Project: OurOS Bootloader for PS3 Linux in Development

[PS3 News]

Similar to both the Petitboot Bootloader and pdaXrom-NG Bootloader for PS3 Linux, the OurOS project in development is a Linux-based user interface for the PS3.

To quote: It's goals are to provide an easy to install and easy to use graphical environment for the OtherOS platform.

Easy to install means a user will just have to install an otheros.bld file using the XMB and have a storage device available (USB storage device or OtherOS partitioned internal HDD).

Easy to use means no messing around with package managers or command lines, since we know what the hardware is we can forgo a lot of the usual linux setup tasks. And since we're only targeting certain applications we do not need the normal linux style package management system and can use something simple and self contained.

From a developers perspective OurOS will provide a consistent environment to target, and will also come with a ready to use toolchain.

The only download to date is a http://ouros.googlecode.com/files/0001-PS3-skeleton-driver.patch, however, they do have a Source Code page set up with SVN checkout at: http://code.google.com/p/ouros/source/checkout

Additionally, a first attempt at a developer filesystem for OurOS is available for download here: http://74.207.228.61/jonathan/ouros-dev-20090601.tar.bz2 [215MB]

Finally, for installation the image is designed to be usable either as the root filesystem of a pre-partitioned, pre-formatted PS3 Linux environment (extracted to an empty / dir), or extracted a new folder and used with chroot.

Further details are available HERE, but be warned of their note: this may destroy you or your PS3, it is not tested. Proceed with caution.


More PlayStation 3 News...

[FrozenFear]

I got question.. Does that (OurOs) loads ps3 games from HDD ?

Dont take it as a stupid question because i dont know any thing about linux

[PS3 News]

I got question.. Does that (OurOs) loads ps3 games from HDD ?

If it did, it would be the hottest thing since sliced bread (or Michael Jackson album sales lately! )

To answer though: nah, it doesn't... none of the PS3 Linux Bootloaders do, in reality they are all fairly early in development and simply Linux-based OS Selector front-ends for the PS3.

[sorceror]

I just installed Ubuntu 9.04 on my PS3 a couple weeks back, used petitboot as the bootloader. I have to ask something basic, I'm afraid.

From what I can see, in the XMB you can set the "Default OS" to be "OtherOS" instead of "PS3", at which point it'll boot up into OtherOS the next time you start the PS3, so far, so good.

Now, from Linux, you can reboot back into the PS3's native "GameOS" by running "boot-game-os" or whatever. Also, so far, so good.

But it looks like, at that point, the PS3 sets the default OS back to "PS3", and Linux won't get a chance to boot until you modify that setting again. Is this correct?

[kengreen]

Does it read yaboot.conf and/or kboot.conf? Does it have a shell, if so, how much free memory is available? Can it execute binaries/shell scripts?