PS3 > Linux media/Steam Gaming PC for Linux first-timer

[Sdogga]

Hi all!

 

I have an old PS3 I've been trying to get myself to play with for years. I've started some great games - Last of Us, Uncharted 2, games I got with the console - but with my exxessive PC and steam library of 250-odd games, including those I will never not-want-to-play like Overwatch, plus on top of all that, the lack of Discord on the PS meaning I have to have not systems running anyway if I want to talk to someone while I game, has all left the thing sitting by the wayside. 

 

I want to use it for something, and apparently it's entirely capable of running Linux side by side with native PS3-ness. 

 

So, I'm here turning to my favourite tech YouTuber's advice home to ask for complete linux help for someone with good tech know-how and plenty of windows experience, but absolutely not one pip of knowledge about Linux other than having wanted to, one day, experiment with it. This is an appeal to those who know plenty and are ready to type out a big detailed explanation of what I need to know, from how it differs to windows to how to install it and apps and games, to the security risks of it, to whether it should remain offline, to whether I can use - is it WINE? - to run a copy of windows and have a neat little Lan PC for my late to play Overwatch with me on, and everything else. Please go nuts, I'm ready to absorb all the Lamborghini-- sorry, all the knowledge I can. 

 

That day I'd eventually experiment with Linux has come, and I have a perfect device to do it on!

 

Thank you all in advance!

[Theguywhobea]

Nope, they got rid of the ability to run Linux a long time ago. And even at that it was as far as I know a very basic version, the PS3 uses a Cell CPU, which is a different architecture than a traditional x86 PC, so even if you did get Linux back on it, you wouldn't but running Ubuntu.

[Sdogga]

3 minutes ago, Theguywhobea said:

Nope, they got rid of the ability to run Linux a long time ago. And even at that it was as far as I know a very basic version, the PS3 uses a Cell CPU, which is a different architecture than a traditional x86 PC, so even if you did get Linux back on it, you wouldn't but running Ubuntu.

Ah, I see! Welp, there goes that idea. Still, I have a few old PCs, an IBM T60, some Dell optiplex with an IDE drive... Would Linux make a decent server PC or basic media PC on old hardware like that?

[Theguywhobea]

Just now, Sdogga said:

Ah, I see! Welp, there goes that idea. Still, I have a few old PCs, an IBM T60, some Dell optiplex with an IDE drive... Would Linux make a decent server PC or basic media PC on old hardware like that?

Yeah, it works great for that kind of stuff, and it's just fun to play around with as well.

[Sdogga]

4 minutes ago, Theguywhobea said:

Yeah, it works great for that kind of stuff, and it's just fun to play around with as well.

Goodies! Well in that case, I still need a dumbf*ck's guide to Linux, if anyone wouldn't mind helping! 

[KenjiUmino]

6 minutes ago, Sdogga said:

I still need a dumbf*ck's guide to Linux, if anyone wouldn't mind helping! 

1. look for a lightweight distro that is easy on beginners (ubuntu mate, xubuntu/lubuntu, mint mate, mint xfce)

2. download iso and create bootable media (dvd, usb stick) 

3. boot from the media you just created

4. all the distros mentioned above can boot to a "live mode" - meaning it can run directly from the media without the need to install or make changes to the currently installed operating system. so feel free to test different distros. 

5. if you found a distro you like, install it

6. follow the installation instructions on screen

7. if you run into a problem, try google. this helped me with most of my linux questions and problems. 

[A3r0Sp1k3]

4 minutes ago, Sdogga said:

Goodies! Well in that case, I still need a dumbf*ck's guide to Linux, if anyone wouldn't mind helping! 

Sure, would be glad to help. DistroWatch is a website that lists basically every Linux, BSD, etc distribution there is, but that'd quickly overwhelm you. They do have a top 10 page of the most popular flavours, so that'd be a good place to start. As it says:

 

Quote

Ubuntu, Linux Mint and PCLinuxOS are considered the easiest for new users who want to get productive in Linux as soon as possible without having to master all its complexities. On the other end of the spectrum, Slackware Linux, Arch Linux and FreeBSD are more advanced distributions that require plenty of learning before they can be used effectively. openSUSE, Fedora, Debian GNU/Linux and Mageia can be classified as good "middle-road" distributions. CentOS is an enterprise distribution, suitable for those who prefer stability, reliability and long-term support over cutting-edge features and software.

 

I've never used PCLinuxOS, but have used the various types (mostly just graphical differences) of Ubuntu and Linux Mint. Have a read of each distributions pro's and con's and decide for yourself where you'd like to start. Personally, I'd suggest Linux Mint, especially because it includes non-free multimedia codecs right out of the box.

 

To install WINE, you simply open the Linux Mint Software Manager (other distributions have their own name for it), which is basically an app store, and click install.

[Sdogga]

Thanks guys! Super helpful so far. 

 

What are the security risks like with Linux? I have a business subscription to Trend Micro, can that run on Linux if a security program is a good choice?

 

I'm happy to run the thing offline as long as I can get Steam and it's Linux games onto it, as well as VLC and other programs necessary for media PC/gaming needs. But I wouldn't even know if I could dump a installer for VLC, for example, onto a NTFS USB and plug her in or if there is no compatibility between windows and Linux whatsoever. 

 

Again; thank you for your help so far!

[wasab]

pick up a copy of linux mint. it is the best newbie friendly distro. 

