How I Turned The PlayStation 2 Into A Linux Computer

[@Heidegaff]

Did you know that the reason why the Linux disc exists is because Sony was trying to circumvent the taxes associated with game consoles in the EU? At the time, there were higher taxes for machines intented for recreational entertainment, like consoles, but not for computers, so what they were trying to do was passing the PS2 as a computer that could also play games. It didn't work out though.

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Yep, they even packed in Ya-basic with all ps2s in Europe I believe to help their cause. But like you said it didn’t work😅

[@ssj99gohanisthebest48]

They tried it again with ps3 and we know what happened lol I guess keep trying until you actually fail

[@phanonymous7865]

I always just assumed it was a carryover from the Era of unique game pc's like the msx, and commodore

[@-aexc-]

that's actually really interesting

[@Heidegaff]

@@MachoNachoProductions only the first units tho. When the EU told them to quit acting up, they stopped including the Linux disc.

[@BackwardSabotage]

8:50 the fact that they offer a server installation option is incredible. Imagine being able to say "Yeah, my website runs on a 20 year old PS2 running Linux"

[@SilverSpoon_]

more than enough for just LAMP, maybe some mail client and IRC and voila. your PS2 is a server, and a cheap, stable one!

[@bitdigital8052]

I had this when it was released back in 2001-2002 and ordered it directly from Sony. I used to browse that same community and remember downloading some apps like a .mp3 player and home-brew games. You had to compile a lot of stuff yourself if I remember correctly. So long ago…😂. The community was fun and very much active until Sony shut it down. I actually sold my kit around 2004 then bought another one in 2007 and still have it today VGA cable and all. When I bought my Backwards Compatible 60GB PS3 that also had Linux “Other OS” and had me feeling nostalgic for my old PS2 setup. So I still have PS2 and PS3 Linux equipped systems in my collection. Thanks for the Video bro 😎!

[@7evive]

Insane collection

[@ProdDeity]

I wish I never updated my PS3.

[@husky3g]

With the current status of Steam OS 3 hitting the market and the image allowing you to play Windows games on Linux with Proton, I really wanted to see someone try to run it on a PS3 just to see if you could play some Windows games on the PS3 with the RSX! It would be super cool to see someone be able to play Steam games on a PS3.

[@ProdDeity]

@The tricky tick not sure I can. My son has been in charge of it for a few years.

[@ProdDeity]

@@husky3g i remember when Gabe said that he wanted to port Steam to the PS3, but it was too difficult.

[@phanonymous7865]

I used Linux on ps3 for awhile when my PC broke back in the day. It was surprisingly capable, too bad Sony took the feature away.

[@CeceliPS3]

bastards!

[@onelazynoob15]

We have to give thanks to the jailbreak community for bringing this back onto systems like the PS4.

[@𪛗]

@@onelazynoob15 Linux on a PlayStation 5, that would be awesome

[@onelazynoob15]

@@𪛗 yeah, we just gotta wait until jailbreakers get that one too, only a matter of time imo

[@fsdfgasgfisd]

I just installed petitboot and Red Ribbon Linux on my ps3 a few days ago.

[@SYIBOI]

I had a Coworker who claimed to use ps2 Linux as a temporary desktop while he saved up for a new one around 2003. Told me he got the whole kit for a steal from a pawnshop including the ps2 itself. Apparently he used it for about 9 months then sold it on as soon as he got his new desktop he was saving for and only remembered it recently. He said printing from it was impossible and he used it to type up papers and email them to himself so he could print them at his school. He was in college at the time.

[@MachoNachoProductions]

That is such a cool story! I think it’s so neat that we could use the ps2 as a real computer. Appreciate you sharing 👍☺️

[@craigtheduck]

I'm not surprised at all about the lack of printer drivers.

[@nexxusty]

Printing from it was, and is not impossible. Especially since it has an ethernet card.

[@nexxusty]

@@craigtheduck Nobody is plugging their printer directly into the PS2.... Only an idiot would even attempt that. Printer sharing/CUPS.

[@SYIBOI]

@@nexxusty I think it was a driver issue in his case but you know

[@gumbyx84]

A friend of mine in college had this kit. We were Computer Science majors so it was right up our alley. I don't know if he ever coded on it though.

[@natethebad]

I love learning about obscure software and weird uses for old consoles! Putting Linux on a PS2 through official means is super neat, even if the RAM does limit the utility ( I couldn't believe it when you said that the PS2 only has 32 mb lol). Thanks for another great video!

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Thank you Nathan 🙏! Me too I also love all these interesting officially released kits. Yeah it’s crazy how little Ram it has. The Xbox wasn’t much better at only 64mb 😅

[@detsibli2351]

What's more amazing is the amount of games with complicated mechanics, gameplay and more with that amount of RAM

[@hicknopunk]

Consoles were always doing more with less back then.

[@gaumetpaul872]

Obscure software ? What is obscure in a program ?

