Potential Xbox Joy
A group appears to have found bugs/exploits in factory loaded software on the Xbox that will allow the BIOS to be reflashed, basically allowing modding without a mod chip. This is, potentially, really good news for the Linux community, and for people, like me, who want to mod the Xbox.
Unfortunately, they’re not releasing these exploits, at least not yet. They say they will release them unless Micorsoft creates a signed (read blessed to run on the Xbox) Linux boot loader. Now, that’s all fine and good, but it allows Microsoft to place way too many restrictions on the resulting Linux boot. For example, they can restrict it from accessing the DVD drive, as Sony has done on the PS2. This dramatically reduces the usefulness, because it keeps me from watching DVDs without rebooting into the “real” Xbox OS, and keeps me from doing things like skipping the previews/menus on my DVDs when playing them. It will also keep the installed Linux from ripping and playing games from the hard drive. This obviates yet another use for the modded Xbox, that of being able to play your games quickly from the hard drive, while keeping the disks as a backup in a safe place. I know that load time is one of the most annoying factors in playing a game.
At any rate, it is potentially a really good thing, if the exploits actually get released. If they don’t, and Microsoft releases a crippled Linux boot loader, then this will make the Xbox as useful under Linux as the PS2 is now, which to say not much.