Hard to believe I know, but Sony's console is a lot less locked down than Microsoft's. Being able to use whatever hard drive I wish, Sony's willingness to allow third party networks into PSN and not being charged a fee to use my own internet connection made the PS3 a clear choice for me. I also like having my online purchases tied to my account and not the console, as well as Sony's rather liberal 5 console install limit (great for game sharing, something Microsoft frowns on)
As well, at least I can be sure my PS3 will be available when I need it. Microsoft knowingly sold defective Xbox 360s for over 3 years until a class action lawsuit forced them to fix the problem. Doesn't make the 360 look like a very good investment to me...
Since when does "jailbreaking" apply to hacking the PS3? As I've pointed out before, none off the DCMA exceptions laid down by the Library of Congress apply to what was done to the PS3. Do we call any hacking attempt a "jailbreak" now?
If Jailbreakme.com released a new firmware for the iPhone that allowed unlimited free access to the iTunes store and let you mess with other peoples iTunes accounts, then you bet Apple would sic the lawyers on them. Only then could you correctly draw any connection to the PS3 incident.
Exactly, this is textbook terrorism. Very sad to see so many Slashdotters supporting an un-democratic, hateful and downright fascist group.
Anon/Lulsec want to destroy the open Internet and set themselves up as a dictatorship. Coverage of anon/Lulsec has had a chilling effect on many blogs & forums as well. Ars is terrified of drawing their ire and I'm sure Slashdot is being very careful not to criticize or put anon/Lulsec in a bad light for fear of reprisals.
All cops are bad? Literally? If that's the case then you must agree that all authority figures are bad, but of course that's just crazy talk.
Then again, to an anarchist all laws are unjust. Laws are a part of a civil society and so it would follow that society is bad. Thankfully no decent civilized person would believe in such tripe, correct?
All the companies you listed were closed systems then and remain so today (even more so for Apple)
The IBM PC may have started closed, but it once the BIOS was opened up it opened the floodgates for cheap, open IBM-Compatible computers for everyone. So yes, I would consider the statement that IBM invented the personal computer to be correct.
Can anyone provide a link to ANYTHING that shows that Sony lays direct blame for the attack on Anonymous?? Anywhere at all?
The only time I've seen a claim that Anonymous was directly responsible for the Sony hack was from the Tech blogs & forums. Sony itself has never claimed anywhere that they lay the blame for the attack on Anonymous. In fact, Sony has gone on record stating that they do not know who is responsible. SlashDot again takes an implied link and twists it into a fact, par for course.
Sony claims to also have found a file planted on their servers named "Anonymous" containing the text "We are legion". So either it was planted by an Anon or by a sympathizer. Aside from that Anonymous is never directly implicated by them.
Geez, next people will be claiming Anonymous has been targeting Sony's employees and family members, or organizing protests at Sony stores, or launching DDos attacks against PSN. Ridiculous to think they might be responsible for this attack right??
Consumers should first be made more aware of their own culpability in privacy violations. Many mobile users compulsively send out their personal information through multiple Social Media apps without any care as to who might be on the receiving end.
And any policies or controls that may be placed on mobile devices to protect these people from themselves will inevitability be disabled and circumvented if it in any way inconveniences them from getting their Twitters or Foursquare updates out to the public.
I'm actually suprised people are still supporting a Video Game console with a shockingly (almost criminal) failure rate, massive levels of piracy & online cheating, forced payment to play online and no freedom to use your own peripherals or storage devices.
PSN is free, so it's hard to imagine how anyone is entitled to any compensation there unless it's through a goodwill gesture by Sony (which they definitely should do). No proof yet any credit cards have actually been compromised. And before you all get puffy and worked up, literally, NO PROOF of any CC problems that can be linked to the PSN breach have been proven (yet). There's no way the banks would allow Sony to have access to CC accounts without being regularly audited, never heard of any problems there. So I would think it's safe to assume they've been following safe business practices or else we would have heard something by now. According to latest reports, Sony reported the possibility of account & CC details being compromised a little over a day after they found out. Difficult to claim that's an egregious length of time given the circumstances.
With all that plus the fact that it's common knowledge that Sony has been repeatedly targeted by hackers and thieves out of revenge for Sony having the audacity to protect their network and customers, this lawsuit is going to have a very difficult time making any headway.