[@looeegee]

@@detsibli2351 memory was very expensive back then, consoles used cpu caches and heavy use of optimization to achieve those graphics, even so there were lots of limitations, a game like Minecraft even though simple in graphics, wouldn't be possible to run on a PS2 or Xbox due to ram

[@SuperNicktendo]

I used my Ps3 to write school papers when I didn't have a capable desktop at the time. Google docs in the browser was a life saver. I was more interested in modding the Xbox at the time so I didn't really pay attention to ps2 wizardry

[@MachoNachoProductions]

That’s so awesome! I love how these machines doubled as actual working personal computers

[@rjpdkaraokeatbp.2492]

Me too. But, I used MS Office online since I have my own Outlook account.

[@phanonymous7865]

Agreed, the compatibility with epson printers was one of those things that I didn't think I'd ever need, until I inevitably did

[@STICKOMEDIA]

@@MachoNachoProductions ikr

[@JPHarringtonJr]

The drop shadows on the blue setup windows are DEEP! Makes for a simple, but satisfying button press animation I must say. I had no idea this existed, nice coverage!

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Haha, I though the same thing! Huge drop shadows 😅

[@Agamemnon2]

Oh yeah, that was such a standard stylistic feature of text mode applications back in the day. I remember seeing it regularly all the way from my first 286 machine to Windows 95 or so.

[@aftdawn]

That's because all of the setup is actually done with mono space text characters, that's actually the smallest you can get a drop shadow without using a full GUI and desktop environment like xserver And the click is SO satisfying

[@gregandcin]

GIMP is pretty cool! Closest thing we have to Photoshop in the Open Source world. Linux has a come a long way since these disks came out lol. Running Linux on anything is always a fun treat

[@MachoNachoProductions]

I always enjoy seeing this retrospectives. It’s always fun to see and experience what things were like back in the day. It’s the closest thing to getting into a time machine I suppose 😅

[@-aexc-]

Ive been really happy with my switch to arch like 6 months ago. I can't imagine going back to an os without a good package manager

[@kaitlyn__L]

Nah, Krita is a lot closer! It’s a paint program primarily but it’s still more functional for most photo edits too

[@8bitgubben]

@@kaitlyn__L sorry no

[@wclifton968gameplaystutorials]

@@kaitlyn__L Both Krita and Gimp have different features, for instance, only GIMP has support for Microsoft Direct Draw Surface (DDS) files while Krita includes more effects and brushes plus some animation features which I believe are not present in GIMP. All it essentially boils down to is that GIMP is the raster editor for GTK+ desktops on Linux, BSD while Krita is the raster editor from KDE for QT Desktop environments on Linux plus both with support for Microsoft Windows and I believe also macOS as well...

[@Canady182]

I wasn't even a Playstation kid growing up but that PS2 boot-up sound is kino.

[@lzrbck]

I was there Gandalf, 3000 years ago. I don't remember it off the top of my head but there was a button combo you could hold on the controller at startup to get video over regular component. I picked one up for half-price in 2004 when Sony was clearing them out. I was able to get an FTP server running on it and used it to share MP3s over my home network. That was all it was really good at.

[@MachoNachoProductions]

That is so cool! Thank you for sharing

[@DavisMakesGames]

I've owned the network adapter for a while and set my PS2 up with a 40gb hard disk recently, it's incredible the speed difference versus loading from disk even on an old Seagate ATA drive. Interesting to learn more about the Linux version - I wonder how many people actually used this day to day.

[@ngsilver]

I had delusions of grandeur with this. Bought it when I heard about it and used it as a way to better learn Linux. Or tried to at least. In the end I used it more for the VGA cable which did allow playing games on my VGA monitor in college. I also used the network and hard drive adapters for later soft mods and installing games to the HDD for faster and diskless play. The mouse became my travel mouse I kept with my laptop (but was stolen with the laptop) and the keyboard I still use as my default HTPC keyboard. The Linux part of it ended up seeing very little use in the end.

[@WalnutSpice]

14:55 If anyone is curious, that file explorer is 100% based on Total Commander, an alternative file viewer popular in the Windows 3/ NT 3.51/ 4.0 days and still available for modern versions of Windows and Linux as well.

[@adityavaibhav4941]

Glad you uploaded this now, now I ll just buy a PS2 for university homework.

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Nice! It definitely works pretty good for word processing. So writing reports will be good 😁

[@adityavaibhav4941]

@@MachoNachoProductions thanks XD

[@sportsgt]

NIOCE... I DONT THINK ANYONE HAS SHOWN DETAILED INFORMATION LIKE THIS ON KZbin ABOUT THE PS2 LINUX KIT, BIG THUMBS UP MY GUY FOR KEEPING THE PS2 IN PEOPLES MINDS IN 2022 !!!!!!!! MAYBE A PS3 PHAT LINUX INSTALL NEXT???HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

[@pungent_abundance]

GIMP has been my go-to image manipulation program for the last fifteen years. It's good. Just as capable as Photoshop in my experience.

