28-08-2011, 07:58 PM
Dutch hackers install Linux on a Potato
It's OK, you're not seeing things. A couple of guys from LinuxOnAnything.nl successfully installed Linux on a potato making it the first time the operating system has been installed on a root vegetable.
Johan Piest had a couple of things to say
After weeks of trying the group got a Linux kernel specially modified for a potato and were able to edit a small text file in vi. Linux was loaded onto the potato using a, (Kingston), USB thumb drive and commands were sent in binary to the potato using a set of red and black wires.
The LOA group is a part of a growing group of hackers attempting to get Linux loaded on anything. It started on electronic devices like Gameboys and iPods, but recently groups have taken on tougher challenges like light bulbs and puppies.
LOA was the group that first installed Linux on a Shetland pony in 2003, but growing competition from other hacker groups have shut them out in the past five years.
![[Image: linux-on-a-potato.png]](http://markwood.co.cc/donotdelete/linux-on-a-potato.png)
It's OK, you're not seeing things. A couple of guys from LinuxOnAnything.nl successfully installed Linux on a potato making it the first time the operating system has been installed on a root vegetable.
Johan Piest had a couple of things to say
Quote:“A potato doesn't have a CPU, memory or storage space, so it was quite a challenge.”
Quote:“Obviously we couldn't use a large distribution like Fedora or Ubuntu, so we went with Damn Small Linux.”
After weeks of trying the group got a Linux kernel specially modified for a potato and were able to edit a small text file in vi. Linux was loaded onto the potato using a, (Kingston), USB thumb drive and commands were sent in binary to the potato using a set of red and black wires.
The LOA group is a part of a growing group of hackers attempting to get Linux loaded on anything. It started on electronic devices like Gameboys and iPods, but recently groups have taken on tougher challenges like light bulbs and puppies.
LOA was the group that first installed Linux on a Shetland pony in 2003, but growing competition from other hacker groups have shut them out in the past five years.
Quote:We were close to being the first with Linux on a cracker, but those jerks from Norway beat us out.