xbox hacking

http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/...010303X,00.asp

Why not, the PS2 has that OS already. Xbox should too. Make Bill ticked

[Uranium-235]

404 kiddo

the link works fine.
I will paste the article then.

Lindows CEO Funds Xbox Hacking Challenge

Contest invites coders to devise ways to run Linux on gaming console--both with and without hardware hacks.

Scarlet Pruitt, IDG News Service
Friday, January 03, 2003

The donor for a hacking project aimed at bringing the open-source Linux operating system to Microsoft's Xbox gaming console was revealed this week to be Lindows.com founder and Chief Executive Officer Michael Robertson.

Robertson's involvement in the project brings him in even further opposition to the software behemoth. He is already butting heads with Microsoft both in the courtroom and on the desktop through his Lindows venture. Lindows provides a low-cost, Linux-based operating system that supports popular Microsoft Windows file types. Microsoft is suing the software startup for trademark infringement over the similarity of the Lindows and Windows names.


Advertisement




The rivalry has been taken one step further, however, with the revelation that Robertson is the previously anonymous donor pledging $200,000 to developers who successfully complete the hacking project.

No one representing Microsoft was immediately available to comment on the matter Friday.

Contest Continues
Robertson's donation, which was disclosed on the SourceForge.net Web site for open-source developer collaboration, is being allotted as two prizes.

The first prize is for the developers who successfully complete Part A of the project, which involves "running Linux on the box." The second prize will be awarded for Part B, running Linux on the Xbox with no hardware modifications.

Part A has already been completed, and "Linux Xbox "is available free for download from the SourceForge site. Part B is still incomplete, and Robertson has extended the deadline for another year.

Other Attempts
Microsoft's Xbox has become a favorite target for hackers who want to turn it into a functional PC.

In October, a group of European developers released a version of Linux for Xbox. The group, called h07.org, said the distribution is based on MandrakeSoft SA's Mandrake 9.0 Linux. It contains the graphical environments Gnome and KDE, as well as such software packages as OpenOffice.org, Gimp, Evolution, and Mozilla.

Their method requires installation of an extra chip--called a mod chip--on the main circuit board. Microsoft contends that the modification enables users to circumvent copyright protection on games. The developers say mod chips are not illegal in Europe if they are not used with pirated software. Also, last June a Massachusetts Institute of Technology student claimed to crack the Xbox's security system, potentially allowing users to run any software on the system.

Assault or PC Freedom?
Although sponsoring a hacking project aimed at one's main competitor is usually seen as a personal assault, Robertson claims he is funding the initiative in support of his belief that users should be able to run any software they want on any hardware.

In that vein, the hacking challenge aims to provide a version of GNU/Linux for the Xbox so that it can be used as an ordinary computer. The Xbox consists of PC-based hardware from IBM and runs a stripped-down version of the Windows 2000 kernel, according to the project site. For antipiracy reasons, however, the Xbox runs only games.

The developers working on the Xbox hacking challenge say Xbox running Linux would be useful as a desktop PC, Web server, or node in a Linux cluster. The hacking project is presented as a revolt against Microsoft's closed-architecture approach to the machine.

linux on xbox was done months ago.. ive seen an movie of it, was posted on slashdot

This was the first I heard of it.

[Uranium-235]

well, it wasn't there when ever I clicked it the first time. bleh

it is ok Uranium-235. I had that problem with another site.

Part A has already been completed, and "Linux Xbox "is available free for download from the SourceForge site. Part B is still incomplete, and Robertson has extended the deadline for another year.

from your own post :P

thanks RogueProtoKol. I just scanned the article and didn't see that