Hacking Can we not make a Universal Open source Flashcart loader?

mori123

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Now I am Clearly Not a coder or in anyway Sure what this would entail I already Know folks like Normatt make AKAIo etc.. others have made YS menu etc.. My question is to all you the masses, What exactly prevents us from writing a Universal Loader Software to run on All Flashcarts, Who cares if Jimmys Got a Clone of a Ak or a r4 or a dstt or a m3, A flash cart is basically not defined By what It IS but by the O/s on it so to speak The Kernel. So why do we have folks Not putting forth for a Wide Open Loader that everyone can use and Support? Sure i am sure there would be different hurdles for different cards but In the long run as a User I don;t care Who the f made my flash cart if it works and plays games.

What do u all think? ps i typed this idea up @ 12:30 while Listening to Lego Indiana Jones Opening on my Dsi xl P:)
 

jurassicplayer

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I always believe it might be because the builds of the flashcarts themselves are different and that they referenced different variables and parts of the flashcart (I indirectly quote PinkCatBoy when I say I have no clue how to word that outside of my head). It wouldn't exactly be universal since the M3Real/M3iZero look for a different file than some of the other flashcarts like the R4 with its _DS_MENU.DAT.

Of course, I totally support the idea of having a universal loader, although I would rather like the loader to be similar to an Moonshell2 extlink rather than a full on firmware (or at least have something similar to a moonshell2 extlink included) because that would help with alternative firmwares (the only person I really think makes alternative firmwares is Spinal_cord, who does a wicked ass job).
 

dajavax

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well, moonshell with commercial rom loading could be considered it... it supports many falshcarts... and you can make some of them automatically load it... though it's not a "firmware"...

but also of course i support this idea...
 

sn0wfish

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Not possible unless some fanboy is rich enough to do good for the community.

You need to manufacture the card's hardware, and patching AP is an ongoing work.

My bet is that either the AP patching is a temporary interest(DSTT? Possibly AK?) or a commercially propelled one(like in CycloDS)

And yeah, Nintendo would love to place a bounty on that rich fanboy that starts this off
ph34r.gif


PS seriously acekard should be laughing its way to the bank when strangers are helping with its AK loaders etc that drives its flashcart sales up
 

Atashi

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There is a project at devkitpro called hbmenu which is an opensource firmware replacement. It does not yet work on every card out there but it's a start.

It is designed only for running homebrews (i.e. not commercial roms) but it is open source and could be used as a starting point if you wanted to write a universal loader / firmware.

The sourcecode is available on svn.

-Atashi
 

Guild McCommunist

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...Or you could just buy a cart that gets superior firmware and not bother with universal stuff? The only reason people would want this is so there's some small glimpse of hope that their old and beaten flashcart can still get the newest games to work. Even then, the hardware limitations are there and any "universal" firmware would probably have bleak compatibility, mainly because it'd have to be dumbed down for crapcarts (c wat i did der?). If anything you'd just have a loader with poor compatibility compared to whatever good flashcarts have.

And devs pride themselves on making firmware for ONE cart. Why do you think AKAIO throws so many monkey wrenches into using it on Acekard clones?
 

gameguy95

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elixirdream said:
the closest thing i know is AKAIO

all karts all in one

*run from normmatt*
AceKard All In One you idiot
also i support this but would be unable to help make it as the only languages i know are:
English
(some) Espanol
and DEBUG "PBASIC2.5"
 

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