So what is exactly this lawsuit about? Since this originates in the US (the most litigious country in the world) I say it's just more ambulance chasing i.e. business as usual.
So I lost OtherOS, and gained many other features (too many to list here, WikiPedia has the full set)
So my PS3 does more now that it did when I first purchased it, no lie there.
And by the way, just what does "it only does everything" mean exactly, other than a marketing slogan. If my PS3 cannot do my laundry, did Sony lie to me?
Sorry, all I see from you is FUD and paranoia. No one has forced you to buy any Sony products, and Sony has never broken into my or anyone else's home and forced them at gunpoint to buy Sony memory sticks or else.
The hostility the you apparently feel Sony is directing at you is likely due to your inability to get Sony to bend to your will. Trust me, you represent a very tiny percentage of people and the vast majority of Sony customers have never had an issue with the company. Even the rootlet incident has become so overblown that it's becoming a tired internet meme that's outlived its novelty.
If Sony has something that I need, I'll buy it. If someone I know could be best served by the choice of a Sony product (or any other manufacturer) then I'll recommend that. I certainly won't be modifying my or anyone else's behaviour to satisfy your persecution complex.
Hmm, did you purchase the software when you bought the hardware? I don't se any swindle here, the nature of these devices is that they are a combination of hardware, software and services, all with different righted and privileges as granted to the purchaser by the owner.
If I buy a DVD, do I own the rights to the movie? If I buy a smartphone, do I own the network? If I buy a Linux netback, do I own the Ubuntu source code?
First I doubt that they have all those PS3's signed into PSN, the OtherOS removal was voluntary so I guess they just say "No" to the update and that's that.
Second I'm sure they bought enough spares just in case.
Third I'm sure they made arrangements for servicing & support from Sony, after all no-one would be stupid enough to run a big project like this without arranging for support right?
Inserted somewhere into that timeline was the theft of a hardware dongle from Sony that was briefly being offered for $273 dollars a copy (I think), followed shortly after by a software only version that would put your PS3 into debug/repair mode and essentially expose the guts for all to see.
Geohot took that software and used it to rape PS3 security then openly published the full set of security keys, essential cracking the PS3 wide open. Voila, rampant piracy, hacking PSN and cheating online for all.
If Geohot had kept his mouth shut for the second hack, I doubt Sony would have gone the lengths that they did. But hey, Geohot is all about the self promotion & bragging so there's no way he would have shown a little restraint.
Ahem, it wasn't forced. Sony offered a choice between PSN or OtherOs. Not many people saw the point in hacking the PS3 if it meant being unable to cheat & pirate, hence the outrage.
It was removed because it was used pretty much 99% as a gateway to cracking the PS3 and getting access to security keys and PSN.
Sony gave it's customers a choice of keeping OtherOS or being cut off from the network, the hackers & pirates took great offence and launched an attack against Sony and it's paying customers that continues to this day.
We get it, some people value convenience over quality. If your happy with pirated media, faux HD streaming video and the ease of using DVDs at your parents house or for the kids in the car, then DVDs are ideal for you. Enjoy and be happy.
For those who prefer quality over convenience and aren’t burdened by legacy players and media, then Blu-Ray is worth looking into. And those of us content with Blu-Ray have heard all this crap before back in the DVD vs VHS days, and we know how that turned out.
I keep seeing this “don’t want to re-purchase my entire collection of DVD’s in Blu-Ray” comment over and over.
Who’s putting a gun to your head to force you to re-purchase all your DVDs? Is there a law that requires you to re-purchase all your content when a new format arrives? Did you dump all your VHS tapes in the trash when DVDs came out?
Keep your old DVDs and watch them, they work fine in a Blu-Ray player.
Slashdot Mirror
Hard to believe I know, but Sony's console is a lot less locked down than Microsoft's. Being able to use whatever hard drive I wish, Sony's willingness to allow third party networks into PSN and not being charged a fee to use my own internet connection made the PS3 a clear choice for me. I also like having my online purchases tied to my account and not the console, as well as Sony's rather liberal 5 console install limit (great for game sharing, something Microsoft frowns on)
As well, at least I can be sure my PS3 will be available when I need it. Microsoft knowingly sold defective Xbox 360s for over 3 years until a class action lawsuit forced them to fix the problem. Doesn't make the 360 look like a very good investment to me...
