Hi everyone!

My name is Per Ekström, although on the net I'm more commonly known as Wertigon. Me and my associates are trying to develop an Open Game Console standard, and we've set up a webpage for those people interested. We also have a modest proposal for how we're going to avoid going the way of 3DO, Phantom, and Indrema. Yes, we actually think we have a shot at the big guys, but it will take a few years before we'll get anywhere.

So how does all of this concern KnoppMyth? Well, first off let me just say that I love the idea of KnoppMyth. An easy-to-use free HTPC/PVR system? Yes please! I'd get one right now if it weren't for the fact that I don't have a TV at the moment (long story). KnoppMyth resembles what we're trying to do over at OGC a great deal, but at the same time both projects have their unique characteristics. We're trying to create a machine that will be geared towards gamers instead of the average MythTV crowd which is focused on video.

However, this doesn't mean our projects aren't compatible. Far from it. In fact I'd love to have a PVR that is at the same time a gaming machine, it'd save both space in my stereo cabinet and mean one less remote on the table, not to mention the cost savings of buying one electronic gadget instead of two. While not all OGC machines will be suitable for PVRs, many of them could theoreticly become one, and that's why we want some non-gaming facilities as well.

And this is where KnoppMyth comes in. You guys have already done the relative hard work of creating a stripped down multimedia unit. So, we would like to fork this, apply our own changes, and create a "gaming console distro" that we could use on a fixed piece of hardware. Therefore, I'm wondering if there are any people around here that would be willing to help with this task? We do have motivated people, but most of us are software developers that doesn't quite have the knowledge of the inner workings of a GNU/Linux system, and we really do need your help on this.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions about this cooperation or the OGC project, feel free to ask them here.

Regards,
- Per Ekström,
Member of the Open Game Console Project

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Rather than a fork, I think you'll get more enthusiasm from people here if you had an overlay (apt-get, or some script that could be run) to add your gaming system to a working KnoppMyth system, without breaking anything (particularly with respect to x.org or any other packages that KnoppMyth relies on). I think there are lots of us who would like to do some gaming, and are frustrated by the current state of the XMame support that comes with KnoppMyth (usually broken or needs tweaks, no sample games included, nobody really willing to help make it better though.)
FWIW, you'll find that most HD-ready KnoppMyth systems are 3 ghz equivalent with nVidia 5200 or 6200 cards. Rarely will you find anything more powerful for vid cards, as these work well and run cool.
And anything that breaks existing packages or dependencies will be shunned.

What is wrong w/ the current XMAME included in E50. I know it just works as I've tested in count-less times. To say no one is willing to fix it is wrong. Now, as I've worked an average of about 12 hours for the past two weeks, I've not had much time to keep up on the forum. So, if there is an issue w/ XMAME, point out or start a new thread.

Now, to get to the heart of the topic.... Hello Per. If your desire is to fork, them feel free. However, I think it makes more sense to build on top of KnoppMyth. None of the next gen consoles currently offer any PVR functionality that compares to MythTV. Having a highly capable DVR from the get go with OGCC would make it an even more attractive alternative to the big 3. Please contact me via email if you wish to work together.

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cesman

When the source is open, the possibilities are endless!

Not having tried XMAME on R5E50, I'll have to retract my earlier statement. Sorry for ruffling any feathers, I didn't realize that things had improved here.

Thanks for your replies. What I mean by a fork is that we wish to build on top of KnoppMyth, but of course add a few of our own modifications. I'm sorry for the confusion. Our top priorities is having a relatively small and lightweight distro with 3D acceleration support out of the box.

We have a bit of interesting stuff that might make it back to the KnoppMyth distribution, as well. Like our digital distribution system mentioned in the proposal. But I still think we need to be two separate projects, however it can be a co-existance like the Ubuntu/Debian projects.

I'll get back to you later with some more info when I have more time, I'm a bit rushed today. Later!

- Per

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