Yellow Dog Linux 6.2 Released!

[Ascended_Saiyan]

This was from Patsu @B3D:

http://us.fixstars.com/news/2009/2009-06-29.shtml

This release offers an updated kernel v2.6.29 for 64-bit systems, OpenOffice 3.0, Firefox 3.0.6 and IBM Cell SDK v3.1.0.1, as well as the next generation of ps3vram for fast, temporary file storage or swap using PS3 video RAM. With this release, ps3vram is up to 50% faster than in YDL 6.1 and is automatically enabled as swap.

YDL 6.2 now offers libfreevec, a (LGPL) library with replacement routines for GLIBC, such as memcpy(), strlen(), etc. These routines, which have been rewritten and optimized to use the AltiVec vector engine found in the G4/G4+ PowerPC CPUs, can provide for up to 25% increase in application performance.

With YDL v6.2, Fixstars has added a fourth alternative for the desktop environment: Xfce 4. A fast and lightweight desktop environment, Xfce runs applications quickly while reserving system resources, making it ideal for memory limited systems such as the PS3. Although E17 still runs as the default, users can select to install and enable Xfce at any time.

For wireless users, the graphical interface Wicd for PowerBooks and PS3s, now offers more reliable WEP and WPA security protocols.

...

YDL v6.2 supports:
- Apple PowerPC G4/G5 products
- Sony PLAYSTATION3
- YDL PowerStation

YDL v6.2 offers the following updates and improvements over v6.1:
- Ability to install and boot using USB thumb drive
- Kernel v2.6.29 for ppc64, v2.6.27 for ppc32
- IBM Cell SDK v3.1.0.1
- Xfce 4 Desktop Environment
- OpenOffice 3.0
- Mozilla Firefox v3.0.6
- Improved Wicd
- Improved PS3VRAM support
- Libfreevec
- Gnash v0.8.4
- Over 600 updated packages in all!
- Over 2500 new packages in EPEL (Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux), available via yum.

Hulu.com here I come!

[androvsky]

Originally Posted by Ascended_Saiyan

This was from Patsu @B3D:

http://us.fixstars.com/news/2009/2009-06-29.shtml


Hulu.com here I come!

Wow, I'm amazed they're already including libfreevec, I've been following progress on it for a while. Too bad the Cell-accelerated OpenGL apparently isn't useful yet.

[Grim Reaper]

what are the key reasons to install this? cuz, if it really easy to install. like installing Windows OS. then, i might download it. thats if its easy to install. and is FREE!!!

[Groo The Perverted]

Yellow Dog Linux 6.2 is available from the YDL.net subscription service and costs $70. In late July, the distribution should be freely available to download from their public mirror servers.

Can you install it without losing all your gamesaves, etc?

What are the pros vs. cons on installing this?

[androvsky]

Originally Posted by Dreaming in Blu

Can you install it without losing all your gamesaves, etc?

What are the pros vs. cons on installing this?

In short, no. You have to partition your hard drive to give it an OtherOS partition, and that will wipe everything. After that, you can install and reinstall to the OtherOS partition as much as you want without affecting your gamesaves or whatever. The OtherOS partition takes 10 GB no matter how large your hard drive is.

The upside is you get a free linux workstation. It doesn't have 3D acceleration yet, and HD h.264 video playback probably still isn't possible yet in PS3's linux, but the game side of the system should take care of those things.

[Ascended_Saiyan]

- If you don't have anything important data to lose on your PS3, I would say...install it!

- If you just care about game saves, save them to a USB drive or something. Then, install it.

- If you just purchased your PS3 and basically nothing is on it, install it.

- If you allocated 10GB for "other OS" in the beginning but never installed Linux, install it.

Your HDD will be completely wiped in order to create a partition for Linux, if a partition wasn't previously created for "other OS".

The benefit is that you will have a Linux PC (and basically all rights therein).

You could run this on your PS3 for one.

[Grim Reaper]

where do i download it from? there is no download link.

[Ascended_Saiyan]

If you want it free, you have to wait 'til a month from now. Otherwise, it will be around $70 to get it, at this point.

A month from now, it will be available via the usual Linux distros

[Patron Saint]

Gnash 0.8.5 is out...

Improvements:
* Cygnal media server alpha release!
* New MIT-SHM and XVideo support for better performance.

Download the gnash package from here http://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/gnash/0.8.5/

First open the terminal and type "sudo apt-get install gnash mozilla-plugin-gnash" , this will install gnash 0.8.4. (I use Ubuntu "Debian" so replace the "SUDO" with "YUM") Now take the source code for gnash 0.8.5 and untar it with the command "wget http://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/gnash/0.8.5/... .5.tar.bz2 && tar xjvf gnash-0.8.5.tar.bz2 && cd gnash-0.8.5" Then run the command "./configure 2>&1 |grep apt-get ' , install all of the needed packages and after that run the command "./configure 2>&1 |grep apt-get" , I didn't find all the packages so i had to run it twice. Next run the command "./configure --prefix=/usr && ./make" , then wait if it says there are missing packages run "./configure 2>&1 |grep apt-get" to find the ones that are missing. Now run "yum make install" , *warning* this will take a long time...it took me 4 hours of so. Open Firefox and disable gnash, then run the command "cd plugin & make install-plugin" . Now restart Firefox, enable gnash and go to youtube. Also don't copy the whole quotes, only the commands inside the quotes!!



Also, since their is a low amount of RAM available for a Linux distro you can speed up your system by disabling process on the system.