Hmm, would this supposed "disc changer hack" allow Mr. Heck to pirate games ? Or hack Sonys PSN network?
Don't see that happening, so I would bet SONY wouldn't give a damn about it.
Since when does "jailbreaking" apply to hacking the PS3? As I've pointed out before, none off the DCMA exceptions laid down by the Library of Congress apply to what was done to the PS3. Do we call any hacking attempt a "jailbreak" now?
If Jailbreakme.com released a new firmware for the iPhone that allowed unlimited free access to the iTunes store and let you mess with other peoples iTunes accounts, then you bet Apple would sic the lawyers on them. Only then could you correctly draw any connection to the PS3 incident.
Exactly, this is textbook terrorism. Very sad to see so many Slashdotters supporting an un-democratic, hateful and downright fascist group.
Anon/Lulsec want to destroy the open Internet and set themselves up as a dictatorship. Coverage of anon/Lulsec has had a chilling effect on many blogs & forums as well. Ars is terrified of drawing their ire and I'm sure Slashdot is being very careful not to criticize or put anon/Lulsec in a bad light for fear of reprisals.
All cops are bad? Literally? If that's the case then you must agree that all authority figures are bad, but of course that's just crazy talk.
Then again, to an anarchist all laws are unjust. Laws are a part of a civil society and so it would follow that society is bad. Thankfully no decent civilized person would believe in such tripe, correct?
I'm curious, on which side of that dividing line do you feel you belong?
Likely because certain groups have been known to edit and release said video out of context as a deliberate act to discredit authority.
All the companies you listed were closed systems then and remain so today (even more so for Apple)
The IBM PC may have started closed, but it once the BIOS was opened up it opened the floodgates for cheap, open IBM-Compatible computers for everyone. So yes, I would consider the statement that IBM invented the personal computer to be correct.
Funny because these are actually customers of Sony, you know, the ones that have been royally screwed by the thieves and hackers?
The only reason for Mr. Hotz to release the keys was for piracy, they have not and have never been necessary to enable CFW or homebrew.
So does libel mean telling an inconvenient truth now?
Can anyone provide a link to ANYTHING that shows that Sony lays direct blame for the attack on Anonymous?? Anywhere at all?
The only time I've seen a claim that Anonymous was directly responsible for the Sony hack was from the Tech blogs & forums. Sony itself has never claimed anywhere that they lay the blame for the attack on Anonymous. In fact, Sony has gone on record stating that they do not know who is responsible. SlashDot again takes an implied link and twists it into a fact, par for course.
Sony claims to also have found a file planted on their servers named "Anonymous" containing the text "We are legion". So either it was planted by an Anon or by a sympathizer. Aside from that Anonymous is never directly implicated by them.
Geez, next people will be claiming Anonymous has been targeting Sony's employees and family members, or organizing protests at Sony stores, or launching DDos attacks against PSN. Ridiculous to think they might be responsible for this attack right??
Consumers should first be made more aware of their own culpability in privacy violations. Many mobile users compulsively send out their personal information through multiple Social Media apps without any care as to who might be on the receiving end.
And any policies or controls that may be placed on mobile devices to protect these people from themselves will inevitability be disabled and circumvented if it in any way inconveniences them from getting their Twitters or Foursquare updates out to the public.
Very true, same with the PS3 keys and in fact just about every hack this idiot has laid claim to.
Geohot is a braggart, a thief of other hackers work and a shameless self-promoter
I'm actually suprised people are still supporting a Video Game console with a shockingly (almost criminal) failure rate, massive levels of piracy & online cheating, forced payment to play online and no freedom to use your own peripherals or storage devices.
What sort of person puts up with that?
Hmm, something not right here.
PSN is free, so it's hard to imagine how anyone is entitled to any compensation there unless it's through a goodwill gesture by Sony (which they definitely should do).
No proof yet any credit cards have actually been compromised. And before you all get puffy and worked up, literally, NO PROOF of any CC problems that can be linked to the PSN breach have been proven (yet).
There's no way the banks would allow Sony to have access to CC accounts without being regularly audited, never heard of any problems there. So I would think it's safe to assume they've been following safe business practices or else we would have heard something by now.
