9 members have voted
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1. pick the one which best describes you
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no PS32
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PS3 slim1
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my PS3 could run Linux?1
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never intended on installing OtherOS1
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never installed OtherOS2
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installed OtherOS, but won't miss it0
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those bastards, taking away my PS3 Linux2
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those bastards, I won't be able to access PSN0
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I guess I'll buy a PS3 slim to play games0
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my PS3 Linux uptime is 2 years, what's yours?0
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For those of you with PS3s, be aware that the April 1 update disables OtherOS. So after installing the update you will no longer be able to install OtherOS or boot into OtherOS - so no more PS3 Linux. (Of course, the PS3 slim didn't have this ability.) Not upgrading means you will no longer be able to access the Playstation Network.
There has been much discussion on whether this is legal. IANAL, but I suspect it is not and Sony will be forced to either provide compensation (e.g. Playstation Store credits) or re-enable OtherOS.
Personally, I have not installed OtherOS, although I have looked at it. Although I didn't find any compelling reason to install Linux, my main reasons for not installing was mostly PITA and WAF. So although this change doesn't impact me today, it does remove a feature which was of value to me.
Although I don't agree with the decision, I can understand why Sony did it. Linux was being used to break out of the walled garden which Sony had created for OtherOS, creating the possibility OtherOS could be used for various forms of piracy. Removing OtherOS removes this path, making piracy much harder.
However, I'm sure this is only a temporary setback. The ability to run Linux has been put forth as a kind of "pressure release" for the hacker community. Since the PS3 could run Linux, there was little reason to hack the PS3 as one of the primary reasons to hack a console (e.g. Wii, Xbox 360) is to run Linux. There could also be a substantial backlash, causing a larger number of hackers to focus on the PS3.
This action also ignores the large number of legitimate PS3 Linux users who will be forced to make a decision between PS3 Linux and PSN. For the pure HPC users this probably won't have an immediate impact, but home users will probably learn very quickly that they cannot do without PSN.
From a broader perspective, this shows how little control a consumer has over anything which is dependent on the network for functionality.
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