55 replies to this topic

[DJWillis]

I am not 100% sure this is really news worthy and I know people would rather be hearing about games, emulators or movie clips but I’ll post it anyway.

I am quite pleased to announce that a lot of gentle negotiation has paid off and I would like to unveil The Open2x Project.

This project is reasonably significant for one reason right now.

It will make the following available via its SourceForge project over the next week to 10 days.

• Full GPL Linux Kernel source (2.4.25) for the MMSP2 platform (GP2X is based on this)
  
• Full GPL Das U-Boot (1.0.0) bootloader source for the GP2X

The project already has in its possession both the Linux kernel and bootloader source thanks to assistance from MagicEyes Digital Co. Ltd. and will be making it available as soon as possible via SourceForge’s CVS system.

The projects aim is to use this as a basis to produce community driven open source operating solutions for GP2X with extra features, performance, stability etc.

Anybody with experience of ARM Linux kernel or low-level hacking is very welcome to get involved in the development effort. There are contact details on the site.

A little more information can be found on the following sites.

The Open2x Project Homepage
My Random GP2X Hacking Page

[unlucky]

Ok we need to get this on slashdot or boing boing or something i think this is incredibly important.... The system seems very close to entirely open source (maybe fully?) now? Amazing work DJWillis

[DJWillis]

Ok we need to get this on slashdot or boing boing or something i think this is incredibly important.... The system seems very close to entirely open source (maybe fully?) now? Amazing work DJWillis

Don't you dare Slashdot my poor server .

There is a lot of code to work through and sort but you can build a kernel with it. The bootloader code is very open for tweaking.

[Tobriand]

I'd say that's definitely newsworthy... sounds a good deal more promising than the previous situation - i.e. everyone in the dark. Especially when it comes to improving knowlege about how everything works, and hopefully, making it work better.

Idd, is this the complete code, or merely the kernel minus how it interfaces with individual bits of the processor (e.g. would access to Open2x code help facilitate the movement of the second CPU over from a GFX coprocessor to whatever people want?)

[Vimacs]

Definality great news, now we can seriously hope for more supported devices/ other maybe important tweaks :-)

[Eolair]

I am not 100% sure this is really news worthy and I know people would rather be hearing about games, emulators or movie clips but I’ll post it anyway.

I'd say this is the top news of the month. Awesome

[DJWillis]

Idd, is this the complete code, or merely the kernel minus how it interfaces with individual bits of the processor (e.g. would access to Open2x code help facilitate the movement of the second CPU over from a GFX coprocessor to whatever people want?)

It needs sorting out and a bit of a stock take but things like that are in there, it is feature complete, people can use this to do some very cool stuff if they want to get there hands dirty.

As it stands now it is more of a generic MMSP2 kernel that happens to support the GP2X (and all its interesting hardware). The kernel GP2X will release with the device will have a number of patches against this kernel I would expect that we could import if appropriate.

[slygamer]

Well done DJWillis. This is excellent news. I shall be following, and hopefully contributing to, the progress of Open2X.

[wild_eyed]

lay person here, what does this mean to joe soap?

[zebedee]

lay person here, what does this mean to joe soap?

its a lot more freedom to do weird things with the gp2x , possibly help out in the quest for multiproccy goodness and itll shut up boingboing and some slashdot noobs who homed in on the dreaded DRM ... if its open source you cant DRM stuff as we could just disable the functionality again.

oh yeah nice one dj i'd run and hide your server if this gets slashdotted tho

Edited by zebedee, 11 October 2005 - 11:18 PM.

[Huxley]

Well, that sounds great. You certainly have my support.

[Jarska333]

The avalanche has started, it's too late for the pebbles to vote.


Maybe...

[Chip]

itll shut up boingboing and some slashdot noobs who homed in on the dreaded DRM ... if its open source you cant DRM stuff as we could just disable the functionality again.

That's not entirely true. Acording to Anna on the GPH Q&A board, the GP2X copy protection system will be pretty much the same as the GP32's. Commercial games for the GP32 were encoded specifically for each GP32. Only the exact machine that they were encoded for (or at least had same ID code) could decode them.

Encoded executables will still be encoded even if you have the source for the kernel. Without the key (ID code) to unlock it, it's still gibberish to your machine. In my opinion, the commercial games for the GP32 were mediocre at best, and I don't expect much more for GP2X payware. The magic of the GP32 was the freely available games and emultors, and that's what I'm most looking forward to for the GP2X. It just so happens that it's these community-developed programs that will benefit most from Open2X.

If I understand DJWillis, he has the most basic kernel that GPH built on to make the firmware for the GP2X. People can then take that kernel and build on it to make alternative firmwares with more / different / better functionality. People will also be able to use it as a reference to better understand how the GP2X works at a very low level. This will make it much easier for someone coding something resource intensive (an emulator, for example) to squeeze the most out of the hardware.

This is a very good thing.

[yaustar]

*another pat on the back for DJWillis*

[junker]

this is great news!!