According to latest reports, Sony reported the possibility of account & CC details being compromised a little over a day after they found out. Difficult to claim that's an egregious length of time given the circumstances.
With all that plus the fact that it's common knowledge that Sony has been repeatedly targeted by hackers and thieves out of revenge for Sony having the audacity to protect their network and customers, this lawsuit is going to have a very difficult time making any headway.
So what is exactly this lawsuit about? Since this originates in the US (the most litigious country in the world) I say it's just more ambulance chasing i.e. business as usual.
So I lost OtherOS, and gained many other features (too many to list here, WikiPedia has the full set)
So my PS3 does more now that it did when I first purchased it, no lie there.
And by the way, just what does "it only does everything" mean exactly, other than a marketing slogan. If my PS3 cannot do my laundry, did Sony lie to me?
Sorry, all I see from you is FUD and paranoia. No one has forced you to buy any Sony products, and Sony has never broken into my or anyone else's home and forced them at gunpoint to buy Sony memory sticks or else.
The hostility the you apparently feel Sony is directing at you is likely due to your inability to get Sony to bend to your will. Trust me, you represent a very tiny percentage of people and the vast majority of Sony customers have never had an issue with the company. Even the rootlet incident has become so overblown that it's becoming a tired internet meme that's outlived its novelty.
If Sony has something that I need, I'll buy it. If someone I know could be best served by the choice of a Sony product (or any other manufacturer) then I'll recommend that. I certainly won't be modifying my or anyone else's behaviour to satisfy your persecution complex.
Hmm, did you purchase the software when you bought the hardware? I don't se any swindle here, the nature of these devices is that they are a combination of hardware, software and services, all with different righted and privileges as granted to the purchaser by the owner.
If I buy a DVD, do I own the rights to the movie? If I buy a smartphone, do I own the network? If I buy a Linux netback, do I own the Ubuntu source code?
Nothing I guess.
First I doubt that they have all those PS3's signed into PSN, the OtherOS removal was voluntary so I guess they just say "No" to the update and that's that.
Second I'm sure they bought enough spares just in case.
Third I'm sure they made arrangements for servicing & support from Sony, after all no-one would be stupid enough to run a big project like this without arranging for support right?
Inserted somewhere into that timeline was the theft of a hardware dongle from Sony that was briefly being offered for $273 dollars a copy (I think), followed shortly after by a software only version that would put your PS3 into debug/repair mode and essentially expose the guts for all to see.
Geohot took that software and used it to rape PS3 security then openly published the full set of security keys, essential cracking the PS3 wide open. Voila, rampant piracy, hacking PSN and cheating online for all.
If Geohot had kept his mouth shut for the second hack, I doubt Sony would have gone the lengths that they did. But hey, Geohot is all about the self promotion & bragging so there's no way he would have shown a little restraint.
Ahem, it wasn't forced. Sony offered a choice between PSN or OtherOs. Not many people saw the point in hacking the PS3 if it meant being unable to cheat & pirate, hence the outrage.
Dammit, I meant a choice between keeping OtherOs and being cut off from PSN OR keeping PSN and losing OtherOs. Sorry.
It was removed because it was used pretty much 99% as a gateway to cracking the PS3 and getting access to security keys and PSN.
Sony gave it's customers a choice of keeping OtherOS or being cut off from the network, the hackers & pirates took great offence and launched an attack against Sony and it's paying customers that continues to this day.
We get it, some people value convenience over quality. If your happy with pirated media, faux HD streaming video and the ease of using DVDs at your parents house or for the kids in the car, then DVDs are ideal for you. Enjoy and be happy.
For those who prefer quality over convenience and aren’t burdened by legacy players and media, then Blu-Ray is worth looking into. And those of us content with Blu-Ray have heard all this crap before back in the DVD vs VHS days, and we know how that turned out.
I keep seeing this “don’t want to re-purchase my entire collection of DVD’s in Blu-Ray” comment over and over.
Who’s putting a gun to your head to force you to re-purchase all your DVDs? Is there a law that requires you to re-purchase all your content when a new format arrives? Did you dump all your VHS tapes in the trash when DVDs came out?
Keep your old DVDs and watch them, they work fine in a Blu-Ray player.