The DSLinux Logo

DSLinux is a port of the Linux operating system to the Nintendo DS. It is currently in its early stages. Image File history File links DSLinuxLogo. ... Tux is the official Linux mascot. ... The Nintendo DS, (sometimes abbreviated NDS or just DS), is a dual-screen handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. ...

How to Run Code on the DS

Currently, DS game cartridges cannot be written from a PC. As flash carts for the Game Boy Advance are available, running code from flash carts inserted into the GBA slot of the DS is possible. To circumvent Nintendo's RSA signature protection that is supposed to disallow execution of arbitrary code, either WiFiMe, PassMe or FlashMe can be used. WifiMe exploits the wireless multi-player mode of the Nintendo DS to run unsigned code. PassMe is a hardware device that allows execution of unsigned code, by providing a valid signature from an original Nintendo DS game but running code from another location, such as a flash card. FlashMe flashes the DS's firmware with an officially unsupported homebrew version of the firmware that allows execution of unsigned code from the GBA Slot without special hardware. The Game Boy Advance (GBA) is a handheld videogame console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo. ... WiFiMe - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The PassMe chip is an unofficial compact passthrough that fits into the main cartridge slot of the Nintendo DS. It is designed to bypass the encryption security present when booting from that slot. ... FlashMe is a firmware mod for Nintendo DS. It allows running of both homebrew code and copies of commercial games. ...

An example for a GBA flash cart is the GBAMP. The GBA Movie Player, abbreviated GBAMP, is a device that reads CompactFlash/Secure Digital cards to upload data onto the Game Boy Advance (it is also fully compatible with the Nintendo DSs GBA compatibility mode). ...

Technical Details

A live shot of DSLinux. It shows the touchscreen keyboard on the lower screen and the Linux text console on the upper screen.

DSLinux runs a modified uClinux kernel. It is currently based on uCLinux 2.6.9 (Linux-2.6.9-uc0). It only runs in textmode, which is displayed via a custom framebuffer console driver. Input is done via a keyboard displayed on the touchscreen of the Nintendo DS. ncurses 5.4 has been ported successfully, so DSLinux runs a couple of text games and vi. It also runs basic shell applications provided by BusyBox. Most of the essential hardware of the system is supported, but some components are not used yet. For instance, although there is sound/microphone support in other homebrew programs for the Nintendo DS, there is no sound driver (ie OSS/ALSA) for DSLinux yet. Image File history File linksMetadata DSlinuxShot. ... uClinux (which stands for MicroControllerLinux and is pronounced as you-see-Linux) is a Linux distro operating system for microcontrollers (µCs, embedded systems) without a memory management unit (MMU). ... Ncurses is a programming library providing an API, allowing the programmer to write text user interfaces in a terminal-independent manner. ... The correct title of this article is vi. ... In computing, BusyBox is a program combining many standard Unix utilities into a single small executable. ...

DSLinux is compiled using a GCC cross-compilation toolchain for arm processors. The C-library is uClibc. The Nintendo DS does not have a Memory Management Unit, so DSLinux lacks Virtual Memory. The GNU Compiler Collection (usually shortened to GCC) is a set of programming language compilers produced by the GNU Project. ... In computing, uClibc is a small C library intended for embedded Linux systems. ... MMU, short for Memory Management Unit, is a class of computer hardware components responsible for handling memory accesses requested by the CPU. Among the functions of such devices are the translation of virtual addresses to physical addresses (i. ... The memory pages of the virtual address space seen by the process, may reside non-contiguously in primary, or even secondary storage. ...

There are a variety of methods for getting DSLinux to run, but each method requires specific hardware.

DSLinux can write to Flash Cart SRAM, and CompactFlash cards (which are inserted into any of the following adaptors: GBAMP, M3, or SuperCard). A 64 MB CompactFlash Type I card CompactFlash (CF) was originally a type of data storage device, used in portable electronic devices. ...

External links

DSLinux Official Homepage - DSLinux Wiki Official DS Linux Wiki