Re: Debian for PS3?

[Geert Uytterhoeven <Geert.Uytterhoeven@sonycom.com>]

On Sat, 23 Feb 2008, Bastian Blank wrote:
> >   - Generic Cell support packages:
> >       o New packages (already packaged by Ubuntu):
> > 	  . ppu-binutils
> > 	  . ppu-g++
> > 	  . ppu-gcc
> > 	  . ppu-gdb
> > 	  . ppu-gfortran
> > 	  . ppu-gnat
> 
> What is ppu?

PPU = Power(PC) Processing Unit, i.e. the PowerPC core in the Cell Broadband
Engine.

ppu-gcc is a gcc optimized for the PPU. Not an absolute requirement though, as
normal gcc works fine (albeit it generates a bit slower code) and most of it is
(being) integrated in upstream gcc anyway, so it'll be in Debian sooner or
later anyway.

> > 	  . spu-binutils
> 
> Merge into binutils, the binary format is rather similar according to my
> memory.

Yep.

> > 	  . spu-g++
> > 	  . spu-gcc
> > 	  . spu-gdb
> > 	  . spu-gfortran
> > 	  . spu-newlib
> > 	  . spu-tools
> 
> Well.

Needed to compile programs for the SPUs in the Cell Broadband Engine.

> > 	  . cell-gcc-testsuite
> > 	  . cell-programming-primer
> > 	  . cell-sdsk
> > 	  . libspe2
> > 	  . libspe2-dev
> > 	  . libspe2-doc
> 
> Whats that?

libspe2 is the SPE Runtime Management Library for the Cell Broadband Engine
Architecture. It's needed to run code on the SPUs, the Synergistic Processing
Units in the Cell Broadband Engine.

Cell-gcc-testsuite is the GCC compiler testsuite for the Cell Broadband Engine.
Cell-programming-primer is a programming tutorial for the Cell Broadband
Engine, a high-performance processor hereinafter referred to as Cell. It
provides an overview of the Cell architecture and the fundamentals of Cell
programming.

Cell-sdk is a meta package depending/recommending/suggesting packages which all
together make up the Cell/B.E. Software Development Kit (SDK).

None of these is PS3-specific. They're needed for any Cell platform (i.e.
also for IBM Cell Blade (QS20/QS21), and Toshiba Celleb) and to use
Cell-derivatives like the Toshiba SpursEngine.

With kind regards,

Geert Uytterhoeven
Software Architect

Sony Network and Software Technology Center Europe
The Corporate Village · Da Vincilaan 7-D1 · B-1935 Zaventem · Belgium

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