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Nice!

[@wjckc79]

When he said "a more advanced version of paint" I face palmed hard.

[@pungent_abundance]

@@wjckc79 Eh, nothing wrong with keeping it in simple terms. I get you though. We can't all be GIMP pimps.

[@tigheklory]

Great video as always Tito! I was a huge Linux user at the time, but just on a PC.

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Nice! Be curious what your thoughts are on Ps2 running Linux 😁

[@minmogrovingstrongandhealthy]

Yes and PS2 was my first PC too since next to no one in Europe had money to buy an actual PC. This did everything it needed to do for basic use so it was great. Since we were limited what we can buy or download the underground scene brought us bunch of tools and access to more then what PS2 offered out the box. PS2 basically was the multimedia system of choice that did everything you needed, sometimes even more.

[@poorlydrawnstickman1660]

Not sure if the beta has been archived on the internet. Mind archiving them so they can be preserved? I'd honestly be interested on trying this out on my ps2. I still play on it all the time and even modified my official sony ethernet/phone/hdd adapter to sata and put a 240gb ssd in it! I'd be interested in seeing how it runs (will it install to the ssd, given it is a genuine adapter but modified with a bitfunx sata board??) 10 plus years later and comparing it to my old computers.

[@ronindebeatrice]

+1 for Digital preservation. This needs more focus.

[@MigueTK]

I agree, would love to see an image preserved.

[@CosmicScaleFactor]

Yep. Linux works perfectly with the official network adapter and a SATA conversion board. It runs soooo much faster than the old hard drive too. I installed it this week.

[@poorlydrawnstickman1660]

@@CosmicScaleFactor awesome!! Looks like I have some testing to do this weekend with ps2 Linux!

[@lucasrem]

you can download the disks from TOR, not need the rest

[@AddlerMartin]

I know you said that you never used linux before, but _"a more advanced version of paint"_ was a kick in the balls of every linux user out there hahahhaa

[@individualeleven]

There's a system configuration option to switch the system interface to RGsB instead of YPbPr, so you don't "have" to swap colorspaces every reboot.

[@Beezerfish79]

I’m surprised someone hasn’t replaced the screws on the network adapter with thumb screws. Would make removing my SSD and loading games infinitely easier

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Agreed, the screws are a bit of a pain to remove

[@_Turbocat777]

@@MachoNachoProductions I had one of those old portable Intec screens for the PSOne that had thumb screw I ripped out of it and used for my network adapter :p

[@HOWLWOLF]

@@YoureUsingWordsIncorrectly never knew that was possible, that'd be awesome to see in action.

[@squeeeb]

I had the full kit back in the early/mid 2000s. It was pretty cool, but that SOG monitor requirement was super annoying at the time. I remember compiling MIPS software on the PS2...man that took forever!

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Nice! Appreciate you sharing your story with us

[@rommix0]

If you could compile MIPS software, you'd might have been able to decompile and recompile N64 roms.

[@djsullivan9045]

I jumped in with both NERD Feet back in 2002 when Sony introed Linux on PS2. Wrote an online article during the E3 Seminar/Conference which gave me a big head start into Linux and later MySQL etc. Which also led me down the path to Oracle as a DBA worker for a large Aerospace company as well. Many good years as a Tech Nerd Worker bee. However sure is good to be Retired. Best of all to you!

[@kbhasi]

For those who are wondering, the PS2 Linux software was apparently based on a Japanese Linux distro called 'Kondara', itself an attempt to add Japanese language support to Red Hat Linux. According to Wikipedia, the software is similar to Red Hat Linux 6.0. Kondara was discontinued when official Japanese language support came to Red Hat Linux (IIRC), which in turn was succeeded by Fedora. The reason why it ran the Red Hat Linux installer in text mode and uses Window Maker seems to be due to limited RAM, so it couldn't run a graphical installer and full GNOME session. I'm not a videogame person, but KZbin seemed to have recommended me this video because I watched other Linux videos. (14:51) Hold down [Alt] and drag to move windows that can't entirely fit on screen (16:13) Scrolling in Xaw apps: Left click to scroll down, right click to scroll up, and middle click to move the scrollbar manually

[@digitalizeddeath]

I had this whole kit for my PS2 NA edition aswell. It was cool as heck to play with. After years and a few kids later i thined out my collection and now someone else is getting there first experience with the kit aswell. You need the HDD utility disc and the network adapter disc to get it back to the PS2 game side of stuff. I had all of it. So cool too. Glad to see youve documented it here.

[@AvenRox]

Man I wish I knew about this as a kid, my dad would have gotten a kick out of this. Would have been a fun project to work on with him.

