OSNews > Thread > "but are they usable" by sukru

Linked by Amjith Ramanujam on Fri 18th Jul 2008 21:24 UTC

"Linux is a powerful and versatile operating system that can be utilized to hack just about any electronic hardware device. To prove it, I have here a list of popular gadgets that are already known to run Linux."

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but are they usable

by sukru on Sat 19th Jul 2008 00:21 UTC

Member since:
2006-11-19

Congrats to various teams that get linux runnable on all those architectures.

However the question is are they really useful on all those machines? For example, while my N800 is a really nice Linux machine, I could not use Linux effectively on my iPod (1st gen nano). Or having Fedora running on PS3 was nice, yet I could not do any actual work due to limited RAM (200MB).

Hacking is fun, but I believe we need more "practical" Linux machines (like N800, Eee), supported by bigger groups, on the market.

Edit: I've read (most) of the article, my examples were just the ones I actually used/tried.

Edited 2008-07-19 00:32 UTC

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RE: but are they usable

by Babi Asu on Sat 19th Jul 2008 03:05 in reply to "but are they usable"

Member since:
2006-02-11

That was crossing in my mind. Ok, I've installed Linux on blablabla. Now what?

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RE: but are they usable

by Knuckles on Sat 19th Jul 2008 10:07 in reply to "but are they usable"

Member since:
2005-06-29

I agree.

Linux on the ps3 is very useful for people doing research and doing number-crunching, but I agree that cooler examples would be:
- most current NAS devices and routers that run linux and have very interesting features (usb ports, included print server, bittorrent client)
- things like the TomTom GPS's, and some motorola phones where you're using linux, and most users never even notice it
- the openmoko freerunner, a truly open linux phone

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RE: but are they usable

by Laurence on Sat 19th Jul 2008 12:30 in reply to "but are they usable"

Member since:
2007-03-26

However the question is are they really useful on all those machines? For example, while my N800 is a really nice Linux machine, I could not use Linux effectively on my iPod (1st gen nano). Or having Fedora running on PS3 was nice, yet I could not do any actual work due to limited RAM (200MB).

That's more down to Sony crippling the PS3 for Linux than Linuxes not being usful on said devices. Given time, some bright spark will find a hack to run Linux to the full potential of the PS3.

As for Linux on the XBox - I paid £20 for my pre-owned XBox original and now I have a fully functional media centre. The same PC equivelent would cost me greatly more in time and money.

Hacking is fun, but I believe we need more "practical" Linux machines (like N800, Eee), supported by bigger groups, on the market.

Two points there:
1/ Hacking is fun. Which is exactly why people port Linux to said devices. Everyone needs to have a little fun from the serious computing from time to time.
2/ While this hacking is fun, it's also beneficial in an indirect way:
2a/ Being open source, the code isn't lost so if someone does build a serious Linux device and is stuck, then these fun projects could offer them help either directly with the source code or indirectly with ideas of how to work around certain issues.
2b/ It raises Linuxes profiles with geeks who a voweled Microsoft Windows users (ie don't want to risk breaking their PC). If they see Linux on action on their (or a mates) games console then they might realise that Linux isn't just a command line. Or they might even be tempted to run a live CD on a games console where they wouldn't on their PC.

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RE: but are they usable

by Kyuss on Sat 19th Jul 2008 19:30 in reply to "but are they usable"

Member since:
2005-09-01

However the question is are they really useful on all those machines?

Good question!
Let's see:
Nintendo ds ---> No MMU so linux is almost useless. Only console application in a touch device....
Apple iPod ----> I've used this hack for many things like ebook reader and games, so linux here (if you have a compatible ipod) can fit nicely!
Microsoft Xbox ---> Useless! It can be a great addon to change a console in a little home server, but for other things better stick with xbmc or other things compiled with XDK

Nintendo GameCube ---> Useless! Too slow for media center and emulators. I prefer GCOS and all the homebrews compiled with devkit
PS3 ---> For now is useless. Maybe in the future, with a proper video driver...

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A lot depends on one's definitions. :-)

by rcsteiner on Sun 20th Jul 2008 04:48 in reply to "but are they usable"

Member since:
2005-07-12

For example, the fact that your Nano runs Linux means it can also run Rockbox, and Rockbox is certainly a useful piece of software on that hardware.

www.rockbox.org

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