Squeak Xbox port

Tim Rowledge tim at sumeru.stanford.edu
Wed Apr 2 06:37:31 UTC 2003


"Jeffrey T. Read" <bitwize at snet.net> wrote:

> On Tue, Apr 01, 2003 at 10:01:07PM -0500, Swan, Dean wrote:
> > All they're doing is replacing the default Microsoft BIOS ROM with their own FLASH, and from that point on it's basically a PC.  Make a bootable Linux CD, and that's about the end of the story.
Exactly. I am still assuming a linux VM even though I have been educated
a little about what the modchip does. I thought it was only for making
linux run but apparently it is more general purpose than that in
reality. Supposedly there are some tools around that will compile code
to run 'native' - if that's the right word given the modchip. But why
bother? Linux irritates the hell out of me every time I have to attempt
to do anything with it but somewhat less than I remember windows
annoying me last time I had anything to do with it. Given how easy it
would be to just recompile the *nix source tree why bother to do
anything else because after all...

> Squeak will never be legitimate on the X-Box because Microsoft would never approve of an open source programming environment existing on its closed console. The X-Box looks like it's Microsoft's vision for computing in the new millennium: The PC becomes a closed platform (with help from Palladium), with Microsoft as the gatekeeper. A future where Squeak (and Linux, and other cool things) is ousted from the Dells and Gateways of the world is now plausible (but still seems unlikely).
... exactly. I think this is really the point of the posting - control.
As in
 "If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human
 face -- for ever." George Orwell, 1984
and if you don't think that it can happen (at least temporarily) you
haven't read any history.
> 
> Oh, well, there's always the PS2 Linux kit...
Sony is in an interesting position. They produce machinery and media;
I've read claims of pretty big arguments between the respective
divisons.

-- 
Tim Rowledge, tim at sumeru.stanford.edu, http://sumeru.stanford.edu/tim
Software is best understood as a branch of movie making.  - Ted Nelson



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