Questions about Linux and installing it on the PS3

[Zeroth]

I was thinking about wanting to installing Linux on the PS3, but I have a couple of question about it.

1. Is there a special version of Linux you have to use with the PS3, or will any version work with it?

2. Is Lynex a command-based OS? I actually don't know much about it.

3. Are there operating systems other than Linux that are compatable with the PS3?

[Perversion]

Re: Questions about Linux and installing it on the PS3

1) I don't believe so, but if you type PS3 Linux into Google, you'll mostly get links to Ubuntu and Yellow Dog.

2) I believe it's icon-based, but when installing it, I think you DO need to type in a few commands.

3) I do not believe so. Apparently, there IS a Windows emulator for Linux, but I've heard it slows EVERYTHING to a crawl.


I've been needing to do this myself, as I've had a 250 gig hard drive just waiting to be put into my PS3, so I can partition it and install Linux. I've just been too lazy.

Also, keep in mind when you partition your hard drive (assuming you are not putting a brand new hard drive in your PS3), you'll need to back up any current data, store it on ANOTHER external hard drive (or flash drive, if you only have game saves), and the reinstall it after you partition it. Also, the Linux partition can only be 10 gigs, unless you want your PS3 partition to be the 10 gig portion. I personally think this is kinda lame....they should let you choose how much space to allocate to each partition. Meh. I STILL do not know if, when in Linux, you can access any files saved on the PS3 partition, but I'm thinking probably not.

Also, if you use your PS3 as a media player, it might be beneficial to get an external hard drive and format it FAT32. That way, you can put music, movies, TV shows, etc, on the external without cluttering up the PS3's internal hard drive. You can get 'em cheap, now, too. I got a 500 gig one from Tiger Direct for $100, and it was preformatted FAT32.


Hope that helps.

[Zeroth]

Re: Questions about Linux and installing it on the PS3

Thanks a lot. I would like to install Linux, but I don't have an external HDD to back everything up on. The biggest media storage device I own is a four gig MP3 player, and it is almost filled up. If I did own an external HDD, I'd definitly opt for it. My older brother owens a copy of Linux, but I don't know which one. I'll see what happens.

[thetruecoolness]

Re: Questions about Linux and installing it on the PS3

1. It would be easiest to use the one originally designed for it. Otherwise I would imagine you would have to compile a version of the Linux you want to work with the PS3's hardware architecture (it's not exactly x86 or x64/IA64). Unless of course that specific version of Linux has a PS3 version precompiled for you.

2. Nope it has a GUI just like Windows and Apple (multiple GUIs even). While a lot of Linux user do use the Command prompt, it's typically optional in most Linux systems. Depending on which version of Linux you use you may have a command or GUI based installer as well.

3. Not sure but I imagine any UNIX variant would likely work, but it would have to have drivers for the PS3 and be compiled specifically for the special processor the PS3 has.

Personally I would just read up on it from articles linked from google.

The biggest hindrance of having an OS on the PS3 is the specialized hardware that would likely require non-default drivers, and I imagine most of it is also proprietary (especially the CPU architecture).

Oh and Perversion, you sure there isn't a way to triple partition your PS3 so Linux root and /boot is in the first 10 GB, the PS3 takes up whatever else after that and you have another partition for the rest of Linux taking what's left of the drive.

And a note about using a FAT32 drive for media, you cannot have a file bigger than 4GB on there (no DVD length and quality movies). Just something to keep in mind, though I doubt the PS3 OS will recognize NTFS or ext2/3 (Linux would though).

For the partitioning I wonder if you could hook the HD up to a computer and do it from there, of course it would still be an incredibly good idea to backup even in that case.

[Zeroth]

Re: Questions about Linux and installing it on the PS3

I was just now reading a guide on how to intall Linux for the PS3, and it covered two versions: Yellow Dog and Xubuntu. From what I just read, Yellow Dog seems to be the easyist to use, while Xubuntu looks like you might have to use some command prompts. I know nothing about working command prompts, so unless I find a guide on how to use it, I'd probably have to go with Yellow Dog, and my brother might not even have that version.