Linux Kernel Ported to the Nintendo 64 (phoronix.com) 33
Phoronix reports:
It's been a turbulent year and 2020 is certainly ending interesting in the Linux/open-source space... If it wasn't odd enough seeing Sony providing a new official Linux driver for their PlayStation 5 DualSense controller for ending out the year, there is also a new Linux port to the Nintendo 64 game console... Yes, a brand new port to the game console that launched more than two decades ago.
Open-source developer Lauri Kasanen who has contributed to Mesa and the Linux graphics stack took to developing a new Nintendo 64 port and announced it this Christmas day. This isn't the first time Linux has been ported to the N64 but prior attempts weren't aimed at potentially upstreaming it into the mainline Linux kernel...
This fresh port to the N64 was pursued in part to help port emulators and frame-buffer or console games.
And also, the announcement adds, "Most importantly, because I can."
Open-source developer Lauri Kasanen who has contributed to Mesa and the Linux graphics stack took to developing a new Nintendo 64 port and announced it this Christmas day. This isn't the first time Linux has been ported to the N64 but prior attempts weren't aimed at potentially upstreaming it into the mainline Linux kernel...
This fresh port to the N64 was pursued in part to help port emulators and frame-buffer or console games.
And also, the announcement adds, "Most importantly, because I can."
will nintendo sue to remove the code? (Score:1)
will nintendo sue to remove the code?
Re:will nintendo sue to remove the code? (Score:5, Funny)
will nintendo sue to remove the code?
They might sudo.
Interesting (Score:2)
But the practical value will be minimal. If you have the disk unit, it would help increase that value a bit, but right now it's an intetesting tech demo.
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With expansions, supports 8MB RAM/64MB storage - not too shabby for the hardware of the day.
Practical value in 2021, none. Because he can.
it can do 16MB of Memory max (Score:2)
it can do 16MB of Memory max
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My mistake, Wikipedia says 4 + 4 with expansion pak = 8.
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stock hardware you can mod it to 16
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It depends entirely on the nature of the port, and what sort of architectural anomalies it exposes the rest of the kernel to. I was one of the people responsible for the Dreamcast and PS2 ports - at the time, the main motivation was not because the hardware was interesting, but simply because it was some of the only hardware I had available. Years later, once we began to get uClinux merged upstream, I also did a Saturn port as a pet project, as this was one of the first systems that exhibited NUMA and SMP c
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All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
Your selfishness is the problem with you (Score:5, Informative)
What gave you the idea that we do this for you?
Are you confusing Linux with a for-profit product?
We are adapting Linux to whatever serves us best.
Turns out scripting and non-desktopy tools is vastly more useful than forcing colorful tappables for disabled people onto everyone.
You want something else? Well, why don't *you* develop it then??
You are free, to hire a developer yourself.
Stop being such a self-entitled moocher.
This is not a Microsoft product. You didn't pay either.
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Sounds like the Karen you replied to is threatening to stick with Windows, clicking through 17 levels of submenus in MS Word to find that selecting a column (awk) isn't there. Threatening to leave Linux alone. I sure hope she does.
Which gets me thinking, I wonder how we could piss off Poettering and get him to switch to Windows? He really probably would like it better - the Windows mindset is exactly the Poettering mindset. He'd feel more at home there.
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Re:This is the problem with Linux in a nutshell (Score:5, Informative)
People who can do this could also spend their time improving Linux and all the issues that currently exist for platforms that people actually use in any volume. And why that volume is low because people spend their time on shit that doesn't matter instead of fixing stuff that does. For example, the graphics stack. It has needed proper updating for years. Especially now with 4k monitors and multiple monitors with different dpi (seeing as how this guy is a 'graphics stack' programmer). Open source yeah. People contribute on shit they think is cool and don't want to do work on stuff they don't care about, like making things bullet proof. Oh cool, Nintendo 64. Who the fuck cares. It's just as bad as the ridiculous number of distributions that keep Linux off the desktop. And if you think that doesn't matter you are wrong. Windows because big on the server market because it was on the desktop and for the most part it worked (no fanboy crap, it did the job for business). And because it was on the desktop at work and at home all the bosses who sign the cheques also knew what it was and wanted to use it at work because they didn't have to learn several operating systems. And if it worked there, why not buy the Windows Servers? You want to get your favourite OS to gain ground? Make it work on the desktop. And that doesn't mean "look up why some resolution doesn't work and tweak some config file or compile a different kernel. How about Linux programmers focus to make fewer things, but make them work amazing. Kind of like restaurant saving TV shows. Reduce the size of the menu so you can actually make shit people want to eat.
Did you even read the article summary?
"Open-source developer Lauri Kasanen who has contributed to Mesa and the Linux graphics stack took to developing a new Nintendo 64 port and announced it this Christmas day. "
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Stress testing (Score:4, Insightful)
But Linux insiders would rather choose cool over making code bulletproof.
You know that stress-testing code by exposing it to new environment *IS PART* of the ways you can make it bulletproof, right ?
(though it's not the first MIPS64 platform the linux kernel runs on, so probably it didn't trigger that many yet undiscovered bugs).
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But Linux insiders would rather choose cool over making code bulletproof.
I didn't realize it was an either-or choice. I almost feel bad for not realizing your insightful comment while I run Linux on hundreds of 112-cpu nodes.
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People who can do this could also spend their time improving Linux and all the issues that currently exist for platforms that people actually use in any volume.
People other than you?
How about Linux programmers focus to make fewer things, but make them work amazing.
How about you contributing?
-- I ignore anonymous replies to my comments and postings.
I cannot care less about what you ignore or not.
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"People should do things I want them to do, not things they want to do. And I'm not paying them."
Entitlement much?
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You should fork the kernel and manage the project the way you think it should be done.
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...chip away at something broken in ... systemd.
I was taught that you can't fix stupid. Has that changed lately?
It's 64 bits! (Score:3)
With a whole 64 bits of computing power, Cyrix and Intel better watch out. A Beowulf cluster of N64s could even seriously threaten Intel's dot-com dominance.
Great - if you can find one that still works (Score:2)
Mine died after 7 years and I'm not alone. Not the most reliable of the Nintendo consoles.
Reccaping (Score:2)
Well, time to order a new set of capacitor from you favourite retro enthusiasts online shop, and warm that soldering iron, then ?
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It wasn't a dead electrolytic, or at least not obviously dead.
Re: Great - if you can find one that still works (Score:2)
I suspect capacitors, but SNES's were still going strong (even with badly yellowed cases) decades later.
There was a period around the 2000s where bad capacators had flooded the market. Your N64 might have been manufactured during that unlucky time.
Run 64 ROMs natively? (Score:1)