If this runs on a megadrive (Genesis), would this also boot on a Sega Nomad, the portable version of a genesis?
Linux for the Sega MegaDrive
11–20 of 73 posts
Re: Linux for the Sega MegaDrive
#12If this runs on a megadrive (Genesis), would this also boot on a Sega Nomad, the portable version of a genesis?
It should. There are some small differences between the Nomad and a normal Gen/MD, but nothing that should impact something like this
Re: Linux for the Sega MegaDrive
#13I have such fond memories of my time back in the day owning a MegaDrive. It wasn't my first or last games console, but it was my formative one. It was a time in my life when I was into video games (Sonic 2 being the only game I ever played to completion). It pleases me to realise there's still a community around the MegaDrive and - as others has said - this is so crazy but wonderful to see!
Re: Linux for the Sega MegaDrive
#14Genesis does what Nintendon't.
> The lowly 68000 in the Sega doesn’t have a memory management unit required for the full Linux experience, so what’s really running here is a kernel compiled with the -nommu option.
Huh... I thought Linux actually required MMUs. I was under the impression it'd never run on these old consoles because of that. Learned something new today.
> A QEMU fork that emulates enough of the MegaDrive and the EverDrive to play with this without the real hardware is included.
That's seriously impressive.
Re: Linux for the Sega MegaDrive
#15Genesis does what Nintendon't. > The lowly 68000 in the Sega doesn’t have a memory management unit required for the full Linux experience, so what’s really running here is a kernel compiled with the -nommu option. Huh... I thought Linux actually required MMUs. I was under the impression it'd never run on these old consoles because of that. Learned something new today. > A QEMU fork that emulates enough of the MegaDri…
>Huh... I thought Linux actually required MMUs. I was under the impression it'd never run on these old consoles because of that. Learned something new today.
There have been variants of the kernel around for some time that can run on microcontrollers without an MMU (mainly uCLinux).
Re: Linux for the Sega MegaDrive
#16It runs Doom, now it runs Linux
My oscilloscope does both!
Re: Linux for the Sega MegaDrive
#17Earlier quoted context omitted.
Really odd decision for it to be changed away from this original title. And if I'm being pedantic (and I am) it's Sega Mega Drive. Repo, which says Sega MegaDrive, is at: https://github.com/LinuxMD/linuxmd
(Disclaimer: I'm partial to "Mega Drive" myself.) Wikipedia has this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mega_Drive_vs_Genesis.gif blue = Mega Drive, red = Genesis Linked here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject_Vid... (didn't find the sales numbers, for those wondering. Sorry!)
Love that chart! It could also apply almost exactly to the "Buster Bros." artocle (everybody else other than North America knows it as "Pang"). This sort of rewriting of history is rife on Wikipedia.
Re: Linux for the Sega MegaDrive
#18Original title: It’s Linux, On A Sega Megadrive
It's a cool project! but best to use the original title and original source - see https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html . I've changed the title and URL to match https://github.com/LinuxMD/linuxmd and put the other URL in the toptext so people can look at it too.
Thanks Dan! Will do. I would have fixed it, but by the time I noticed the complaints, it was already too late.
Re: Linux for the Sega MegaDrive
#19I have such fond memories of my time back in the day owning a MegaDrive. It wasn't my first or last games console, but it was my formative one. It was a time in my life when I was into video games (Sonic 2 being the only game I ever played to completion). It pleases me to realise there's still a community around the MegaDrive and - as others has said - this is so crazy but wonderful to see!
Ya same here. Sonic and on the PC, Jazz Jackrabbit. I loved that hare.
Re: Linux for the Sega MegaDrive
#20Still got my Mega Drive, purchased circa 1994. Recently brought it back to life with a Level Hike (I know, apparently RAD2x is better, anyway works well enough for me) HDMI adapter (otherwise sadly it doesn't work with new digital-only TVs), the main unit and all my old games (Sonic 1 and 2, Columns, Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle, Wonder Boy in Monster World, Shining Force (needed new battery in cartridge for save state), Sword of Vermilion) still functioning perfectly after all these years (just needed some vigorous dusting of bottom of cartridges). Got my kids on it, they love it: "dad, so cool, boots up instantly, no lag, no ads" (unlike the rubbish apps on their other devices!).
Awesome to hear that Linux has arrived on Mega Drive. Just need it to boot up (how Sonic 1 boots up saying "seee-gaah") and to drone out "liii-nuux", hahaha.