Homebrew Linux for 3DS

[raulpica]

Was Linux DS actually useful for anything?

DSLinux was based on μClinux which is mainly made for embeddable devices. In other words, it was pretty useless for the enduser.

To an extent it was.
For a while the web browser was one of the better options for it on the DS. It had some of the better telnet and ssh options for the DS (and this was before netbooks, before tablets rose up and before the mobile phone OS market got something resembling a dominant platform with workable options for end user code) and there are accounts of people using it for real, it was eventually ported out (though with the help of the work done for the DS linux project) but for a while it was the main method of doing a disk check on your actual DS, some of the server options it had did OK as far as such things went, by virtue of the text readers that Linux tends to come with it had some of the more reliable options for text viewing and writing.
It was never going to be more than a curio, or become anything like the various Linux implementations on something like the raspberry pi are today, but for the time it was usable, useful in many cases and fun if you like tinkering with things like this.

Web browser? You mean a textual one for sure? DSLinux didn't have an X Server afaik.

Also didn't another homebrew also have a filechecking function? I remember using something else for that...

 

[FAST6191]

retaqw or something was the browser. Prior to the likes of dshobro, Bunjalloo and whatever else it was a split between the DS linux stuff, the opera one and DSOrganize's attempt and as there were still quite a few text sites at that point in life it managed to carve out a niche by virtue of not crashing, not being slow as sin and having something resembling consistent rendering.

The file checking stuff was dosfsck http://filetrip.net/nds-downloads/u...check-and-repair-disk-from-your-ds-f1336.html
However it used a cut down version of DS linux to pull it off.

 

[GhostLatte]

I can't wait until this is released!

 

[DanTheManMS]

I used DSLinux a lot actually. It had decent file management so I could use it to copy files between my SD card's folders for instance (when tab-completion worked properly, that is). I used Retawq and Links all the time simply because while they were text-only web browsers, they were actually a lot more capable than most other DS browsers in terms of HTML compliance and features (allowed for file downloads even). It was the first actual case of multitasking on the DS, as you could have up to 3 virtual shells running at once -- I would have one open for the web browser, one to stream an Internet radio station using wget and mp3play, and one to enter any random commands I wanted (like "free" to check up on how much free RAM I had left). Wifi downloads in DSLinux could reach much higher speeds than any other wifi-enabled homebrew for the DS, oddly enough. It's truly amazing what they managed to accomplish with (essentially) 66 MHz of processing power and 4 MB of RAM.

Definitely looking forward to seeing what more can be done with more capable hardware on the 3DS here!

 

[loco365]

I recently started using Liunx (Ubuntu to be specific) and this would be something I wouldn't mind trying. The hardware of the N3DS would work so much better for this, although the 3DS could run this just as well. This is something that I'd definitely make use of.

 

[Technicmaster0]

I used DSLinux a lot actually. It had decent file management so I could use it to copy files between my SD card's folders for instance (when tab-completion worked properly, that is). I used Retawq and Links all the time simply because while they were text-only web browsers, they were actually a lot more capable than most other DS browsers in terms of HTML compliance and features (allowed for file downloads even). It was the first actual case of multitasking on the DS, as you could have up to 3 virtual shells running at once -- I would have one open for the web browser, one to stream an Internet radio station using wget and mp3play, and one to enter any random commands I wanted (like "free" to check up on how much free RAM I had left). Wifi downloads in DSLinux could reach much higher speeds than any other wifi-enabled homebrew for the DS, oddly enough. It's truly amazing what they managed to accomplish with (essentially) 66 MHz of processing power and 4 MB of RAM.

Definitely looking forward to seeing what more can be done with more capable hardware on the 3DS here!

Didn't DS Linux require a slot-2 expansion?

 

[SLiV3R]

If this project gets successful, would it be possible to use emulators that originally was written for Linux on a computer? Or do we have to port them and do a lot of work for them to start?