Here are a few I disabled in Ubuntu:

# Evolution Alarm Notifier
# Network Manager
# Power Manager
# Print Queue Applet
# Check for new hardware drivers
# Tracker + Tracker Applet
# Visual Assistance

Here are some process you can disable in YDL:

* anacron
* atd
* avahi-daemon
* bluetooth (if you don't use it)
* cpuspeed
* cups
* hidd
* hplip
* ip6tables
* isdn
* mcstrans
* mdmonitor
* nfslock
* pcscd
* rpcbind
* rpcgssd
* rpcimapd
* sendmail
* smartd
* sshd

Emulators for YDL:

Mednafen:
Search for mednafen in Add/Remove and install it
Mednafen is a Atari Lynx, GameBoy (Color), GameBoy Advance, NES, PC Engine(TurboGrafx 16), SuperGrafx, Neo Geo Pocket (Color), PC-FX, and WonderSwan (Color) emulator
You may want to configure Mednafen to your specific need to change the settings double-click root's Home on the Desktop, medanfen is hidden so click on View and check View Hidden Files.
Scroll through the folder until you see ".mednafen", in it you will see the mednafen.config, Open it and use THIS as a reference.

Snes9x
Mednafen really has it all except Snes so you'll need to install snes9x
Add/Remove search snes and download snes9x and snes9express (this is the front-end)
After installing, Create a Folder on your Desktop called "Downloads" and a folder called "SnesRoms" in it
Click on Accessories>Games and the Snes emulator will be here.
You may right-click it and create a add it to the desktop for quicker access
Now start it up and you will receive an error about skins *don't worry about it we'll fix that in a second*
Go to Console>Preferences at the top and choose "Downloads/SnesRoms" for the roms folder
Click on Appearence and choose Skinless for Skin
On Reset and Startup Load make sure both checks are on "last run options"
Click Save then OK
Now click Sound and check Thread Sound *or sound will be crappy*
Lastly click on Controllers>Configure Button Map (make sure your PS# controller is plugged in to USB) and set your keys*square doesn't seem to work yet*
Close it and start it back up and your settings should be saved

[xberserker]

Originally Posted by Dreaming in Blu

Can you install it without losing all your gamesaves, etc?

What are the pros vs. cons on installing this?

Do a full system backup on a external hard drive first and everything will be backed up.

Then do a restore after you've installed Linux.

[Ascended_Saiyan]

Originally Posted by xberserker

Do a full system backup on a external hard drive first and everything will be backed up.

Then do a restore after you've installed Linux.

Actually, that's bad advice! You should just save the individual game saves, music, photos, and videos you want to keep on an external device.

A restore will wipe out the new partition and your Linux install completely.

@Patron Saint
Great post!

[androvsky]

Originally Posted by Ascended_Saiyan

Actually, that's bad advice! You should just save the individual game saves, music, photos, and videos you want to keep on an external device.

A restore will wipe out the new partition and your Linux install completely.

@Patron Saint
Great post!

That could be a problem with saves that don't allow copying...

[Patron Saint]

Originally Posted by androvsky

That could be a problem with saves that don't allow copying...

Yep, Rainbow 6 Vegas 2 won't allow you to copy it...

[ps3andlovinit]

Originally Posted by Ascended_Saiyan

Actually, that's bad advice! You should just save the individual game saves, music, photos, and videos you want to keep on an external device.

A restore will wipe out the new partition and your Linux install completely.

@Patron Saint
Great post!

I think he is talking about the restore option under the System Settings\Backup Utility\Restore. Which should be safe.

You are talking about the System Settings\Restore PS3 System which wipes out and resets to a factory system.

Your both right. Be careful out there.

[androvsky]

Originally Posted by ps3andlovinit

I think he is talking about the restore option under the System Settings\Backup Utility\Restore. Which should be safe.

You are talking about the System Settings\Restore PS3 System which wipes out and resets to a factory system.

Your both right. Be careful out there.

Assuming the Backup Utility is safe, don't forget to make sure you've got at least 10 GB free on your hard drive when you do the backup (or buy a bigger one).

[ps3andlovinit]

Originally Posted by androvsky

Assuming the Backup Utility is safe

I tested it multiple times before I committed to relying on it.

I meant should in the context of that one being for the intended purpose... not as an ambiguity.

Does that mean errors can't be introduced. No. But that goes for any software at the end of the day.

[Ascended_Saiyan]

Originally Posted by ps3andlovinit

I think he is talking about the restore option under the System Settings\Backup Utility\Restore. Which should be safe.

You are talking about the System Settings\Restore PS3 System which wipes out and resets to a factory system.

Your both right. Be careful out there.

Nope. I'm talking about doing a restore from your full backup. It WILL wipe out your Linux partition, if it's not there before your do a full backup.

I've tested it several times.

[ps3andlovinit]

Originally Posted by Ascended_Saiyan

Nope. I'm talking about doind a restore from your full backup. I WILL wipe out your Linux partition, if it's not there before your do a full backup.

I've tested it several times.

I see now.. I definitely would have installed Linux on the one system before doing backups. It was brand new ..so your right the above scenario is different.

Interesting and thanks. Well then I would say that is a bug but I'm not sure they would fix it .. given the monolithic nature of firmware/flash memory updates etc.

I think it probably happens because firmware/flash information is stored in the backup.. and during the restore it would have nothing to restore in regards to Linux.

Does the partition/data disappear or is the loader still available but Linux fails to launch? IOW is the Other OS option still there but nothing happens. Just curious.

[Ascended_Saiyan]

In the case I'm talking about (above), the Linux partition is always wiped out by the format before the restore.

[Rike255]

Cool, if it's anything like Red Hat then I'm all for this distro!