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Linux, Outside the (x86) BoxBy Peter Seebach2005-06-29 
Just playing around
Of course, there's still a certain amount of just pure fun to be had, and don't discount enjoyment for its own sake; it can be a powerful driving force for adaptation. Linux has been successfully ported to both the Sony PlayStation 2 and the Nintendo GameCube. The PS2 is based on a custom CPU called the "Emotion Engine," which is based on a MIPS core. And what a stroke of luck that Linux was already ported to MIPS hardware. The GameCube is based on the PowerPC processor, another early port. The SH port, targeting the SuperH chips (made by Hitachi once long ago) works on the Sega Dreamcast and continues to be a popular target for hobbyist programmers. Game consoles often use non-x86 hardware (the current Xbox being a notable exception), and Linux ports to this hardware give developers access to machines that are literally designed for game developers. For the most part, people aren't trying to use these machines as workstations -- they're for playing around. Thankfully, the Linux community is still full of people who do things "just because." As it turns out, that desire has led to code branches that have been of real commercial value and that have made Linux ever more ubiquitous and flexible. Pure research can pay off. Even though non-x86 Linux systems are likely to be in the minority for some time, the development efforts that made them possible have made the Linux community better off as a whole and have even helped the x86 community reach higher. If Linux hadn't previously been ported to a dozen other architectures, the x86/64 port for the 64-bit Athlon would have been orders of magnitude more difficult than it was. There's value in having fun. Tutorial Pages: » What is it about Linux that makes it so attractive for non-x86 platforms? » Early days » Big iron » Hardware capabilities » New life for old hardware » Just playing around » Resources First published by IBM DeveloperWorks
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