Are there any limitations in DSLinux compared to standard Linux?
Yes. • The NDS does not have an MMU. This means that DSLinux has no virtual memory, which is a way to make a program think that it owns all the memory in a computer, and also to isolate programs from one another. DSLinux can still run multiple programs at the same time, but all programs live in the same memory address space and are relocated at run time so they don’t overlap. This means that any program can access memory anywhere, so it can read arbitrary files, spy your passwords, crash the kernel and do many more nasty evil things. There is no way around this, apart from making sure that the programs included in DSLinux are all well-behaved. The lack of an MMU also prevents paging of memory, which means that DSLinux cannot use memory as efficiently as Linux does on a PC, for example. • You may find the little amount of RAM and relatively small size of storage media available somewhat limiting. DSLinux has only 4MB of RAM available on most devices. On some devices that have built-in R
Yes. * The NDS does not have an MMU. This means that DSLinux has no virtual memory, which is a way to make a program think that it owns all the memory in a computer, and also to isolate programs from one another. DSLinux can still run multiple programs at the same time, but all programs live in the same memory address space and are relocated at run time so they don’t overlap. This means that any program can access memory anywhere, so it can read arbitrary files, spy your passwords, crash the kernel and do many more nasty evil things. There is no way around this, apart from making sure that the programs included in DSLinux are all well-behaved. * You may find the little amount of RAM (only 4MB) and relatively small size of storage media available (up to 4GB) somewhat limiting. We are already hitting the 4MB RAM limit when trying to run applications like lynx. Userspace XIP helps a little. * Typing on the touchpad with a stylus does not exactly feel as good as a real keyboard. Wait! Can’
