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[JHKL]

Linux on the PS3 is running in a "fairly open sandbox mode". That is, we have full access to the CPU, memory, DVD drive, lan, etc., but at the present there is no access to the GPU, the wireless protocol for the Sixaxis, or any data on the PS3 OS partition (I believe - read this thread for more information: http://forums.ps2dev...opic.php?t=6994).

Thus, it is sort of in sandbox mode, but, save for the GPU and a couple of other small things, we do have access to a great deal of the system.

[bucko]

^What JHKL said, but there has been talks of the hacking community might be able to create there own GPU driver with Limited access to the GPU, and even using some of the SPE's for GFX purposes. I didn't quite understand it but just wait a while.

You don't have access to the I believe XDR Ram which is for GFX so you loose out on 256MB ram, but I don't believe that could be used for general purpose Linux, the speed of the ram is a lot faster compared to the other 256MB of system ram.

[throwingks]

The system uses 512MB of RAM. Linux can only use 256MB because the other 256MB is for video and without access to the GPU, Linux cannot reach it.

[JHKL]

QUOTE(bucko @ Dec 27 2006, 07:37 AM)

^What JHKL said, but there has been talks of the hacking community might be able to create there own GPU driver with Limited access to the GPU, and even using some of the SPE's for GFX purposes. I didn't quite understand it but just wait a while.

You don't have access to the I believe XDR Ram which is for GFX so you loose out on 256MB ram, but I don't believe that could be used for general purpose Linux, the speed of the ram is a lot faster compared to the other 256MB of system ram.

Do you have any articles/links about the possibility of writing a driver for the GPU? Everything that I have read has suggested that the GPU is running behind the hypervisor and is thus completely inaccessible. From what I've read it's been thought that the SPE's are the way to go.

Thanks in advance !