PS3 Linux World Coming very soon we will bring you complete guides to the following versions of linux for the PS3. Over the next 7 days I will be completing my PSUbuntu guide Ubuntu is one of if not the best version of linux to learn on the company try very hard to make it easy for windows users to cross over and use linux easily, but you can also install all the advanced stuff found in other distributions in my guide I will show you how to install linux on the PS3, how to get it working on the network, How to get flash working for the internet, how to set it up to play all of your divx, xvid, mp4, and any other media files you want to play, and when they give us access to the RSX I will show you how to set full 3d capabilities up in linux so you can run some linux games such as Unreal tournament and Doom3, you can also run some benchmarks and compare to the PC. Cya in a few days when I will Put up the website design and my first guide.
PSUbuntu is an Ubuntu distribution able to run on Sony's PlayStation 3 platform. The installer cannot run in Live mode, but will offer an alternative installer (text-based) that will install a fully functional Ubuntu operating system. It is possible to have an external USB hard drive attached to the PlayStation 3 during install, and choose to mount that as the home folder.
Ubuntu includes well-known GNU/Linux components such as free/open-source technologies such as Apache, PostgreSQL, and Python. The distribution also includes user applications, such as the Mozilla Firefox Web browser, OpenOffice.org, Evolution, Rhythmbox, Pidgin, and GIMP.
Ubuntu is a derivative of Debian and relies on the Apt Package Manager, using .deb format. Through successive versions of Ubuntu every 6 months, more hardware support is added frequently. As a result, Ubuntu supports accelerated graphics hardware out of the box, although some other hardware components will not function properly without modifications to the kernel.
Yellow Dog Linux 5.0 was one of the first Linux distributions to run on Sony's PlayStation 3 platform. It is designed specifically for HDTV so users with SDTV will have to use the commands 'installtext' and 'ydl480i' to be able to install and run.
Yellow Dog Linux includes well-known GNU/Linux components such as GCC, as well as other free/open-source technologies such as Apache, PostgreSQL, Python, Webmin, and XFree86. The distribution also includes user applications, such as the Mozilla Firefox Web browser, OpenOffice.org, Evolution, Rhythmbox, MPlayer, Pidgin, and GIMP.
Yellow Dog Linux is a derivative of Fedora and relies on the RPM package manager. Through successive versions of Yellow Dog Linux, Terra Soft Solutions has invested heavily in implementing support specifically for Apple and IBM hardware. As a result, Yellow Dog Linux supports accelerated graphics and audio hardware out of the box, although some other hardware components will not function properly without modifications to the kernel.
OpenSUSE 10.3 is the first version of OpenSUSE to run on the Sony PlayStation 3 platform. OpenSUSE is an open source version of SUSE Linux, which is owned by Novell.
It runs either KDE or Gnome by default, as selected by the user at install time, so it should be considered more resource-intensive than Yellow Dog Linux or other Enlightment / XFCE based distributions.
PlayStation 3 specific installation instructions for OpenSUSE can be found here
Linux on the PlayStation 3 allows for a huge range of homebrew programs to be developed and is entirely sanctioned by Sony. The Cell's performance is more than enough to handle most media requirements or render complex 3D graphics, it does however lack the teraflops performance of a contemporary GPU's texture fetching hardware. For this reason many complex games aren't possible on the PlayStation 3 through Linux as access to hardware acceleration in the RSX is restricted by a hypervisor.
There have been developments in enabling access to the RSX through the Linux kernel and the X Window System. Still in the early stages of development, the workaround allows Direct Memory Access (DMA) to the RSX memory to get images there.
If one wishes to use the RSX in Linux then it is recommended that one does not upgrade one's firmware to 2.10 or higher. This has the effect of restricting access to the RSX chip.