My iPod now runs Linux...

Inspired by my favorite Linux podcast, "The Linux Action Shooooooooow" (thats how its pronounced), where each week Chris would talk about some new cool gadget that supposedly runs Linux. On the same spirit, I'd like to announce, the above.

I managed to install Linux on my somewhat recent 30GB video ipod. While ipodlinux has been around for quite some time now, the newer 5.5G (Generation) ipods weren't supported. Well all that has changed as of late February 2007.

Installation was quite easy, and I didn't even have to backup my data and repartition anything. Installation was actually quite easy due to the fact I had a Macpod (an ipod formatted using iTunes on running on my Mac Mini's OSX) which had put an hfsplus file system. Since hfsplus was a UNIX file system (POSIX compliant), I could just install Linux over it.

In contrast, for the majority of people that are running their ipod on FAT32, the process is slightly more complicated, required a separate ext3 FS to be created.

Anyway here is a video of my ipod booting off ipodlinux



On a similar note, I recently saw a digg post which claimed that someone has figured out how to run PowePC (ppc) Linux on Microsoft's latest Xbox 360. Running Linux on the Xbox 360 was considered quite difficult due to the system being heavily locked down via DRM, but apparently using a game exploit this is now possible.

Just makes you wonder if Microsoft will try to fix this exploit and prevent Linux from being installed or turn a blind eye, just so that they can take away the title from Sony's PS3 as being the only 2nd Gen console that can run Linux, something that Sony's PR engine emphasized.

Oh well, Yet-another-Gadget now runs Linux.

Comments

Anonymous said…
If I remember right (it's the weed, it gets to my mind sometimes) the first gen X-BOX ran great on Linux. This is the most well known project devoted to it, though there are plently of others, and most of the popular distros have precombiled binaries for the X-BOX too. I believe it was done within six months of the X-BOX launch.

Microsoft doesn't directly block Linux from being installed on the machine, but most of the methods involve using exploits that allow pirated software to be used on the X-BOX which is what Microsoft is against, or that's what they say...
7:27 AM
Anonymous said…
Ah, you said second gen... which makes my previous comment sound a little strange (could also be the weed).

Yes, Microsoft will find ways to block this and people will find ways around these blocks. For Sony, Linux is a selling point. For Microsoft, Linux is a competitor. There's only two ways Microsoft can deal with that: Buy it or kill it. Since neither of those work they'll happily settle for maiming it whenever they can.
7:34 AM
geekaholic said…
Yes the original Xbox was just a slightly locked down PC (700MHz P3). The 360 is much more paranoid about DRM.

Clearly neither Sony nor Microsoft want games to be pirated. But part of Sony understands there is a home brew market of people who like to take control of their hardware and has done this. But thats just my wishful thinking :)

I think the reality is closer to the fact the PS3 is so damn expensive. So unless you think its a computer (or a cheap Blueray player) there is little incentive.

On the otherhand, M$ wants to take away anything they possibly can (e.g: 360 now supports HD over component, after a firmware upgrade) and so this is a possibility in a conspiracy theory way.

There was a digg post about a developer that got free Zune from M$ to put Linux on it.

http://www.digg.com/linux_unix/Microsoft_wants_to_put_Linux_on_the_Zune
9:04 AM
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