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Me too! I think it could have been a great learning tool

[@TeamLinux01]

I have the North American version of the PS2 Linux kit. The keyboard had issues after a few years and the ball mouse was terrible, so I ended up throwing those away a long time ago. Still have my launch PS2 with the 40GB HDD/Modem and Ethetnet adapter, the VGA adapter and the 2 discs. Been thinking of selling it all, but haven't gotten around to it. It was my first experience with Linux back in 2003 and while it was very limited, I enjoyed learning how to use it as a desktop. Now I run Manjaro KDE and looking forward to SteamOS 3 and getting my Steam Deck in a several months.

[@TeamLinux01]

I mainly used it for a little bit of Web Browsing and playing Music with XMMS (a program that was like Winamp).

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Nice! I think it so cool people were able to use it somewhat practically as a computer. Thank you for sharing 😁

[@RickBodey]

In college, we strung these together and ran a supercomputer cluster on them. Super cool project. We also ran John The Ripper to break University Password Dumps :).

[@mattb154]

There's a bit more to running a Beowulf cluster (as was the way back then) than "stringing machines together".

[@RickBodey]

@@mattb154 Beowulf! This guy knows what’s up! We progressed to Rainbow Tables but was a heck of a project. Got a trophy at the regional competition!

[@thebristolbruiser]

Window Maker is a great desktop environment. I still use it on some distros.

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Nice! Yes, it seemed to work pretty well!

[@ultrium2000]

What is a good distro to use Window Maker?

[@thebristolbruiser]

@@ultrium2000 Debian is good, since it includes WM in its main repos. Window Maker Live is a release of Debian that uses WM by default and has everything set up out of the box.

[@ultrium2000]

@@thebristolbruiser Thank you very much for answering!

[@currytigre]

I'm curious if you tried cloning the linux install onto the SSD afterwards to see if it would let you boot.

[@willthor6639]

beat me to the suggestion 😁

[@ronindebeatrice]

That may be a way. Unless it's looking for a specific hardware identifier that you could mimic. Really curious that grow to fill is even an option, considering that the official supported hardware is so limited, so there's probably little preventing it. It may be that aftermarket network adapter that threw a wrench in it.

[@martinus_mars]

I think that would break the fstab (filesystem table) configuration file, so you'd have to edit that first, at the very least

[@kevinp.1842]

It won’t. Computer is x86 and PS2 is MIPS. You can however run it with Qemu I believe

[@djcoprerodrigues2780]

@@kevinp.1842 It's not an issue of mips vs x86 as the cloned ssd would be used ON the ps2 for better performance.

[@HANHITSI]

I wouldn't have guessed it's your first time touching linux! You presented everything so accurately.

[@frenchpet]

>"emacs" >"nothing crazy" hahaha, oh boy if you only knew my guy. Good vid! FUN FACT: tl;dr in the 00's the place I worked for went under and it just so happened my computers all fried for various reasons. I had to use YellowDogLinux on the PS3 (other OS mode) to write resumes, look for new jobs, and plan my move to another city entirely. It saved my ass big time. When people talk shit about "wHo WoUlD uSe ThIs FeAtUrE" you just never know man.

[@ButtholioTheGreat]

and now in 2022 the Steam Deck is my first Linux PC, its really an under underrated operating system, at least in the public eye

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Totally agree with you. This is my first time using it too. Seems to be a pretty flexible platform

[@alejandroz1606]

The best and most complete video I ever saw about this matter...I've been waiting for something like this since the release of this kit.

[@billymerritt420]

Completely unrelated to the core topic, I was flabbergasted when you said your time zone is east coast. You're so chill I just always assumed you were from the west coast. Most east coast people have an accent, north and south both pretty distinguishable. I don't notice either in your voice. This is why you can't assume things in life. Really great video!

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Haha, I’m glad I was able to surprise you Billy 😁 Yessir, east coat through and through, grew up in the north east and settled in the mid Atlantic.

[@andrewbourguignon8520]

Macho, I'm a full time Videographer, and I really really recommend adding in an led light like the Neewer 660 to your face lighting setup. Shine the light in front of you focused on your body, It will make the shots that include you much more vibrant and pop.

[@andrewbourguignon8520]

You might have to optimize the setup a little bit, but truly well worth it

[@cubeflinger]

"I'll leave a link to it down below. " *Zeldas Link on screen* **Chefs kiss** 😙👌

[@seguramlk]

The best video I've seen in some time now, Tito. Keep it up 👍

[@AntoKyuuketsuki]

It didn't want to install to the SSD because the PS2 software is slightly primitive. But, theoretically you can install on one HDD and then clone the HDD to the SSD. Though in 2022, Linux on PS2 is purely for hobbyists and collectors. Where back in 2001 I was playing with the included demo disc which contained YA-BASIC, because that was a cool addition to the console and some magazines had YA-BASIC games printed in the magazine, so you could copy the code manually (I tried with much frustration using the DualShock2), or on the DVD demo discs which copied straight to the memory card. I made a Frogger type game (looked nothing like Frogger), which only the white square, that should have been a green frog moved and there was no collision from the other objects. I have since lost that memory card, which was my very first PS2 memory card of many.

