Hacking EZ-Flash and Linux

[beautifulbeast]

I've been considering the possibility of getting a EZ-Flash to play GBA games in my NDS Lite + R4, but always get lost among the different options and because it seems like all of them require you to install some kind of client on Windows and I use Linux (and wouldn't get back to Windows for nothing in the world).
From time to time appears a post claiming (or at least that's what I understand) that it's possible flasing games from your slot-1 card into your EZ 3 in 1, but I get lost as soon as they start talking about the different kinds of memory and I don't know if this is some kind of experimental feature or what.
So I decided it was time to ask the group. Knowing my requirements (No Windows, R4, only need it to play GBA titles like KH: Chain of memories, the two Metroids, Castlevania...) wich EZ model would you recommend and do people actually use that on-the-fly flashing technique from slot 1 to slot 2?

 

[FAST6191]

All EZFlash models require some patching for GBA roms with the EZ4 and by extension the 3 in 1 patching program (EZ4 Client although there is GBATA and the hybrid tool had EZ4 GBA added at one point as well) being OK to use under WINE if you were so inclined.

As for memory:
there is RAM. Fast to write (30 seconds max) to but data is lost on power down. Also only 16 Megabytes (a small selection of games are 32 megabytes (KH: Chain of memories included in that) and some rom hacks and homebrew can also be larger than 16 Megabytes).

The is NOR: slow to write (minutes slow) but data stays across power cycles, 32 Megabytes in size.

Edit: regarding on the fly flashing: the EZ 3 in 1 is designed for it whereas the EZ4 is more geared towards having another microSD although rudolph made a EZ4 "2 in 1" tool (browser ram and GBA roms).

 

[beautifulbeast]

Thanks FAST6191. Still don't like the idea of patching, but knowing I can use the client agent with wine makes things easier. Do you think a EZ FLash V like the one here: http://bamboogaming.com/flash-cards/ezflas...-/prod_106.html would make a good combo with my R4?

 

[FAST6191]

If you want RAM, rumble and the odd GBA game (GBA games take up a good bit of space if you will let them: there are a fair few good ones) then it will be good for what you want.
The R4 line (or any other DLDI capable DS slot cart) is well supported by third party tools.

Furthermore if you are interested the GBA patching is actually very simple 90% of the time (I know of several people reverse engineering what was done, the other 10% is stuff like the light sensor, RTC, movement and the odd "protection" that is applied). Usually less than 50 bytes are altered (which I can imagine could be knocked out with a PHP script) and even then they are limited to standard ones for EEPROM, SRAM and Flash types.