[geeks] nVidia 8800GT for Apple Mac Pro

[Joshua Boyd]

On Thu, May 22, 2008 at 03:37:40PM -0400, Sandwich Maker wrote:
> " From: Joshua Boyd <jdboyd at jdboyd.net>
> " 
> " On Wed, May 21, 2008 at 03:51:39PM -0400, Sandwich Maker wrote:
> " > " From: Joshua Boyd <jdboyd at jdboyd.net>
> " > " 
> " > " []
> " > " 
> " > " 
> " > " Besides, at this point if one wants to play games on their computer,
> " > " they should probably just get a PS3 and install linux, right? ;)
> " > 
> " > doesn't the ps3 [and wii and xbox] already run linux 'under the hood'?
> " > and on ppc too?
> " 
> " Do you mean the xbox or the xbox 360?
> 
> the 360, as i heard it.
> 
> " Sure, all are capable of it.  I doubt that they come from the factory
> " with linux installed.  Especially not the xboxs.  
> 
> i'll admit this is secondhand, but that is exactly what i -did- hear.
> they all have ppc cpus [up to 5] and they all run linux under the hood.

I believe it is 3 PPCs.  A triple core processor made by IBM that is
fairly similar to the IBM 970 chips.

MS wrote NT for PPC.  MS probably still maintains NT on several chips (I
have no proof, but I would guess PPC, MIPS, and Xscale) to keep their
options open.   The Xbox 360 runs things like Direct3D.  Why would MS
put linux on their box when they'd have to port so much stuff to it when
they could use what they already had and just make sure that the
libraries they wan't to port are suitably CPU agnostic.
 
> " The PS3 could possibly run linux by default.  Sony claims not, but that
> " could be cluesless press people meaning that it isn't user accessible
> " (at one time there had been talk of them installing YDL on all PS3s by
> " default).  They do keep a hypervisor running when you setup linux, to
> " prevent linux from using all of the hardware.  I suspect they are afraid
> " that someone could otherwise use linux to copy BluRay discs or games.
> 
> i read a news item not too long ago, about how sony had given
> umass-dartmouth a dozen ps3s, and the astrophysics dept had them
> running linux in a cluster doing supercomputer work.  that of course
> says nothing as to whether sony runs linux on them.

Toshiba was recently showing off a noteboot with a C2D and a Cell
accelerator (at the time they said it was just a demo unit with no real
plan to start shipping that configuration).  Toshiba has also been (or
is that will soon be) making notebooks with linux in flash. 

I expect that Sony runs linux on the PS3s quite a lot.  I just don't
know if that is what they install for basic system management on the
retail units.  
 
> i also just read that one of sony's new lcd dtvs runs linux inside.

That wouldn't surprise me.  

Not quite on topic, but some HD-DVD players ran linux.  I believe one of
the early ones even had a P4 in it (with a lot of heavy lifting being
doing on extra DSP chips).