[@420247paul]

the ssd has a gpt partition layout on it ps2 too old for gpt it needs a MBR layout

[@MegaManNeo]

Linux 2.2... those were crazy times. I started myself with 2.4 in late 2003 and many things weren't even close as comfy as they are today. Still had to use pppoeconf on the terminal to get online with my DSL modem and mounting my new PC's Windows XP hard drive almost always failed because the NTFS drivers were still a broken mess. Wouldn't it be for RedStar Linux I'd laugh about Sony having region lock on Linux for PS2 but sure, this setup is quite the time travel to revisit.

[@EirikrTinkerTries]

So now the question is: can Arch Linux be bootstrapped via chroot with a hefty swap partition after exchanging the HDD out for the SSD? Can the xorg and 3D drivers be brought up to speed with newer OSes? Getting Arch or Gentoo on this would be one heckuvan awesome challenge!!

[@anautisticdog]

Back in the day I had Linux installed on my OG PSP. That in turn allowed me to run Windows 98 with VM machine (I think that's what it was called). It didn't have any real world applications, but I sure thought it was cool!

[@BrianBorkowski]

Great video! You should get the IDE to SATA board for the OEM Network Adapter and see if the SSD works that way. I think it will

[@MachoNachoProductions]

I’ll definitely have to try that out!

[@boboyo]

Most likely the issue isn't the network adapter itself, but instead the firmware loaded on the hard drive. The PS2 actually validates the hard drive firmware to make sure it's an official Sony drive. Most major mod chips implement a fix for this to bypass the check, which tends to fix the issue on most consoles. That's likely what would actually be necessary to make the SSD work.

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Nice! That’s good to know, thank you!

[@andychow5509]

We had a PS2 Linux system that was used to run a ncurses app to search the mathematical article catalog at my university. This would have been between 2003 and 2005. Basically they just built a cabinet that had a PS2 and the linux kit, then ran a program in a fullscreen terminal. It worked great! Not sure if the software ran locally, or through ssh.

[@MachoNachoProductions]

That’s awesome! Thank you for sharing 🙏😁

[@kazinwho]

Wild. I didn't even know this was a thing. Good video!

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Thank you BuckTwenty 🙏!

[@Evercade_Effect]

I remember hearing you could do this back in the day. I was always curious how it's done and totally geeked out over this.

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Glad you enjoyed this one buddy 😁

[@Epsilonsama]

It's crazy how much has changed in the Linux world yet some things stay the same. You should give modern distros a try.

[@DFX2KX]

yeah, the moment I saw it asking for hostname and root password (which for those unaware, isn't a thing most distros do because Sudo has supplanted it) took me back.

[@Epsilonsama]

@@DFX2KX many distros still ask for hostname and root. I was talking more about how while the graphical experienced has changed since then the underlying backend while has changed a bit is still familiar even to modern desktop users.

[@YoDz-117]

The Linux kit was also used to get around taxes in Brazil. One of the reasons the Ps2 was so popular there for so long

[@frozenturbo8623]

PS2: Powering tax evasion

[@alexcesarcarboni3920]

Great vídeo as always, there's a non official version of the Linux that can be used on slim models, just don't remember exatacly the name of this version, but as the USB on the PS2 is 1.1 it's kind slow, but It works

[@greggv8]

The memory card bus is far faster than USB 1.1. Fast enough that there's a no-mod required method of modifying Free McBoot (must use a genuine Sony MagicGate or 100% perfect clone card) in one slot and an SD card adapter in the other slot. Put all your game images on an SD card, boot and play. Unplug both the card and adapter, it's a 100% stock PS/2 again.

[@alexcesarcarboni3920]

@@greggv8 i know, don't really know If It works on mx4sio, cause It still have some issues, but It's supposed to work.

[@ErikSantana]

When I saw the WindowMaker interface it reminded me of another interface: NextStep. Turns out it does emulate the look of NextStep which is like the predecessor, in a way, of the Mac OS X interface. I think that’s where Mac OS X got it’s famous dock. Also, I wonder the crazy amounts of vulnerabilities that Playstation Linux has…

[@MachoNachoProductions]

That’s a great question. It’s probably not best to use to surf the internet with 😅

[@sarowie]

the problem with vulnerabilities is somewhat paradox: Make linux available officially and linux hackers are mostly happy. Do not make it available, someone will try to get it running. Takeaway linux support from a device that was marketed with linux support... and you have Linux developers joining arbetery code execution projects. Note that arbetery code execution is both the base line for linux and running backup games. What sony did was actually very smart in a sense: Linux developers got access to arbetery code execution on the machine, without having to attack any security measures related to games. By removing arbetery code execution, sony basically wrote an invitation to break the security of the signed code execution.

