IRIX on N64 - why it's a bad idea - Printable Version
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+- IRIX Network Forums (//forums.irixnet.org)
+-- Forum: Site-Related (//forums.irixnet.org/forum-39.html)
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+---- Forum: Nintendo 64 - Archived forum (//forums.irixnet.org/forum-35.html)
+----- Forum: Nintendo 64 Discussion (//forums.irixnet.org/forum-36.html)
+----- Thread: IRIX on N64 - why it's a bad idea (/thread-1413.html)
IRIX on N64 - why it's a bad idea - Raion - 08-06-2019
Recently someone asked me over DM if porting IRIX to the N64 is possible, and I wanted to explain in a post why this is not only a pain in the ass, but a bad idea.
Reason No. 1: As we all know, IRIX is proprietary. Compiling it for the N64 isnt possible. We would need a FOSS kernel and libc at minimum; we have neither.
Reason No.2: No storage, no drivers. You'd have to write all of that out of your bum.
Reason No.3: Performance. An N64 has at most 8M of RDRAM for everything and a R4300i. That's slow. Very slow. Like slower than a well equipped IRIS Indigo.
Conclusion: Infeasible and with little to no gain.