Ubuntu 16.04 Is Out FOR TESTING for the Nintendo Wii.

[Wiibuntu]

Ubuntu Server and Lubuntu 16 are now able to boot on the Wii. This one works a little different then the last versions. 

For downloads and More detailed instructions please checkout the GitHub page. 

https://github.com/Wiibuntu/Ubuntu-16.04-Wii

 

What You Need:

Wii with Homebrew Channel

USB Flash Drive (8gb or more for Lubuntu) (4gb or more for Others)

SD card (1gb more more)

Tool to flash SD card and Flash Drive.

 

Known Issues That NEED TO BE FIXED:

-Framebuffer issue, You will have 2 kernels to boot from. The one that "works" has an issue with producing accurate colors, that one was compile using DevKitPro's PPC compiler, the other one that has no USB support has accurate colors but was compiled with the standard PPC GCC compiler.

-Need to compile a newer version of the open-b43 driver just like I had to forr Ubuntu 14 in order for WiFi to work.

-Figure out why USB Ethernet Dongles dont work at all.

 

About The Project

One of the final planned releases of Ubuntu for the Wii. With many trial and errors. This versions actually build somewhat off of Wii-Linux-NGX But this version uses the same bootloader with a different kernel, a newer one. And it also boots Ubuntu 16 instead of Debian 8.

Kernel branch used is Version 4.4 from https://github.com/Wii-Linux/wii-linux-ngx/tree/v4.4 which is forked from the original NGX repo.

[BentleyOwen123]

DUDE WHAT THAT'S COOL AS FUCK

[Sauron]

7 minutes ago, Wiibuntu said:

One of the final planned releases

oh, is there a specific reason for not going all the way to current releases or are you just not interested anymore?

[Wiibuntu]

11 minutes ago, Sauron said:

oh, is there a specific reason for not going all the way to current releases or are you just not interested anymore?

There is no 32 Bit PowerPC Builds of ANY versions over 16.04 that i know of. So unless im building from scratch, this is the peak for now.

[Sauron]

2 minutes ago, Wiibuntu said:

There is no 32 Bit PowerPC Builds of ANY versions over 16.04 that i know of. So unless im building from scratch, this is the peak for now.

if you ever get the urge, there's always gentoo https://www.gentoo.org/downloads/#ppc

[Wiibuntu]

Just now, Sauron said:

if you ever get the urge, there's always gentoo https://www.gentoo.org/downloads/#ppc

Its on my list, Debian SID running all up to date packages for Kernel 4.4 using aptitude safe-upgrade is my next project I've already started, But this one still needs to be more functional before I am happy with it and moving onto gentoo or even void.

[8tg]

you gotta go full circle now and post to wiichan (an image board hosted on a wii) from a wii running ubuntu

Wiichan - A Nintendo Wii community hosted on a Nintendo Wii (uwu.mx)

[Wiibuntu]

3 minutes ago, 8tg said:

you gotta go full circle now and post to wiichan (an image board hosted on a wii) from a wii running ubuntu

Wiichan - A Nintendo Wii community hosted on a Nintendo Wii (uwu.mx)

Genius! 

[GoStormPlays]

This is kinda cool. Ubuntu 16.04 is the first version of Linux that I ever used, so I have a soft-spot in my heart for it.

[Wiibuntu]

3 minutes ago, GoStormPlays said:

This is kinda cool. Ubuntu 16.04 is the first version of Linux that I ever used, so I have a soft-spot in my heart for it.

16 Was the first one I used regularly as well, but my very first distro I ever ran was called EasyPeasy and it ran off Ubuntu 10.10 I think.

[BentleyOwen123]

4 minutes ago, GoStormPlays said:

kinda

 

KINDA

 

 

the WII is running LINUX, and your reaction is KINDA

[GoStormPlays]

1 minute ago, BentleyOwen123 said:

 

KINDA

 

 

the WII is running LINUX, and your reaction is KINDA

I APOLOGIZE FOR MY SINS

 

 

-posted from a windows 11 pc

[Wiibuntu]

6 minutes ago, GoStormPlays said:

I APOLOGIZE FOR MY SINS

 

 

-posted from a windows 11 pc

Sins forgiven

 

-Posted from a Lubuntu PC

[BoomerDutch]

Actually poggers linux on wii.

How stronk is that boi.

 

Can it compute?

[BentleyOwen123]

13 minutes ago, GoStormPlays said:

I APOLOGIZE FOR MY SINS

 

 

-posted from a windows 11 pc

you are forgiven

 

 

-posted from a i9 13900k and rtx 3090 ti running chrome os

[Wiibuntu]

7 minutes ago, BoomerDutch said:

Actually poggers linux on wii.

How stronk is that boi.

 

Can it compute?

I have a few versions you can use, Ubuntu 16 being the newest version and most unstable might not run the best cause I know Ubuntu 14 struggles with things. But its a single core PPC processor running at 729 mhz, so dont expect anything beyond amazing out of it. 

[BentleyOwen123]

14 minutes ago, Wiibuntu said:

I have a few versions you can use, Ubuntu 16 being the newest version and most unstable might not run the best cause I know Ubuntu 14 struggles with things. But its a single core PPC processor running at 729 mhz, so dont expect anything beyond amazing out of it. 

what can you actually  run on it? just chrome or actual apps?

[Wiibuntu]

50 minutes ago, BentleyOwen123 said:

what can you actually  run on it? just chrome or actual apps?

Chrome doesn't have a PowerPC build, but maybe cross compiling chromium for PowerPC from source on a faster system could work. Only cause compiling on the Wii itself.. takes days. Trust me lol.

[BentleyOwen123]

so what do you use it for? like whats the point of it?

[Wiibuntu]

4 minutes ago, BentleyOwen123 said:

so what do you use it for? like whats the point of it?

Ubuntu 16 currently is just for testing. Ubuntu 14 works and has a functional wifi driver and the framebuffer works properly. There really is no "point to this". Id never recommend you use this as your daily machine. But its something cool for people who like Linux or just computers as a whole to tinker around with.

[BentleyOwen123]

Just now, Wiibuntu said:

Ubuntu 16 currently is just for testing. Ubuntu 14 works and has a functional wifi driver and the framebuffer works properly. There really is no "point to this". Id never recommend you use this as your daily machine. But its something cool for people who like Linux or just computers as a whole to tinker around with.

yea, im certainly going to do it to my wii, but can you search the web or things like that? or like just to have linux on a wii?

[Wiibuntu]

13 minutes ago, BentleyOwen123 said:

yea, im certainly going to do it to my wii, but can you search the web or things like that? or like just to have linux on a wii?

Yea, If you install ubuntu 14 with a desktop environment it has wifi working, so you should be able to install firefox and use that. Firefox has PowerPC builds. Ive even run things like classicube on the Ubuntu 13 distro I posted, granted at a VERY LOW fps, but it did run. 

[LloydLynx]

I'm most curious how you got such a recent Ubuntu running on just 88MB of total memory.

58 minutes ago, Wiibuntu said:

There really is no "point to this". Id never recommend you use this as your daily machine.

Somebody out there will accept the challenge.

[Wiibuntu]

6 minutes ago, LloydLynx said:

I'm most curious how you got such a recent Ubuntu running on just 88MB of total memory.

Somebody out there will accept the challenge.

Don't expect this to work well without a swapfile. Due to the RAM Limit swap is used almost 100% of the time so you can imagine the performance isn't the best. It also seems the system RAM is never maxed out, showing all 88mb but only using 64mb - 68mb.