireless keyboard and mouse combos can be aquired pretty easily if you don't already have one. then again, i would assume anyone wanting to seriously use linux on the PS3 would most likely already have made these logical connections.
sarcasm rarely works when solutions like these are so glaringly obvious.
Dave Silva @ Oct 17th 2006 3:31PM
Well if this allows people to develop homebrew games, that'd be awesome, but knowing Sony, they won't allow it because of all the emulators.
Meh @ Oct 17th 2006 4:43PM
@JodyAnthony
"That being said, anyone know if this will be built into the system, or will you have to buy a disc? "
Well, the site says "Yellow Dog Linux v5.0 for PLAYSTATION 3 will be made available through YDL.net Enhanced accounts, through the Terra Soft on-line Store, retailers, and public mirrors world-wide. "
Meh @ Oct 17th 2006 3:40PM
@ 17 - JodyAnthony
Well, the site says "Yellow Dog Linux v5.0 for PLAYSTATION 3 will be made available through YDL.net Enhanced accounts, through the Terra Soft on-line Store, retailers, and public mirrors world-wide."
aformalevent @ Oct 17th 2006 3:45PM
fanboyism aside, this has the ~potential~ to be huge. If, in fact, it runs a full Linux distro and is thus compatible with all the linux software out there it adds a lot to the value of the machine. This would definaqtely sway me into buying one, i need to get a linux box anyway, and for $600 what kind of computer would i get?
unfortuneately, this is sony we're talking about and I (as i'm sure others do) have my doubts. Looking at the examples set by the psp/ps2 they aren't likely to just give you a pre-installed full OS. while linux might sway me and a few others, unless it's clean and ~incredibly~ easy to use, no one will care. Also #26 hit it spot on with the emulation worries. Sony won't sell a piece of hardware unless they can control exactly what software it can run. have they ever done anything else?
KawF @ Oct 17th 2006 3:53PM
@Dave Silva#26
Did you read the linked to pressrelease? Apparentley no...
It states CLEARLY that compilers and a software development kit is INCLUDED with the linux system.
(No, that is not things like the Unreal3 SDK)
And no, the "software development kit" for the 360 that you can get now, and in the future, does not include anything more, it actually includes less. You only get access to a small subset of the consoles full feature set and no more tools than low level DirectX access (as in you can get input from the controller and draw triangles to the screen in 3d in varying complexity). You still have to either make your own, download a premade (none as of this date as far as I know), or buy a game SDK such as the GarageGames one, something like the Unreal3 one (but not it, since it's based on C/C++ and probably a bit of Assembler) or so on. Did I mention that you only get access to a small subset of the .NET Compact Framework and no direct access to the hardware, at all?
Just as a small comparison, there are already today a great ammount of free (as in beer and speech) game engines for Linux, available in source code and already running on the PowerPC architecture (on which the PS3's Cell processor is based) and using OpenGL, which the PS3 provides full support for 3D Graphics through the Nvidia GPU.
Some of these engines and already "available" (PowerPC-Linux-OpenGL/SDL) games can be found on: http://happypenguin.org/
And to repeat as many have done already, Linux for the PS3 was announced a year ago, and has without a doubt been in the plans since the first guy over at Sony came up with making a PS3 after the PS2 (which did have Linux available).
AirIntake @ Oct 17th 2006 3:59PM
@rockintom99
Just checked Future Shop and I can get desktops starting at $350CAN and laptops starting $550CAN, so yes, $600US is the price of a computer. Here's a link to a desktop for $700CAN which is what I believe the Canadian price of the PS3 will be. http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10072976&catid=
I don't think that this is a crappy PC. It's not for heavy gaming, but it does have a PCI-E x16 if you want it to be.
Felipe Cepriano @ Oct 17th 2006 4:37PM
>> The PS2 had Linux. Where are all the PS2 Linux homebrew games? Did anyone really use Linux on the PS2? I don't expect Linux on the PS3 to be any more important than it was on the PS2.
But the PS2 Linux is a U$$199 kit.
The PS3 Linux will be free ou cheap.
[Appears to be included on the PS3 HD, but can be paid...]
Joe A. @ Oct 17th 2006 4:17PM
It's one thing to bring an OS to a system, it's another to provide libraries to program on it. Sony may "encourage" homebrew, but they won't completely support it unless they can control it and charge for it. Read: charges on (most likely very limited) access Cell and the RSX chips' abilities. Remember that Sony is the king of the word 'proprietary.'
George @ Oct 17th 2006 4:23PM
Joystiq really needs some help, honestly, can't write anything positive about Sony. Everything has to be spun into something negative.
Folks at a gaming site should be able to recall TerraSoft (YDL) is working with Sony on a supercomputer, they had a press release last week. All the question that Joystiq poses are on the YDL website that Joystiq linked to.
MagusDF @ Oct 17th 2006 4:34PM
This has the potential to be a BIG incentive.
But it could be as much a flop if they lock it down as much as the psp.
George @ Oct 17th 2006 5:06PM
@Meh
>>Well, the site says "Yellow Dog Linux v5.0 for PLAYSTATION 3 will be made available through YDL.net Enhanced accounts, through the Terra Soft on-line Store, retailers, and public mirrors world-wide."
Yellow Dog Linux has a free downloadable ISO on their site, which is the same with every Linux distro. This is a requirement of GPL.
If you want the disk with tech support and documentation you can buy it from their online store (which is also similar to all Linux distros).
