With Linux 5.12 Set To Boot On The Nintendo 64, The N64 Controller Driver Is Now Queued

[baka0815]

Ok, so this driver won't benefit me if I connect my old (genuine) N64 controllers via a USB adaptor but only if I connect them through the controller ports of a real N64, correct?

[Yttrium]

Granted, but it is still kernel code that needs to be maintained.
I am asking because lately, the kernel has been dropping support for outdated yet relatively far more relevant platforms.

The "maintainer" is the guy that send in the code. Most maintenance that needs to be done is on the MIPS architecture side. Which was there to begin with. The N64 port developer has a very low maintenance burden. The code can be dropped at any point in the future if it doesn't build anymore. Linus has always been strict how people write kernel code.

this driver won't benefit me if I connect my old (genuine) N64 controllers via a USB adaptor but only if I connect them through the controller ports of a real N64, correct?

Not quite, This code only works on the N64 linux version with real controllers. Which makes sense as no PC has native ports for N64 controllers and no N64 has USB ports for controllers trough USB adapters.

However I believe there IS some support for USB adapter controllers, I dont know what state those are in though.

[Vistaus]

Oh yes, I am sure that some abysmally spec'd console from 25 years ago is going to be of more use than support for a platform that has more or less completely taken over most markets.

He said SOME ARM hardware, not all.

Also, the maintainer of this code works for the Mesa project, so it's not like this is some random guy dropping some code and called it a day.

[GI_Jack]

What do you mean, polluting? The code is self-contained. You're not even building the code if you're not building your kernel specifically for an N64.

Lets put it this way:

What people are going to use N64s for:
Play N64 games with stock firmware.

Given the age and specs, it seems it has little use running linux, as stock firmware is already optimized for obvious use cases.

The controllers, however would be of interest to people playing video games, either N64 emulators or just people fond of that console.

edit: If anyone wanted a multi-system emulator, there are many better options, both commercial and DIY.

[woife]

What is the possible motivation for polluting the kernel code with support for such outdated, weak, barely used and barely useful platform?

Does not look like pollution to me ... it is a nice little driver, and if you look at the actual code it is pretty straight forward. This means also any required maintenance will be quite limited.

[TheOne]

There is something that nobody has thought yet. What if some company is planning on releasing a more powerful version of the N64 console that besides playing n64 original catridges can do other stuff like the newer game consoles of today?

[HyperDrive]

Lets put it this way:

What people are going to use N64s for:
Play N64 games with stock firmware.

Given the age and specs, it seems it has little use running linux, as stock firmware is already optimized for obvious use cases.

The controllers, however would be of interest to people playing video games, either N64 emulators or just people fond of that console.

edit: If anyone wanted a multi-system emulator, there are many better options, both commercial and DIY.

Does any of this even matter? The system has barely enough RAM to boot the kernel. This is something that really irks me; since when does computing have to be "useful"? Last time I saw, Linux was written just for fun. People are free to do whatever they choose to do with their free time. If adding support for another system means writing a couple of hundred of self-contained lines of code, which don't represent a maintenance burden to the underlying architecture, why not?

[Paradigm Shifter]

No, there really is no reason. Linux was around before the N64, and they didn't use it as the operating system. Instead, they went with an approach where every rom has its own incredibly minimal OS baked into it, because of the extreme need to save space. Because of this, I have no idea what use Linux would be on the N64. Anyone who wants to run something on that console just writes lovingly hand-crafted MIPS assembly to do the job instead.

All the hardware quirks are also already well-known and documented. Besides, without knowing them, how would you get Linux up and running in the first place?

There is only one good reason I can think of for this project, which I completely endorse:

[image snipped]

Absolutely. The "challenge accepted" attitude of the Linux/BSD/open source communities is one of the best bits!

Does any of this even matter? The system has barely enough RAM to boot the kernel.

Time flies, I know, and the pace of technology advances... but my first PC had the same amount of RAM, and ran Windows, Office and Internet Explorer in that!

Now try getting any GUI browser to run in <128MB...

[OneTimeShot]

Lets put it this way:

What people are going to use N64s for:
Play N64 games with stock firmware.
.

How about: "making a N64 cartridge with a launcher"? A lot of people play games (admittedly of dubious legality) with a ROM cartridge. That ROM cartridge needs an OS to do the loader menus and snapshots and so forth. May as well be Linux.

[baka0815]

Not quite, This code only works on the N64 linux version with real controllers. Which makes sense as no PC has native ports for N64 controllers and no N64 has USB ports for controllers trough USB adapters.

However I believe there IS some support for USB adapter controllers, I dont know what state those are in though.

Thanks!