Lesson 01
Setting up the Development Environment
Get the toolchain and PSPSDK up and running with CYGWIN.
This is the first installment in a series of tutorials focussed on getting a novice programmer well on
his way to developing his own homebrew applications for the Sony Playstation Portable (PSP). If you
are reading this, congratulations, you have hurdled one of the biggest obstacles for a programmer.
Likely the most difficult thing about programming is getting started. Well, by starting to read
this tutorial, you are well on your way.
The first step to creating your own program is getting your environment set up. This environment is
how you will convert the source code you write into a compiled file formatted for execution on you
PSP. We will be setting up two important tools on our system.
If, at any time in this tutorial series, you need help please head over to our forums and post a question. We are always happy to help a fellow programmer.
The first of these tools is called CYGWIN. It is basically a Linux emulator for windows. It will
create a simulated Linux environment on your computer so that you can run native Linux applications.
This may sound intimidating, but don't worry, it's very simple to use.
The second thing you'll need is the toolchain. This is the key to programming for the PSP. It will set up everything you need, from header files, to libraries, to the compiler itself, to the sample programs. Once you have this installed, you will be nearly ready to create your first program.
Now for the part we've all been waiting for: the installation.
The first step is to install CYGWIN. You can download the install file from the CYGWIN website here. After it has finished downloading, open up the executable. You will see a splash screen; click next. Now you will be asked what you want to do. Select the default option of "Install from Internet," and hit the next button. Now you will be prompted where you want to install CYGWIN. Change the install directory to "C:/cygwin" if it is not set as such already (where C: is your local hard drive). Leave the other options set to their defaults and hit next. Now you will be asked where you want to save the installation files. What you select here doesn't really matter, but I suggest putting them someplace where you will be able to find them and delete them after the installation is complete. Once you have selected a suitable location, click next. The next screen will ask about your network settings, if you don't use a proxy (or don't know what a proxy is), just click next on this screen. If it doesn't work, go back and try letting it use Internet Explorer's settings. Now you should be presented with a list of servers to download the installation files from. Any one of these will do, so select one, and then click on next. Now it will download the package list, this could take a few minutes, depending on your connection speed. Once it is done, scroll down to "devel" and click on where it says "default" so that it becomes "install." Then scroll down to "web," click the "+" next to it, scroll down and set "wget" to "install."
When you are finished, click next. CYGWIN will now download and install the selected packages. This will quite possibly take a while, so go watch a TV show or do some web surfing while you wait. After the install has finished, you are ready to install the toolchain.
Proceed to part two to continue the install.
If, at any time in this tutorial series, you need help please head over to our forums and post a question. We are always happy to help a fellow programmer.
The second thing you'll need is the toolchain. This is the key to programming for the PSP. It will set up everything you need, from header files, to libraries, to the compiler itself, to the sample programs. Once you have this installed, you will be nearly ready to create your first program.
Now for the part we've all been waiting for: the installation.
The first step is to install CYGWIN. You can download the install file from the CYGWIN website here. After it has finished downloading, open up the executable. You will see a splash screen; click next. Now you will be asked what you want to do. Select the default option of "Install from Internet," and hit the next button. Now you will be prompted where you want to install CYGWIN. Change the install directory to "C:/cygwin" if it is not set as such already (where C: is your local hard drive). Leave the other options set to their defaults and hit next. Now you will be asked where you want to save the installation files. What you select here doesn't really matter, but I suggest putting them someplace where you will be able to find them and delete them after the installation is complete. Once you have selected a suitable location, click next. The next screen will ask about your network settings, if you don't use a proxy (or don't know what a proxy is), just click next on this screen. If it doesn't work, go back and try letting it use Internet Explorer's settings. Now you should be presented with a list of servers to download the installation files from. Any one of these will do, so select one, and then click on next. Now it will download the package list, this could take a few minutes, depending on your connection speed. Once it is done, scroll down to "devel" and click on where it says "default" so that it becomes "install." Then scroll down to "web," click the "+" next to it, scroll down and set "wget" to "install."
When you are finished, click next. CYGWIN will now download and install the selected packages. This will quite possibly take a while, so go watch a TV show or do some web surfing while you wait. After the install has finished, you are ready to install the toolchain.
Proceed to part two to continue the install.