[CS-FSLUG] Ethics and the X-Box

[David Aikema]

On 12/10/05, Nathan T. <celerate at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 12/9/05, Clinton Evans <clinton.evans at rogers.com> wrote:
> > Here is the dilemma: what is the morality of circumventing Microsoft's
> > security to recycle some of their obsolete machines?
> >
>
> Well, you're paying for it and Linux is legal software so I don't see the
> problem at all. If you really have a problem with it though I heard that the
> PlayStation 2 models have 2 usb ports and can run Linux as well, but
> unfortunately I don't know if Linux supports their network card (the
> external one, but I think some models also have one built in). I don't think
> Sony would mind you running Linux on their machines, as far as I know they
> know it's happening and they haven't done anything about it whereas
> Microsoft made it necessary to exploit buffer overflows to get Linux to even
> boot on the XBox machines.

I suspect that the PS2's network card would be supported under Linux. 
After all, Sony themselves was selling Linux kits for the device.  A
little different than Microsoft's approach (although after all that's
cropped up lately with DRM on Sony's music CDs, I don't know if I want
to deal with them again).

David