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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."

12 of 364 comments (clear)

  1. Who Cares by MightyMartian · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Buy a damned computer, or one of the mobiles you can install Linux on.

    --
    The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    1. Re:Who Cares by PrescriptionWarning · · Score: 4, Insightful

      without the use of most of the computing power when you actually put linux on it, it seemed gimped to begin with. In other words they weren't exactly being open source friendly from the start any way.

    2. Re:Who Cares by sopssa · · Score: 4, Insightful

      From the article

      Sony explained their decision on the Playstation 2 developer forum, in a post that has since been removed:

      "The reasons are simple: The PS3 Slim is a major cost reduction involving many changes to hardware components in the PS3 design. In order to offer the OtherOS install, SCE would need to continue to maintain the OtherOS hypervisor drivers for any significant hardware changes--this costs SCE. One of our key objectives with the new model is to pass on cost savings to the consumer with a lower retail price. Unfortunately in this case the cost of OtherOS install did not fit with the wider objective to offer a lower cost PS3."

      And this is understable, seeing how much PS3 price has come down from its launch.

      Old PS3 owners still have the option, it just affects the 'slim' model.

    3. Re:Who Cares by sunderland56 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      For how many more months will the Old PS3 remain available with a hardware warranty?

      If you're interested in running Linux on a PS3, you probably already own one. If you don't, Sony has given you fair warning to get a "chubby" PS3 while they are still available.

      Besides, I don't think this is going to stop anyone from running Linux on the slim PS3. It's not like the iPhone comes with a "install other OS" option in the boot code.

    4. Re:Who Cares by Quarters · · Score: 4, Insightful

      My rerfigerator is a a computer. My thermostat is a computer. My car's engine has a computer. My remote control is a computer. I don't get persnickety about not being able to Linux on those devices. Why should I, or anyone else, get upset that I can't put Linux on a console? The other poster is right. If you want to install Linux and use it buy a device that lets you easily install and run arbitrary code. You'll never achieve the mythical "year Linux takes over the desktop" if you keep wasting time trying to put it on everything *BUT* desktop computers.

  2. And both users of PS3 Linux were sad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It didn't sell them any significant number of new PS3's. That they did it for the first generation was fine, but it's not a contract they signed in blood.

  3. Cost/Benefit by TJ_Phazerhacki · · Score: 4, Insightful

    RTFA. Sony has chosen not to maintain the Hypervisor for the new hardware. You can still run linux on the old systems, and they do not plan to disable that feature. This isn't open source hate, it's a practical business decision by a company that loses money every time they sell a console. They made the console cheaper.

    --
    Physics is nothing like religion. If it was, we'd have an easier time trying to raise money!
    1. Re:Cost/Benefit by Aladrin · · Score: 4, Insightful

      And stopped people from buying it that weren't going to buy games and accessories with it.

      Yes, some gamers also installed Linux, but there were -many- people who bought it just to install Linux, for various reasons. Each of those sales was an absolute loss for Sony and it doesn't make sense to encourage it.

      I don't blame them one bit. Besides, I installed linux and it wasn't a very good experience on the PS3, between horrible installs and slowness and general awkwardness like having to choose what to load on reboot/etc. I ended up just putting a PC in the room instead.

      --
      "If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you." - DM
    2. Re:Cost/Benefit by VGPowerlord · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I hate to say it, but Sony probably lost more PS3 sales by removing the PS2 compatibility than they did removing the ability to run Linux.

      --
      GLaDOS for President 2016! "Well here we are again. It's always such a pleasure." -- GLaDOS, 2011
  4. Stupid Article. by Reason58 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'm in the "open source world".

    Should I stop caring about Burger King because I can't run Linux on a Whopper?

  5. Do we really need the commentary? by brkello · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Just summarize the article, don't whine to me about how you don't like Sony. I am able to evaluate actions they take individually. Rootkit = bad. PS3 not supporting linux = good business decision. They are in no way related to each other since this isn't replacing Linux on the PS3 with a rootkit.

    And seriously wake up. If you get pissed at Sony for the dumb things they do, then you probably wouldn't buy a product from anyone if you actually paid attention to all the crap that has gone on in each company's history.

    --
    Support a great indie game: http://www.abaddon360.com
  6. I'm with you on this one. by Malkin · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I agree. This quote really made me giggle:

    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 they -- I don't know -- like playing console games, like the vast majority of people who buy game consoles. My microwave oven doesn't run Linux, either, but it somehow manages to still be useful to me.

    Honestly, I think out-of-touch rants like this only serve to further reinforce the "Linux zealot" stereotype, and drive the mainstream away from Linux.