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https://github.com/ps2homebrew/tge


https://github.com/ps2homebrew/tge

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README 

        
The Great Experiment

Version D.0.A

Copyright (c) 2004 Marcus R. Brown 



[NOTE: This README talks about TGE as if it were already finished and released.

It's not even close.  The features described here are what is planned, and they

could be deleted or revised at any time.]



Introduction

------------



In 2001, Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) released their highly anticipated

PlayStation 2 Linux Kit in Japan.  The Linux Kit was released worldwide in May

2002.  The Linux Kit consists of a network adapter, a 40GB hard drive, a

keyboard, a mouse, and a VGA connector.  It also includes a boot disc

containing the Linux operating system, a set of hardware manuals, and SCE's

proprietary Runtime Environment or RTE.  The RTE is a software interface that

sits in between the Linux kernel and the PS2's I/O Processor (IOP).  It

facilitates the development of GPL-compatible source code without revealing the

proprietary source code SCE uses to communicate with the IOP.  The IOP governs

the use of the PS2's DVD drive, memory cards, controllers, and sound processor.

It is also responsible for data transfers to and from the network adapter, hard

drive, and USB ports.



Although Linux is free in terms of beer and speech, Linux on the PS2 is only

free in terms of speech - you must purchase the Linux Kit in order to run Linux

(or other Open Source operating systems such as NetBSD) on the PS2.



The Great Experiment

--------------------



The Great Experiment, or TGE, is an Open Source RTE replacement.  Using TGE,

you can run Linux on your PS2 in the same way as if you owned SCE's Linux Kit.

However, TGE also includes features that SCE's RTE doesn't or cannot support,

making it an viable alternative for users that already own the Linux Kit.



Here's a list of some of the features that TGE supports.  Features that are not

supported by the original RTE marked with a (*):



	- Boot Linux from the memory card.

	* Boot Linux from an installed hard drive.

	* Boot Linux from over the network.

	- Linux access to DVD, memory cards, controllers, and the sound

	  processor.

	- Linux access to USB ports, the official PS2 network adapter, and any

	  compatible hard drive.

	* Linux access to the IEEE1394 (FireWire or i.Link) port.

	* Linux access to the official DVD remote control.

	* Linux access to the remote control built-in on the SCPH-50000 series.

	* Compatibility with recent PS2 models, including the PSX.



Philosophy

----------



The term "The Great Experiment" is used in Africology (the study of Africa) to

refer to the struggle of African Americans to gain acceptance in the United

States throughout its history.  The majority of African Americans were brought

into the United States originally as slaves, and subsequently freed and granted

basic civil rights in 1865.  One hundred years later, African Americans were

finally granted full civil rights.  From the time they were brought into the

country and even today, African Americans have struggled to be accepted as

equals in the nearly all aspects of American society.



The PlayStation 2 Linux community, which is publically endorsed by SCE at

www.playstation2-linux.com, is a thriving group of Linux enthusiasts and

homebrew PS2 software developers.  However, there are a few individuals in this

community who view it as a "members only" club.  In other words, if you haven't

bought the Linux Kit, then you don't have a right to participate in or benefit

from the community.  Furthermore, because Linux cannot even run on the PS2

without the Linux Kit's official boot disc and RTE, there is a very effective

barrier of entry for anyone interested in developing homebrew software for the

PS2.



Although there are many talented individuals working with the Linux Kit, there

are many individuals who have developed exceptional PS2 software without any

official SCE support or development kits.  Calling themselves the "ps2dev

community", they too have been guilty of discriminating against the PS2 Linux

community, often shunning or ignoring it.



I've chosen "The Great Experiment" as the name of this project, because like

the African Americans who struggled for and demanded their acceptance into the

United States' civil society, the ps2dev community demands acceptance from both

the PS2 Linux community and SCE as a whole.  On the same token, the ps2dev

community must also learn to accept the PS2 Linux community as equals, and

together _the_ community can conquer the PS2, and any other funky systems SCE

tosses at us :).



TGE promises to unify both the ps2dev and PS2 Linux communities, or die trying.