[@AltCutTV]

Those who find the UI to their liking may want to check Haiku OS. It is probably the one system still in development with that style.

[@another3997]

Mac OS X is NextStep. It was derived directly from Steve Jobs' NextStep codebase, and incorporated a lot more features than just the dock. NextStep was already running on various CPU architectures by the time Jobs persuaded Apple to buy Next. Apple were desperate for an OS after their disastrous attempts at making one failed miserably, nearly bankrupting them in the process.

[@iplyrunescape305]

predecessor not successor

[@SDRIFTERAbdlmounaim]

i believe the runtime's on disc 1 and it asks for disc 2 before doing anything as a measure of verification to make sure you have both discs ready instead of starting the installation from disc 1 only to realize halfway that you're missing disc 2 and be left with a corrupt unfinished installation.

[@militariacollectablesbelgium]

This video is soo crazy !!! Modern tech is catching up so fast

[@Gaming-Enthusiast]

This was so cool , I didn’t even know this existed and I’ve been a Sony addict since the PS1

[@somathebest]

Tito you never dissapoint. I really love your videos, as always, Greatings and Like From Galicia!

[@MachoNachoProductions]

So glad you’re enjoying the videos, thank you Martin 🙏

[@JamieKitchens6]

This was very satisfying to watch. I love to see a successful Linux install on any device, let alone on a freaking PS2. Great job!

[@YamiVT]

Thanks, I didn't know I needed this

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Now you must get one too 😁

[@emmabentley7945]

Incase you don't know. This version of linux is actually the same as NextStep OS , a company previously owned by Steve jobs. Which was bought by Apple in the 90s, which brought Steve back to Apple, it is also the starting point for MAC OSX.

[@severebraindamage_med]

it just looks like nextstep (openstep), but NOT in fact nexstep.

[@nycz4411]

NextStepOS is proprietary and in no way related to this except maybe looks

[@onigvd77]

very cool, I find it curious that the linux looks a lot like NeXTstep. it seems Window Maker was created to appear similar to NeXTstep/OpenStep. I never heard about linux on a PS2 before but its cool that it can be done, shame about the RAM limitation tho.

[@sebastian19745]

There was a project to install and use Linux on PS2 slim. It was BlackRhino Linux. Used an USB drive as storage. That Linux distro supported USB hubs so I used keyboard, mouse, a USB drive and a wifi adapter or a USB 3G modem on one USB port and the Linux flash USB drive in another. All in all, it worked well, I could connect to internet but the WiFi was too unreliable, so I used instead an USB 3G adapter. That was easier to use and configure. The experience was ok, I was able to watch videos (avi, mpeg), I could use Libre Office, play music (mp3, audio CDs) and basic internet browsing. Except internet and office, all other things could be done with other homebrew apps and somewhat more convenient. A exception was DosBox that I managed to compile and allowed me to run dos games like a XT computer. I used that setup when my PC burned and I wanted a form of computer. Finally, after the installing an using it, I used the console as it was intended: to play games and homebrew apps for multimedia. When I bought a laptop, I never looked back at Linux on PS2, but it was a nice experience and I learned few things.

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Awesome! Thank you so much for sharing! I was actually thinking of doing a follow up on this version of Linux since it’s open sourced and more readily available than the retail version from Sony. Thank you again for sharing! Cheers!

[@sebastian19745]

@@MachoNachoProductions Take a look at "kloader ps2". That is a kernel loader homebrew for ps2. I used v2.0 to 2.2 and worked very well for me on PS2 FAT and slim. There are tutorials on many PS2 scene websites. Thank you for your kind words. I look forward to see your next video. You earned a subscriber.

[@sebastian19745]

@@MachoNachoProductions As a side info, I used a RGB component cable (that I made) to a 17" CRT VGA monitor with a small converter I made, (with LM1881). That adapter I used also to play games that had HD option when start (press a button X or Triangle? when game boot if I remember correctly). The resolution, clarity, sharpness were amazing and way better that using the same RGB cable with a 32" CRT TV. I am not sure which games supported that mode but at the time I played FF12, Burnout Revenge, Black, GT4, Radiata Stories, Shadow of the Colosus, Rygar; so some of these can look way better on a VGA with RGB2VGA adapter. Try some of them.

[@davidbaisley]

Playstation Linux can be used with composite video as well. All you need to do is hold down certain keys on boot. Select + R1 for NTSC composite video Select + R2 for PAL composite video

[@ssj99gohanisthebest48]

Reminds me how for years there were news of the US Government using fat PS2s combined for super computers lol

[@MachoNachoProductions]

I know they did that with the ps3s. Pretty wild

[@Madblaster6]

13:20 you've actually used linux. The RetroPie flavor. Which makes me wonder if anyone made their own distro of Linux for the PS2.

[@zeroturn7091]

Back in the day there was Mega Man Linux, based on Black Rhino. All that was needed was Free MCBoot and certain .elf files.

