Zadoc
01-18-2007, 11:44 PM
LOL, I forgot all about this thing, but here it is:
DWN = Me
-------------
Travis: My name is Travis Riley, I am 18 years old and I am from New Prague, MN, where I am a senior in High School.
DWN: Tell us, how did the TuxBox project get started, what was the inspiration?
Travis: After the death of Indrema, we still wanted a video game console that ran Linux, so we just decided to start working on one ourselves.
DWN: As I understand it, there were 100s of games in development for Indrema when they went under, mostly by guys out of their basements. Will the TuxBox be compatible with these games or the IES dev kits?
Travis: The TuxBox is not associated with Indrema at all. Our system is based on Linux features not Indrema; but yes, a lot of the Indrema games can and will be easily ported to our console.
DWN: How long has the TuxBox been under development?
Travis: Not for very long publicly, but we had this idea since Indrema went out, when they died, I had to do something. (TuxBox) Is not an opportunity, more of an obligation?
DWN: I understand. I'm sure many people felt the same as you. Indrema died mainly due to funding. How is the TuxBox project being financed?
Travis: We are going at it from a different angel than Indrema, it isn’t about money, it is about the community.
DWN: I’ve been to the TuxBox website, I’ve seen the specs. This is not cheep equipment. Before the units can be sold to break even, first the parts must be bought and assembled. How will these parts be obtained?
Travis: We are currently working on deals with producers of the components...
Please keep in mind that those specs are not final and are subject to change.
DWN: So the members of the group will actually be covering the costs themselves?
Travis: Yes, and we have already received a lot of donations so far.
DWN: Has a timeline of any sort formed yet, such as a release date?
Travis: A complete prototype is planned to be complete in June. We expect the system to be ready by fall or winter, though.
DWN: How will TuxBox be mass-produced? What are your sales goals?
Travis: We do not have a *for sure* answer on that, however we do know that there will be an easy way for consumers to get it. The Internet is one possibility.
DWN: Why Linux? What is the attraction?
Travis: I love Linux, I just do. I love to hack, I love the freeness of the system, and
I love the community. I love the fact that if I wanted something in the OS, I could make it!
I have loved Linux for years; once I got into it I couldn’t get out get out!
DWN: With open source, how are you going to ensure that people cannot just play TuxBox games on their PC?
Travis: Our OS will be very optimized for our hardware. The games will not run on any system with different hardware. We are getting input from all the important hardware devices and checking that with the encryption on the game. It is hard to explain exactly how we are doing that. Basically, the game will not run before analyzing the hardware and the OS encryption.
DWN: You know, you're building your own console from your home. You're living the dreams of high school students and programmers since the 1970's, and here we are in the year 2001. Since the advent of videogames, it’s taken nearly thirty years for the first “home brew” console. It must be a pretty nice feeling knowing that you are the creators of the worlds first Linux, open source, non-corporate, home made, video game console.
Travis: We are living the dreams of over 400+ developers. I am not worried about that. We have a lot of skill on our force and we plan on using that to our advantage. We do not expect over sell Microsoft, (not now but maybe someday), but we do want to build up a gamer following.
DWN: We all want to see you succeed in the same way we hoped Indrema would prevail. Don't let us down, I plan on buying a box as soon as they become readily available.
Travis: I think the only thing that could happen is a delay... And we’re not expecting any at all. When the community wants something, they get it done.
DWN = Me
-------------
Travis: My name is Travis Riley, I am 18 years old and I am from New Prague, MN, where I am a senior in High School.
DWN: Tell us, how did the TuxBox project get started, what was the inspiration?
Travis: After the death of Indrema, we still wanted a video game console that ran Linux, so we just decided to start working on one ourselves.
DWN: As I understand it, there were 100s of games in development for Indrema when they went under, mostly by guys out of their basements. Will the TuxBox be compatible with these games or the IES dev kits?
Travis: The TuxBox is not associated with Indrema at all. Our system is based on Linux features not Indrema; but yes, a lot of the Indrema games can and will be easily ported to our console.
DWN: How long has the TuxBox been under development?
Travis: Not for very long publicly, but we had this idea since Indrema went out, when they died, I had to do something. (TuxBox) Is not an opportunity, more of an obligation?
DWN: I understand. I'm sure many people felt the same as you. Indrema died mainly due to funding. How is the TuxBox project being financed?
Travis: We are going at it from a different angel than Indrema, it isn’t about money, it is about the community.
DWN: I’ve been to the TuxBox website, I’ve seen the specs. This is not cheep equipment. Before the units can be sold to break even, first the parts must be bought and assembled. How will these parts be obtained?
Travis: We are currently working on deals with producers of the components...
Please keep in mind that those specs are not final and are subject to change.
DWN: So the members of the group will actually be covering the costs themselves?
Travis: Yes, and we have already received a lot of donations so far.
DWN: Has a timeline of any sort formed yet, such as a release date?
Travis: A complete prototype is planned to be complete in June. We expect the system to be ready by fall or winter, though.
DWN: How will TuxBox be mass-produced? What are your sales goals?
Travis: We do not have a *for sure* answer on that, however we do know that there will be an easy way for consumers to get it. The Internet is one possibility.
DWN: Why Linux? What is the attraction?
Travis: I love Linux, I just do. I love to hack, I love the freeness of the system, and
I love the community. I love the fact that if I wanted something in the OS, I could make it!
I have loved Linux for years; once I got into it I couldn’t get out get out!
DWN: With open source, how are you going to ensure that people cannot just play TuxBox games on their PC?
Travis: Our OS will be very optimized for our hardware. The games will not run on any system with different hardware. We are getting input from all the important hardware devices and checking that with the encryption on the game. It is hard to explain exactly how we are doing that. Basically, the game will not run before analyzing the hardware and the OS encryption.
DWN: You know, you're building your own console from your home. You're living the dreams of high school students and programmers since the 1970's, and here we are in the year 2001. Since the advent of videogames, it’s taken nearly thirty years for the first “home brew” console. It must be a pretty nice feeling knowing that you are the creators of the worlds first Linux, open source, non-corporate, home made, video game console.
Travis: We are living the dreams of over 400+ developers. I am not worried about that. We have a lot of skill on our force and we plan on using that to our advantage. We do not expect over sell Microsoft, (not now but maybe someday), but we do want to build up a gamer following.
DWN: We all want to see you succeed in the same way we hoped Indrema would prevail. Don't let us down, I plan on buying a box as soon as they become readily available.
Travis: I think the only thing that could happen is a delay... And we’re not expecting any at all. When the community wants something, they get it done.