I use it as my only and primary OS on my laptop. It served me very well for school work and home entertainment. I develop applications on it too 

[A3r0Sp1k3]

On 1/13/2018 at 5:26 PM, Sdogga said:

What are the security risks like with Linux? I have a business subscription to Trend Micro, can that run on Linux if a security program is a good choice?

Generally lower than with Windows, but nothing is immune. Every time you want to install something or make a major change to the system, it asks you for your password. I don't know about Trend Micro or if this is included in your subscription (probably not), but a quick Google search seems to show that ServerProtect is available for Linux. If you really want antivirus, I'd go with ClamTk along with Clamav-daemon if you want on-file-access scanning with minor configuration changes.

 

On 1/13/2018 at 5:26 PM, Sdogga said:

I'm happy to run the thing offline as long as I can get Steam and it's Linux games onto it, as well as VLC and other programs necessary for media PC/gaming needs.

 

Steam is in the Software Manager in Mint (Wine is in there too) and VLC is already installed (I think you need to tick the 3rd party media programs box during install), so you should be fine to just download the rest . If you can't find it (especially in Cinnamon which I use), the icon for the Software Manager is a cardboard box in the start menu (or just use the start menu search). For any other programs you think you might need, just have a browse of the Software Manager.

 

On 1/13/2018 at 5:26 PM, Sdogga said:

But I wouldn't even know if I could dump a installer for VLC, for example, onto a NTFS USB and plug her in or if there is no compatibility between windows and Linux whatsoever.

There is read and write compatibility for NTFS provided by the ntfs-3g program installed by default, so you should be fine. FAT32 is also fully compatible if you can't get that working for some reason.

[Sdogga]

On 14/01/2018 at 9:42 PM, A3r0Sp1k3 said:

Generally lower than with Windows, but nothing is immune. Every time you want to install something or make a major change to the system, it asks you for your password. I don't know about Trend Micro or if this is included in your subscription (probably not), but a quick Google search seems to show that ServerProtect is available for Linux. If you really want antivirus, I'd go with ClamTk along with Clamav-daemon if you want on-file-access scanning with minor configuration changes.

 

 

Steam is in the Software Manager in Mint (Wine is in there too) and VLC is already installed (I think you need to tick the 3rd party media programs box during install), so you should be fine to just download the rest . If you can't find it (especially in Cinnamon which I use), the icon for the Software Manager is a cardboard box in the start menu (or just use the start menu search). For any other programs you think you might need, just have a browse of the Software Manager.

 

There is read and write compatibility for NTFS provided by the ntfs-3g program installed by default, so you should be fine. FAT32 is also fully compatible if you can't get that working for some reason.

Thanks man! This is the big, in depth start I was looking for. If I'm going to learn something, I want to learn it all. Not a quick, "install this, you're done." Fluff. 

 

I'm thinking of trying an SSD for this thing's C:. Can I drop the Linux distro on the drive and install it off itself or does Linux install work similar to Windows? And tips forinstallation like the abovementioned 3rd party checkbox?

 

Thanks all!

 

[A3r0Sp1k3]

3 hours ago, Sdogga said:

Can I drop the Linux distro on the drive and install it off itself or does Linux install work similar to Windows?

I guess, technically, you could install from one partition on the SSD to another partition, but you'd have to be careful that you didn't delete the source partition during the format. Much easier to install off a DVD/USB, just download the ISO file and use your preferred method to copy it over. Then you should be able to boot from it and either install from the boot selection screen, or go to the desktop and there will be an install icon.

 

3 hours ago, Sdogga said:

And tips forinstallation like the abovementioned 3rd party checkbox?

Apart from that, it's pretty self explanatory. The only other thing I can think of would be using LVM if you plan to play with partition growing/shrinking.

 

4 hours ago, Sdogga said:

I'm thinking of trying an SSD for this thing's C:.

I feel I should mention that the Linux file system is completely different to Windows. I'll try to explain it in relation to Windows as best I can. Everything is a subfolder/file inside the root directory "/" (sometimes nicknamed File System), somewhat like C:, except your other drives are also inside this (under /mnt, /media, /dev, etc) as well as any devices you have (seen as a file inside /dev). C:\Users\username is instead in /home/username. Programs are usually installed in one of several locations, depending on the type of program (/bin, /sbin, /usr). The administrator user (called root) has its home directory in /root (not /home/root as you may think), but you shouldn't really need anything in there.

 

A word of warning: the word "sudo" before any command in the terminal means run as admin.

 

Also, if someone tells you to run "sudo rm -rf /", you're being trolled. It basically formats the drive.

[Wild Penquin]

Hi SDogga,

 

It seems that you are someone who should read on some articles / texts about: "Is Linux a good choice for me" and "What is Linux", etc; now it seems you are someone who is willing to read documentations and do google searches if/when problems arise. That is a good thing (and - IMO - mandatory in installing and running a Linux distribution as your desktop OS!).

 

I remember one article (could have been a reddit post) which had a good mindset and well structured answers for basic questions that should be cleared befoire / when considering starting to use Linux, but I couldn't find it.

 

Just a few things:

 

Installing Linux on PS3 or anything that is not a primary target of the OS, is not recommended as a first project. The main complication here is that you will need to bypass the locked firmware and the HW is more exotic and things that are usually running Linux. Better start with something with a wider user space!

 

Wine Is No An Emulator. This might seem like a nit pick, but it is an implementation of windows libraries. This means you can, somehwat natively, run Windows applications on X86 compatible hw on Linux; but not everything (especially games) will work.