 

[Daku93]

Didn't DS Linux require a slot-2 expansion?

I think there was a version with limited functions that didn't. But if you wanted all the functionality, yes, you needed a slot-2 RAM-extension.

 

[Flame]

now this is a proper homebrew(no disrespect to other homebrew) and project

 

[Idaho]

If this project gets successful, would it be possible to use emulators that originally was written for Linux on a computer? Or do we have to port them and do a lot of work for them to start?

It'd have to be programs made for ARM but I think it'd be possible, that'd rock ass...

 

[iSubaru]

Didn't DS Linux require a slot-2 expansion?

Required? - No~
Super Strongly Recommended? - Oh yes

If this project gets successful, would it be possible to use emulators that originally was written for Linux on a computer? Or do we have to port them and do a lot of work for them to start?

Even if, it's a bit overkill. Better write such emulators from the scratch as native.

I vote yes for that project. Let's... <stops OS wars beforehand> uhm...I mean...woohoo?!
I'm not specialist there but I believe that someday in future some really light graphic desktop would be possible...reaaalllyyy light.

 

[garrlker]

If this project gets successful, would it be possible to use emulators that originally was written for Linux on a computer? Or do we have to port them and do a lot of work for them to start?

The only linux distro/device with tons of emulators that might take less work porting/be more compatible would be ones written for the raspberry pi since it's ARM, although that's only for the CPU side of things. The raspi still runs an entirely different distro(?) and has a different GPU and a whole lot more ram.

 

[SLiV3R]

Ok. So Linux on the 3ds are mostly for utilities, apps and that stuff.

 

[elhobbs]

Ok. So Linux on the 3ds are mostly for utilities, apps and that stuff.

It would mostly be for the novelty. The amount of people who try it out would be fairly limited and even more limited still would be the number of people who would use it on a regular basis. But that is true for most homebrew (possibly close to all). But that sort of thing usually does not discourage your typical homebrew coder and I expect it will not in this case either.

 

[Deleted User]

Oh, wow, that's pretty cool.
It seems like you can run Linux on virtually any device.

 

[DarkFlare69]

You can play PlayStation games with linux DS on a dstwo card， I'm not kidding

Does it have to be DSTwo?

 

[FAST6191]

Does it have to be DSTwo?

No. You can also use an ismm (another enhanced flash cart, indeed it was made for it first).
http://filetrip.net/nds-downloads/f...ad-ismartlinux-beta-1-2-full-pack-f25444.html

Either way it is not great. Maybe 17fps on some games which I guess is enough for some puzzle games and such that do not need to be completely real time but you are not going to be doing Crash Bandicoot or anything.

 

[xerpi]

Ok. So Linux on the 3ds are mostly for utilities, apps and that stuff.

I'm only doing this for fun, as a good way to learn about OS development as this is what I'd like to do in the future when I finish the University. So I don't find any utility in running Linux on the 3DS to be honest.

 

[MyJoyConRunsHot]

No. You can also use an ismm (another enhanced flash cart, indeed it was made for it first).
http://filetrip.net/nds-downloads/f...ad-ismartlinux-beta-1-2-full-pack-f25444.html

Either way it is not great. Maybe 17fps on some games which I guess is enough for some puzzle games and such that do not need to be completely real time but you are not going to be doing Crash Bandicoot or anything.

I've played through the first Spyro on it. Was a bit slow but decently playable. The save states only load whenever they feel like, however, and now I can't get Dingux to load the OS anymore regardless of what I do.

 

[iSubaru]

Let me get this straight, there was an emulator of PS1 for DSTwo for use with DS... Mind blown.

I'm only doing this for fun, as a good way to learn about OS development as this is what I'd like to do in the future when I finish the University. So I don't find any utility in running Linux on the 3DS to be honest.

Linux is open source so if you will be so kind, then wherever you will leave the work, someone else can pick it up and continue it, in the end with some effort we can get really nice Linux for 3DS ==