Any Linux Live CD's for the PS3?

[marioval]

A Google search brings up some pages referencing YDL and Debian but the pages are dated 2007 and 2008. Are there any Linux Live CD's that are current and will work on the PS3 with full multimedia/codec support and will allow me to use the PS3 remote? Thanks

[Cornucopia]

I added YDL to my son's PS3 in 2009 and it worked great, but in 2010 Sony updated their firmware (2.30?) to where you are no longer allowed to create nor use a non-Sony boot partition (including Linux). This is true also of newer firmwares.

This basically ruins and invalidates existing or intended installations, even though Sony had originally claimed it would ALWAYS be available.

If your firmware still has not been, nor ever will be, updated to that level, you could install YDL (i did the research, it is really the only good, stable choice for PS3 specifically). Otherwise, forget it and move on...

Scott

[Ai Haibara]

Actually, I think marioval's just trying to boot the PS3 from a LiveCD and run as-is, without installing.

To be honest, I don't think there are any LiveCDs specifically built for that (how many Linux distros are compiled with Cell support, other than that version of YDL, anyway?) - but you'd still have to have a modded PS3 in order to get the system to boot from a CD/DVD/BD... assuming that IS even possible with the hardware.

[Cornucopia]

It IS possible with the hardware, it's just that the official Sony firmware update 3.21 removed that capability, both for future and EXISTING installations. All subsequent firmware also have that feature removed. Without the bootloader expecting/allowing a non-Sony OS, it doesn't matter what you put in the drive(s), it won't load. It'll just reject it as any other data disc and continue to boot as normal.

Now, there evidently has been some progress in hackers creating a Custom firmware update that re-instates the "OtherOS" feature, but being a hack it is prone to bugs, is certainly "illegal" and voiding any warranty and support, it probably disallows connection the PS Network (which would defeat it and put you under Sony's scrutiny), and it is vulnerable to being superseded/overridden by some subsequent automatic official firmware update. Yes, it would be possible to load it and then stop automatic updates and disconnect from networks, but that is partly defeating the utility of the device all for this one feature.

Plus, it wasn't ever really that fast an experience (once it was installed) to begin with. AFAIK, YDL was the only distro to specifically support the Cell architecture, and it hasn't been updated for the clear reason that there was no point if it couldn't be used anymore (by the great majority of users, unwilling to go with a hacked firmware). edit: evidently there was other distros: Ubuntu, OpenSUSE, Fedora, FreeBSD, but all of those seemed to run with limitations/glitches

Me, I've moved on to other architectures - jailbreaking Android tablets give a good custom experience. Only downside there is no true built-in keyboard (ever try to post what I do on these sites by hunting-and-pecking with thumbs on a screen? ugh!).

Scott