[@AskDrannik]

Technically, the Android OS is a modified Linux, so anyone who is using an Android phone is using a form of Linux.

[@3boodPhotography]

Watching this video made me remember running linux on my dreamcast although I didnt know what to do with it and didnt understand the OS, also tried it on my modded OG xbox.

[@DFX2KX]

so interesting little note about the install. The 'host name' and first password is for root, basically Linux's Admin account, the normal account you'd log into as a daily user is the 'Titio' user that you created. This prevents-at least in theory-the types of privilege-escalation attacks common in Windows at the time (and still somewhat common today). It actually seems like a pretty respectable version of Linux on top of it. I knew it existed, but never actually saw it in use. an early MUD that I went on (online text-based multiplayer game) was run off of the owner's old PS/2 if memory serves, though I do think that one was modchipped. It was slow, but I had dialup at the time and hardly noticed.

[@SamSquids]

I honestly like Windowmaker, I have it on my main rig and it's a pretty good Window Manager all things considered.

[@ProdDeity]

I used it back in the days of Mandrake 8.x on my POS Compaq 😄

[@NightimeDemon]

What an interesting bit of kit. Nice showcase of it here. Too bad it had such a limited run and was so expensive, but that was pretty awesome of Sony to do at the time.

[@5speedfatty]

Linux User Checking in (Arch, BTW) great video today, Its fun to see the old version of Gimp again. and that WM looks a bit like Nextstep.

[@alerey4363]

The cool thing about this distro is that is made specific for MIPS R5900 (aka Emotion Engine) which is a RISC custom cpu made by Toshiba and Sony running at 300Mhz; there are very few Linux distros that run on non x86 intel/amd platforms; it would be interesting to see if it has video acceleration given the fact that Sony uses propietary SoC on its PS products.

[@computacao4896]

Wouldn’t ARM be a different platform from AMD/Intel and x86 in general? Linux runs pretty well in some ARM chips

[@Trains-With-Shane]

There was such a big buzz in the I.T. field when the PS2 linux distro came out. I didn't have a PS2 back then but eventually had linux running on a modded Xbox. I may have to pick up one of those OSSC adapters. Looks like it's pretty handy.

[@dbnpoldermans4120]

Not 100% sure, but I think you can use any component cable with a component to vga adapter. Should set you back 10 bucks in total. That also will only work on a monitor that supports SoG Or just only use the component cable

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Agreed, the only obstacle to overcome is the sync on green. Not all monitors have that, but the OSSC is capable of handling it which is really neat

[@dbnpoldermans4120]

@@MachoNachoProductions yes, some monitors even have a special switch to turn on SoG. A very interesting video as always.

[@short_yeti2058]

I never used it but I remember how cool it was. The console wars was in full swing and it was always brought up as something the PS2 did to one-up everyone. I remember also buying the network adapter just to play SOCOM II online with my dad. We never touched Final Fantasy because it was subscription based haha.

[@briangilmartin662]

The idea of turning the PS2 into a Linux computer is cool on paper, but the RAM is impractically small for the kinds of tasks people use a PC for today. Still, very interesting video!

[@chrissmcclure]

Very cool video, I have always wanted to see Linux running on a PS2! Any chance you can make a video about Linux on PS3? 😊 Thanks Tito!

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Absolutely! I think that could be a very cool video as well 😁

[@edcdad1124]

I have three custom OS / cfw ps3s I've been dying to put Linux on I could use a Tito guide lol

[@ianvincent5069]

i get this is a novelty not something you're seriously going to use but as a linux user with how much tinkering you do saying you've never used linux before surprised me you should deffo explore linux as a daily driver there are many distros but i'd recommend mx linux as a good place to start its mostly replaced windows for me i really only use windows for steam now

[@ratykat]

Great video as always!

[@STICKOMEDIA]

This is still the most amazing thing to come out from the early 2000s, so jank

[@alfiegordon9013]

Idk why windowmaker fits so well as the interface to a PS2 on linux, but it just looks... Right

[@Bane_Amesta]

I was thinking on repurposing the shell of the console to put a pc inside, this is even cooler

[@lain328]

If I'm not mistaken as long as you're using the official adapter you should be able to use any hard drive or solid-state with a right adapters added to it. I think Firefox 2.2 is available on it. I'll never forget that sad penguin thinking of the PS2 as its leaving.

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Yes, I think I saw that you could download Firefox on the ps2 community forum. Pretty cool!

[@theexile4694]

Tito: Emacs is just a text editor. Me: Hahahahaha!

[@brandonkick]

That is really cool! Forward thinking for sure. What blows my mind, is why to this day Microsoft isn't including the Windows OS on their XBOX systems. The XBOX Series X would make a killer PC, and the fact that it's a computer would sell the unit. Thanks to supply chain issues it's not like Microsoft could make a crazy amount more than they already are... but still, I'm sure it would be a deciding factor for some folks on the fence about getting a PS5 or Series X.

[@douglasbriel6103]

They have an agreement with.the industry for using Windows on their laptops. Thus largely, Microsoft doesn't compete in hardware sales.

[@deusprogrammer_thekingofspace]

I would have liked to see some more advanced stuff. Like SSH'ing into it, creating users, etc as well as seeing what services we could get running on it. Like at least an Apache web server or a Python Flask microservice. I always wondered how far the PS2 could be pushed in terms of it's Linux versions since I'm sure the updates for it ended long ago.

[@RogueRen]

Is there any way to get a dump of the Linux disc? Linus is licensed under GPL (I believe GPLv2 at the time) and according to that the source code must be made available.

[@LandRiders7th]

I'm sure it would already be out there somewhere [>~0]/

[@DanMorelle]

Sony did this to reduce import duty. Entering the PS2 into the computer tax band as opposed to game consoles would have save millions. There was at one legal case if memory serves, against the UK tax office to force the PS2 into the lower tax bracket. Sony lost that case…

[@Sebastian_Athea]

I didn't use Linux on PS2, but PS3 running Ubuntu with gnome (it goes by "classic gnome" now days) got me thru high school and it was my only pc, it was surprisingly fast if you didn't need to run anything coded specifically for x86 or x64 in which case it didn't run at all, but most programs including firefox, thunderbird, open office, gimp, and pretty much every media player and most of the emulators ran just fine; Ironically once I built myself an x86 machine I switched to PC gaming exclusively

[@edcdad1124]

I cannot figure how to get Ubuntu on any of my 3 cfw ps3s lol

[@ScruffyLookinRGB]

Cool stuff Tito never knew that you could add linux on a PS2. I Also didnt know gimp was around back then either😲👍👍👍

[@KemmerlingKomputers]

thought not a ps2, or linux used my dreamcast in a very traditional pc type of setup back in the day, it sat on a computer desk with a vga adapter, keyboard and mouse on it, used the browser disk and played a handful games over dial up. I loved to get on the browser disk and download game saves to my vmus lol

[@GedJurga]

funfact gimp is still used today. Back in uni days on a Visual effects masters course in 2015 we were learning Houdini and Nuke for 3D graphics and compositing. All systems were on Redhat Linux so no Photoshop for us (as there is no official support), we either had to generate textures at home with our home computers and proper Photoshop license or to be forced to use gimp at school. Surprisingly capable software and some of us even used it to full extent instead PS. Gimp was sort of an inside joke as a disabled software, as it was pretty annoying in some aspects of including some features and omitting others in comparison to photoshop, sorta like "disabled" photoshop. I had no idea it started back in early 2000's.

[@ElEscolta]

Hopefully one day someone makes a good mod for the PS3 that can be showcase here, would love to try that one day.

[@anonytuser711]

There are a few reasons to mod your console including piracy, extending functionality like region locking or running homebrew software, like games or desktop Linux. I ran it on the PS2 around 2003. A majority of people only use their computer for web browsing, e-mail, playing media and word processing. It was fine at doing these things (although word processing, video support and the limited amount of memory was pretty weak). Other than that, PS2 Linux was more of a novelty so Sony didn't have to pay taxes and tariffs on a "home computer" versus a game console.

[@itsdeonlol]

Yes, I had the Linux Software Disc!!! I used it a lot back in the day!!! I used it as a desktop PC just to mess around with Linux.

[@HeroRickyGames]

Só um Macho faz isso, parabéns irmão!

[@quackmandoo]

The software that ultimately drove Microsoft to make a console. "They want to make games, let them make games. A computer?! Whoa now, that's our land!"

[@another3997]

I don't know where you get your info, but Microsoft didn't wait for the Sony PS2 project to start before they started producing their own console. Considering the amount of time it takes to design custom hardware and firmware, set up manufacturing and get even a handful of games written for it, had that been the case, MS would have needed a time machine.

[@quackmandoo]

@@another3997 I suppose you're right, their rivalry did start with the ps2 having internet capabilities though and Microsoft was proud enough to not let Sony make a living room computer (from that Xbox documentary series I saw a few months ago)

[@Astinsan]

Been trying to get a kit for years. Always wanted it to display on my shelf

[@Therizinosaurus]

Didnt know this thing exist. If you only needed word processor back in the day to do assignments or for something else, and already have a ps2, this could be a go. Also nice purple ps2 btw, that looks new, no scratch whatsoever

[@UNSCPILOT]

Something I've been meaning to test out properly: Homebrew modded Nintendo 3DS handhelds can run Linux! Though from what I saw it didn't have a graphical user interface installed so I'll need to figure out how to do that before trying much

[@floralpoboop]

The kit only costed them the time to port it to ps2 which they could have gotten from the homebrew community, and the cost of manufacturing the discs.