[Coco] Retro computing and what's worth it...

[Sean]

There was an official Sony release that allowed a PS2 to run Linux.
However, according to this Wikipedia entry it might be hard to find.
Personally I never pursued it.  My PS2 was for games, and I had plenty
of PCs to run Linux on.  And since I liked the games, I didn't want to
risk breaking it!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_for_PlayStation_2

Modding a PS2 to accept other OSs is a totally different animal.  I'd
just get the boy an old DOS box if you want him to learn how to use
command prompts.  Too much modding is required to get a game system to
do the same stuff as an old PC.





On Tue, Dec 16, 2008 at 10:30 PM, Mark McDougall <msmcdoug at iinet.net.au> wrote:
> Michael Robinson wrote:
>
>> I decided to get a Playstation II hoping to put Linux on it so my
>> nephew can C program and play more modern games.  Well, how do I
>> get a Playstation II compatible Linux system without paying a mint?
>>  Someone on the Linux list has suggested that I need a $60
>> mod chip, but how will that affect the Playstation when it comes
>> to supporting video games?
>
> Installing most PS2 modchips is not for the feint-hearted. And be warned
> that certain models of PS2 have problems with laser-burnout when used with
> modchips.
>
> Since modchips are designed to allow users to play copied games, the
> game-playing ability of the PS2 won't be adversely affected.
>
> I wouldn't say that a modded PS2 is your best choice for a game/programming
> platform - you'll need to add a hard disk for instance, and adapters for
> mouse & keyboard. And linux distos for consoles tend to run quite slow and
> require tweaked packages in some cases. Not the best platform for a beginner
> programmer.
>
> For "modern" games you need a reasonably high-end PC or course, but for
> programming you don't need much grunt at all. I'd suggest a cheap 2nd-hand
> (unmodded) PS2 for games and a cheap "throw-away" PC for programming - which
> could probably be had for as much as a mod chip.
>
> Regards,
>
> --
> |              Mark McDougall                | "Electrical Engineers do it
> |  <http://members.iinet.net.au/~msmcdoug>   |   with less resistance!"
>
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