Linux Community Magazine

I love Linux. I run it on my home PC as a secondary OS and boot into it much more than I do into Windows. With linux being so versatile and able to be installed on all manner of hardware, it's really a good idea to get to know any variant or distribution of linux and get a feel for how linux works. It's no longer just a text based operating system. And now, with the R4 DS Card, and some homebrew called DSLinux, you can actually install and run Linux on your Nintendo DS or DSi system.

Everything from smartphones to media players, all run a variation of linux. Google's own Android is based on linux, and being able to install and run linux on my Nintendo DS with my R4 DS has a cool factor that is hard to describe. Just what does DSLinux do for your Nintendo DS system? Well, it essentially turns it into a little portable computer. Allowing you to browse the web, visit your favorite websites, and load some of the applications that we all love in Linux.

Naturally, because the DS processor isn't as fast as your dekstop, it is a slimmed down version of linux that runs. It does not have many of the bells and whistles of a full linux distribution, but it's lots of fun. My friends thought I was pulling a prank on them when I installed Linux and booted it up for the first time.

One of the best things you can do with your R4 DS Card and DSLinux is use it to browse the web. It's a quick and easy way to have a portable web browser that allows you to go and read your news or visit some of your favorite blogs. While the DS Screen is not very high when it comes to the resolution, its adequate enough to make browsing enjoyable and fun.

My hats off to the people behind this linux port for the DS. I am sure it took a lot of work, and some serious dedication. The fact that you can download, install and use it for free, just like any other linux distro is a testament to the type of people they are, doing a lot of work, absolutely free, for the sheer joy of it.