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Game Over For Sony and Open Source?

Posted by Soulskill on from the forsaken-beards dept.

Glyn Moody writes "Sony has never been much of a friend to hackers, and its infamous rootkit showed what it thought of users. But by omitting the option to install GNU/Linux on its new PS3, it has removed the final reason for the open source world to care about Sony. Unless, of course, you find Google's new distribution alliance with Sony to pre-install Chrome on its PCs exciting in some way."

3 of 364 comments (clear)

  1. duh by Sir_Sri · · Score: 4, Informative

    The problem is that PS3's are cheaper sources of Cell processors than anything IBM is selling. If you want to set up (at a university say) a research cluster of 4 or 8 Cell based computers for astrophysics, datamining, or the like, it was cheaper to buy PS3's than even consider the IBM bought Cell based servers. But then you weren't buying games, and Sony wasn't getting financial credit for subsidizing academic research (if they donated the equipment it would be a tax write off likely but if you buy it they get nothing, and since they're selling at a loss they only want you to buy if you'll buy games too).

    Also, as amusingly geeky as this was, how many of their gaming customers actually bothered? This was never an actual selling feature of the system, they were trying to circumvent EU import tariffs on game consoles that aren't on computers. The EU didn't buy it with the PS2, I doubt they bought it with the PS3.

  2. Re:Actually not much of an option by CronoCloud · · Score: 4, Informative

    I have a CECHE01 PS3 with a Linux install on it, I updated to 3.00 without worrying about losing my ability to boot or install a newer Linux distro. The options are still there and they work, just like I still have the ability to virtual PS2 memory cards and play PS2 games even though PS3's newer than my model can't do that.

  3. Drupal by michaelcole · · Score: 4, Informative

    This headline is dramatic and uninformed. Linux isn't the only open source project out there.

    Sony has made huge contributions to the Drupal CMS (Website Content Management System).

    They have hired a full-time programmer who is 100% dedicated to open source (CCK/Views modules).
    They have sponsored major improvements to Drupal - http://drupal.org/node/383954

    Ease up on the rhetoric, before you sour other open-source projects.

    Maybe you want to couple your perceived right to hack the PS3 with open source? That's dangerous. Make an open-sourced PS3 and no problem. Mike