$100K for an XBox!

[Tuckerfan]

Well, if you can make it run Linux.

The man behind the Lindows operating system has extended his $100,000 competition to get Linux running on Microsoft’s Xbox games console.

[SlickRoenick]

What can you do on an Xbox with Linux? I’ve heard of people installed Linux on Dreamcast and using that as a web browser before–same thing with X i guess?

[typhoon]

I think people are working on this just for the challenge and for the cheap thrill of doing something Microsoft obviously doesn’t want people to do and doing it with the anti-Windows. Plus, Microsoft is, as I understand it, selling Xboxes at a loss and getting most of their profits from the games, so this would be a way to get a cheap computer. But mainly, I think people would get a kick out of seeing Linux running on what is essentially Microsoft’s independent computing platform.

[Tuckerfan]

*Originally posted by Muldoon III *
**What can you do on an Xbox with Linux? I’ve heard of people installed Linux on Dreamcast and using that as a web browser before–same thing with X i guess? **

typhoon’s pretty much nailed it, but Michael Robertson has said that he doesn’t like the idea of someone taking what is, essentially, a PC and restricting the kinds of software which can be ran on it. Apparently, he seems to think that part of MS’s plans behind the X Box is to develop a PC which will only run MS software, thus shutting everyone out. He might be a little paranoid, but I’d rather have him encouraging people to hack these things, than not.

[handy]

It has already been done, but requires a small change to your xbox, it’s called The Xbox Linux Project.

[VenusProbe]

*Originally posted by handy *
**It has already been done, but requires a small change to your xbox, it’s called The Xbox Linux Project. **

link?

[lno]

Linux on the Microsoft Xbox

If I recall correctly, the Lindows challenge is for someone to run Linux on an unmodded X-Box. That’s been the sticking point for all contenders so far.

[lno]

And I knew I remembered something about a saved game exploit.

The trick involves the “save/load game” function in the James Bond game 007: Agent Under Fire, which normally allows players to save a file recording their progress in the game to the Xbox’s hard drive and later reload it. Habibi found that by using one of several USB storage devices recognised by the Xbox, the load game screen can also be used to load other software, including compact versions of the Linux operating system.
…
Part B set aside $100,000 for the first to run Linux on an unmodified Xbox. British programmer Andy Green, one of the founders of the Xbox Linux Project, confirmed on Monday that the 007 exploit works and said it “will qualify for some or all of the prize”.

[E-Sabbath]

Actually, if you check Slashdot, someone’s got it to run off a bootable USB memory stick, if I remember correctly.

[lno]

Huh. I figured they’d do it off a petrified Natalie Portman.

[neutron_star]

*Originally posted by typhoon *
**Plus, Microsoft is, as I understand it, selling Xboxes at a loss and getting most of their profits from the games, so this would be a way to get a cheap computer. **

Exactly. An Xbox makes a great media center. Not only can you use it to play DVDs, VCDs, SVCDs, MP3s, and view JPGs like a regular DVD player, you can also use it to play Divx movies, which no sub-$200 DVD player supports, and various other audio and video file formats that no DVD players support, including Windows Media (ASF,WMV,WMA). See this page for a list of supported file formats.

Plus, the Xbox’s TV-out quality is vastly superior to the TV-out of quality of most PC video cards.

[neutron_star]

Err, minor correction: some DVD players play Windows Media Audio (WMA) files, but none play ASF or WMV, the video files.