Science Addiction

The original XBox was a great gaming console, but for many of us, it was also a sub-$200 PC. Or at least, that was the dream. In 2005, I took it upon myself to convert my XBox in to a media center.

Did I succeed? Yes and no. Yes, I got Linux on there. No, I didn’t ever use it as a media center.

1. Linux on the Xbox: Part I: Reasoning:

HOW DID IT COME TO THIS?
So a few days ago, I finally decided to sell my Xbox. Purchased in a frenzy of going-to-grad-school shopping, knowing fully well that you can’t get through a degree in computer science without putting in your hours behind the controls of a powerful gaming machine, this black and green monster has served its purpose.

But since then, I’ve graduated. I work full time. The few games I owned started finding their way to Half.com and pretty soon it had become clear.

The Xbox had to go.

2. Linux on the Xbox: Part II: Planning:

SO MAYBE I’M CRAZY ENOUGH TO TRY THIS- WHERE DO I START?
Ah, nice to know there are other zealots out there. So, before you do anything else, you want to bookmark the Xbox-Linux website. Lot’s of interesting information about how and why you would want to attempt this project- the kind of stuff I’ve already written about.

3. XBMC on the Xbox:

Years ago, I chronicled my efforts to get Linux on my (1st generation) Xbox on this blog. Well, I did end up succeeding. Though I never actually used the Xbox much after that. It was like climbing Mt. Everest—what do you do after you’re up there other than be able to say that you got up there?