So last night, after completion of a small milestone of work (I mean, very minor, still got tons to do), I decided to have a go at loading linux on to the PS3.  First it was a matter of choosing which linux distribution to go with.  There’s a number of linux packages which work on the PS3, a list of which you can find here.

I decided to go with PSUbuntu, since I had a small tidbit of experience with using the standard distribution of Ubuntu within Virtual PC.  I was lucky enough that I had previously partitioned my PS3 hard drive when I installed a fresh 250gb hard drive a few months back.  If you’re interested in doing this yourself, all the instructions you need are here.  So, having done this before, it was a matter of downloading the specific Ubuntu ISO designed for PS3 (again, the link and instructions can be found here) and burning it to a CD.

Once ready, I booted the PS3 into “Other OS” mode and followed the instructions from the PSUbuntu site.  After a while (quite a long while) everything installed without a hitch (I should point out I used my USB keyboard and mouse, I think this is pretty much essential), including working sound and network support from the install.  It was just a matter of fixing a few things like the resolution (instructions).

Et voila, Ubuntu on the PS3.  I’m not exactly sure what to do with it, but using Firefox beats the hell out of the PS3′s built in browser.  Just a pity I haven’t got the Flash support working yet.  Still though, kinda cool!

Its also worth noting I’ve updated the blog to the latest version of WordPress.  It shouldn’t make any difference, although the admin panel is now a lot sleeker!