Xbox Linux: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 12:28, 11 November 2020

Revision as of 06:38, 5 January 2021

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'''Xbox Linux''' was a project that ported the [[Linux]] [[operating system]] to the [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]] [[video game console]]. Because the Xbox uses a [[digital signature]] system to prevent the public from running [[unsigned code]], one must either use a [[modchip]], or a [[softmod]]. Originally, modchips were the only option; however, it was later demonstrated that the [[Thin small-outline package|TSOP]] chip on which the Xbox's [[BIOS]] is held may be reflashed. This way, one may flash on the "[[Cromwell (computing)|Cromwell]]" BIOS, which was developed legally by the Xbox Linux project. Catalyzed by a large cash prize for the first team to provide the possibility of booting Linux on an Xbox without the need of a hardware hack, numerous software-only hacks were also found. For example, a [[buffer overflow]] was found in the game ''[[007: Agent Under Fire]]'' that allowed the [[boot loader|booting]] of a Linux loader ("xbeboot") straight from a save game.

The Xbox is essentially a [[personal computer|PC]] with a custom 733&nbsp;MHz [[Intel Corporation|Intel]] [[Pentium III#Coppermine|Pentium III]]<ref>{{cite news|last=Shimpi|first=Anand Lal|title=Hardware Behind the Consoles - Part I: Microsoft's Xbox|url=http://www.anandtech.com/show/853/2|publisher=[[Anand Tech]]|date=21 November 2001|accessdateaccess-date=21 February 2013}}</ref> processor, a 10 GB [[hard disk|hard drive]] (8 GB of which is accessible to the user), 64MB of [[Random access memory|RAM]] (although on all earlier boxes this is upgradable to 128MB), and 4 [[Universal Serial Bus|USB]] ports. (The controller ports are actually USB 1.1 ports with a modified connector.) These specifications are enough to run several readily available Linux distributions.

From the Xbox-Linux home page: