Retro Hardware/Software Computing

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Retro Hardware/Software Computing

Postby Taellik » 11 Mar 2010, 12:49

Well, set the way back machine and cue the theme for <any> Indiana Jones movie..dah da dat daahhh, da da daaah

I found a PS/2 lost treasure and got my hands on a PS/2 phat Linux 1.0 kit, full inventory of the necessary hardware and the 2-disks ccomplete except the original box, but who needs a box?

Will be trembling with post Radio Shack TRS-80 anticipation as I carefully assemble the hard drive to the network adapter before sliding it into the phat PS/2 unit cavity. After relaxing some from the hardware assembly exertion, the magic of the video connection and tense seconds will pass as I see the install text glow on the monitor as the install disk spins up to load my disk formatter to prepare the way for my Linux 1.0 ( gasp!) installation.

I can't wait to put Microsoft out of business writting cool programs to run on all the world's PS2 and getting rich from it!

Bwahahahha

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Re: Retro Hardware/Software Computing

Postby ppietro » 11 Mar 2010, 14:15

Taellik wrote:Well, set the way back machine and cue the theme for <any> Indiana Jones movie..dah da dat daahhh, da da daaah

I found a PS/2 lost treasure and got my hands on a PS/2 phat Linux 1.0 kit, full inventory of the necessary hardware and the 2-disks complete except the original box, but who needs a box?

Will be trembling with post Radio Shack TRS-80 anticipation as I carefully assemble the hard drive to the network adapter before sliding it into the phat PS/2 unit cavity. After relaxing some from the hardware assembly exertion, the magic of the video connection and tense seconds will pass as I see the install text glow on the monitor as the install disk spins up to load my disk formatter to prepare the way for my Linux 1.0 ( gasp!) installation.

I can't wait to put Microsoft out of business writing cool programs to run on all the world's PS2 and getting rich from it!

Bwahahahha

Taellik


You'll want to bookmark this:
http://playstation2-linux.com/

You may need to update the network driver almost immediately. There's a driver here:
http://playstation2-linux.com/project/s ... ease_id=68

There's also an issue with hardware on certain models:
http://playstation2-linux.com/forum/for ... rum_id=778

And - hey - if you feel like running Firefox, I can recommend this guy's site ;) :
http://playstation2-linux.com/projects/mozilla-ps2/

There's some other really useful stuff there too. I'd hurry and grab stuff off the site though. They claim they're shutting it down - in fact - it's supposed to be gone already!

I've had the PS2 Linux kit a long time. Let me know if you have any questions. CronoCloud's a PS2 veteran, too. We first met over on playstation2-linux.com - who knew we'd end up here? :D

How much stuff did you get? The complete kit looks something like this:
Image

Cheers,
Paul
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Re: Retro Hardware/Software Computing

Postby Taellik » 11 Mar 2010, 16:49

Hiya Paul,

Thanks for the tips & links for supplemental info !

I got your entire hardware picture :

Network adapter...check
Hard Drive...check
Keyboard...check
Mouse...check
VIdeo cable...check
DVD case with two(2) CD"s ( install & run-time ) ... check
Linux For PS2 Software Manual ( not shown ) ... check

Taellik
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NO YDL 6.2 due to 3.21 firmware upgrade
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Re: Retro Hardware/Software Computing

Postby ppietro » 11 Mar 2010, 20:44

Taellik wrote:Hiya Paul,

Thanks for the tips & links for supplemental info !

I got your entire hardware picture :

Network adapter...check
Hard Drive...check
Keyboard...check
Mouse...check
VIdeo cable...check
DVD case with two(2) CD"s ( install & run-time ) ... check
Linux For PS2 Software Manual ( not shown ) ... check

Taellik


The actual Linux kit just came in a nondescript cardboard box. Each piece of the Linux kit had its own separate box, and Sony just packaged them together.

You probably know this already, but you'll need an 8 Meg PS2 memory card that you can dedicate to it. Once you've installed Linux, you can use the extra space, but it basically puts the kernel on the Memory Card.

So - for those following along at home - the way you boot Linux on a PS2 is interesting.

You plug in the PS2 Memory Card, then boot from a PS2 DVD - like booting a game. This loads a special menu that has your standard boot, emergency boot and any other boots you create. This menu is actually on the memory card, along with the kernel(s).

When you select one of these boots, the system then loads the kernel from the memory card, fires up the HDD, and switches to it, dumping the boot environment. Once the kernel has booted, the boot then switches to the hard disc, and the boot progresses normally.

So - kind of like the PS3 boot - but it requires a PS2 disc and memory card. Unlike the PS3, if you lose that disc - or scratch it beyond repair - you can't boot your Linux system. Treat that disc gently!

Once you've booted, you can take both the disc and memory card out of the system. They are only used during booting.

Cheers,
Paul
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Re: Retro Hardware/Software Computing

Postby Taellik » 13 Mar 2010, 01:45

Wow,

Fortran on the PS2 ! Talk about retro programming, Fortran is about as retro as it gets...created in the 1950's.

Here's a pic of the IBM 704, the machine Fortran was written for...and to think it can run on a PS2 using the PS2 Linux 1.0 kit!

Image

Dig those memory address / data toggle switches, and all those sexy 80 column punch cards !

High performance computing even can be done on a PS2 in the hands of a competently skilled retro programmer using a language like 50+ year old Fortran! :lol:

Taellik
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Re: Retro Hardware/Software Computing

Postby CronoCloud » 15 Mar 2010, 01:09

Taellik wrote:Well, set the way back machine and cue the theme for <any> Indiana Jones movie..dah da dat daahhh, da da daaah

I found a PS/2 lost treasure and got my hands on a PS/2 phat Linux 1.0 kit, full inventory of the necessary hardware and the 2-disks ccomplete except the original box, but who needs a box?


How much did you pay for it?

ppietro wrote:
You'll want to bookmark this:
http://playstation2-linux.com/

And - hey - if you feel like running Firefox, I can recommend this guy's site ;) :
http://playstation2-linux.com/projects/mozilla-ps2/


Heh.

There's some other really useful stuff there too. I'd hurry and grab stuff off the site though. They claim they're shutting it down - in fact - it's supposed to be gone already!


Download everything! I want an archive of the entire site! Sure, mideel's HD has boot sector problems, but I bet the install's disk check would fix em. Or I could just use Junon's HD. I only have 1 PS2 that can boot that frakkin slightly non-standard RTE disc, and it has the regular PS2 HDD in it with the FFXI install on it.

I've had the PS2 Linux kit a long time. Let me know if you have any questions. CronoCloud's a PS2 veteran, too. We first met over on playstation2-linux.com - who knew we'd end up here? :D


I figured more of us would, I'm surprised not to see others from the PS2 Linux days.

ppietro wrote:
You plug in the PS2 Memory Card, then boot from a PS2 DVD - like booting a game. This loads a special menu that has your standard boot, emergency boot and any other boots you create. This menu is actually on the memory card, along with the kernel(s).


And you can gzip the kernels to save space, the bootloader supports it.

So - kind of like the PS3 boot - but it requires a PS2 disc and memory card. Unlike the PS3, if you lose that disc - or scratch it beyond repair - you can't boot your Linux system. Treat that disc gently!


Guard it with you life!

Once you've booted, you can take both the disc and memory card out of the system. They are only used during booting.

Cheers,
Paul


Yep, and since the PS2 isn't a power-sucking, shiny piano black monstrosity, you can leave it on to brag about your uptimes.

Taellik wrote:Fortran on the PS2 ! Talk about retro programming, Fortran is about as retro as it gets...created in the 1950's.

Here's a pic of the IBM 704, the machine Fortran was written for...and to think it can run on a PS2 using the PS2 Linux 1.0 kit!


Yep, though it's gnu fortran and old Fortran programs may have to be modified to run on it. There's Fortran on the PS3 too, as the f95 part of GCC. G77 seems not to be installed by default, but installing compat-gcc-34-g77 will do the trick.



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