But its free.
nootau @ Oct 17th 2006 8:48PM
For those who care, The gamecube could run Linux too. I believe you could also run some BSD on it too...
http://www.linuxdevcenter.com/pub/a/linux/2004/04/01/warp_pipe.html
http://www.gcdev.com/
http://www.gc-linux.org/ (site isnt up at the moment, saw it a few weeks ago though)
I wonder, since the Wii is binary compadible with the gamecube, could you still use this linux or BSD? Just pop in a disk and a GC memory card....hmmmm
Aex @ Oct 17th 2006 5:33PM
Wow, That is kinda cool, it'd be really funny if the ps3 could emulate all the consoles that came before it. Most likley they will lock it down some tho ; ; But think of the posibilities if they didnt!
aZn_1080p @ Oct 17th 2006 5:48PM
This will be what makes the PS3 so awesome, homebrow software out the wazoo - everything you can think of, full featured web browsers, flash support, java support, youtube/web video support, torrent tracker, media players for all major formats, emulators for all past consoles/mame/cps2, this thing is going to turn into a modded xbox on sterioids (minus the pirated games)!! I can't wait!
otakucode @ Oct 17th 2006 5:39PM
Son of a whore. If they put mplayer on the PS3 and it can stream and play all the stuff my modded Xbox does, they might snag me as a customer.
When it costs less than a Helios X3000 ($349).
otakucode @ Oct 17th 2006 5:41PM
George: Any idea on whether they could stay within the GPL license while only releasing a *SIGNED* version you can buy, and leaving the ISO unsigned and, therefore, unusable?
GamerZero @ Oct 17th 2006 6:33PM
Dreeeeeeeeaaaaaaam....Dream...Dream...Dreeeaam...
Dreeeeeeeeaaaaaaam....all I want to do is Dream!
y @ Oct 17th 2006 6:38PM
awesome.......down with windozzzzee
Richard @ Oct 17th 2006 8:29PM
All the Sony fanboys will get their panties in a bunch at the first "kernel panic" that crashes their lovely PS3 because they installed some hack software on the YDL.
Bryan B @ Oct 17th 2006 10:15PM
Any word on when the PS3 will be available in white and silver???
Hayabusa @ Oct 17th 2006 10:22PM
PS3 + Linux + Wine + World of Warcraft = ?
Lekko @ Oct 17th 2006 11:07PM
Wouldn't it be great is the PS3 Linux had an xbox emulator that worked better than the 360's?
KawF @ Oct 18th 2006 6:17AM
PS3 + x86 Emulation Layer + Wine + World of Warcraft = Not so addictive (and the only working Wine-solution)
PS3 + "MacOnLinux" + World of Warcraft = Possibly Addictive
Why wouldn't the x86-Emulation+Wine work? Because it would be too slow in all likelyhood to run WoW at a good framerate and such. Why? Because of how WoW is programmed. It is doubtfull that it is optimized for an in-order type of processor such as the Cell. Even with the MacOnLinux-version, it is doubtfull due to the same reasons. At least with that, you don't have to worry about emulation of a fully different type of CPU instruction set.
But someone will without a doubt try to get it running, and someone will without a doubt get it running. But will people want to play it if there is indeed problems with speed for it? It's not a certainty that there will be problems, but everything points towards it for that type of "adventures".
Older games however should be no problem to play. Console emulation should be quite possible. Freeware PS2 emulators that don't make any distinctions on "downloaded" PS2 rom's and legal PS2 discs... same for PS1 and the other consoles. Arcade Games (MAME), NES, SNES, GB(A), the SEGA systems. All possible without much work in porting of the emulators since most of them are available on PowerPC Linux today. No such luck with the Xbox (1) though.
It might not be too legal, but quite frankly, I'm not gonna pay $5 for Super Mario (NES, SNES). Again.
$5 for SuperMario 64 maybe. $10 for the Zelda games certainly.
$3 for Super Mario Land... maybe. $1 for SMB(1) could happen. But these silly prices otherwise. No.
If Sony does something simmilarly retarded to their pricing scheme for PS1-games and other such games, not gonna buy them either.
I see people whining about $499 being pricey, but they gladly throw money at the publishers in droves for friggin PacMan. $5 for PacMan is BEYOND retarded. I'm sorry, but it just is. Is the problem that you can't do simple summations? $5+$5 = $2? $5 cheap! 100*$5 cheap! $500 expensive!
Damn. I got into rant-mode again.
To conclude: If you want WoW on PS3, wait for Blizzard to port it. (I hope they are planning that. Whether it is for PS3-Linux or for PS3-"raw", I don't care. Any way I'll love it). Anyhow it will probably be more stable than when I run it on Windows. When I exit WoW, it crashes my (Windows) computer. Works like a charm on my Mac though.
onetrueping @ Oct 18th 2006 10:01AM
IF Sony pulls this off (and it's a big 'if'), this has the potential to truly blur the lines between computers and consoles. Of course, that's assuming that a SVGA cable would be available with the console or as a relatively cheap alternative, and that it would have decent support for USB mice and keyboards.
The reason being, for the price of a small current computer, you can get a console that NOT ONLY plays your games, but can also enable you to do any work that needs to be done, check your regular websites and play online casual games, play Linux games (with a decent hard drive installed, of course), play emulated games... essentially, everything a computer could do.
Admittedly it would still be a second-rate computer with a single non-hyperthreaded processor, but it WOULD still be a first-rate console for dedicated games, and the possibility exists for a software kludge that could force the console to focus only on games that AREN'T console games.
It still remains to be seen what can and can't be done with the PS3, but for the first time since it's announcement, I'm interested to see what it can do.
NorCal05 @ Oct 18th 2006 11:30AM
Sweet! It's featuring E17!!!!!!!!
anyone know what E17 is and if we should be excited about it?