back to article Sony sued for dropping Linux from PS3

A PlayStation 3 owner has filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against Sony that accuses the console maker downgrading millions of devices by removing their ability to run Linux. The lawsuit takes aim at Sony's highly controversial move last month to disable "other OS" support from older PlayStation 3 consoles. The decision …

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    1. Daniel B.
      Unhappy

      Yeah, right.

      The ones who are pissed off at Sony are the dual Linux/gamer users that both use the PS3 Linux install to do some number crunching, but then switch over to the GameOS and play games. The irony is that the OtherOS removal hits exactly the kind of demographic that is actually giving Sony profits, because they are actually buying games for their PS3. Or *were* buying games; I am definitely not amused at this and have halted my PS3 game purchases for now.

      I've been pondering on buying one of the first-model PS3s with full PS2 BC, and get that PS3 to update to the "OtherOS-less" firmware, but I'm not quite sure about doing that. I would still be giving Sony my $$$...

      1. AlnilamE
        Linux

        Exactly!

        And how many of these people lined up at launch to get their PS3? And then talked up the PS3 when sales were lagging?

        These are the people that Sony is spurning.

  1. motoh

    I cannot fathom

    ...where all these dogged defenders of Sony's position come from?

    Do you guys really see this as freetard whining, and not protection of consumer rights?

    If we don't own what we pay for, are you really alright with that?

    Or is it just because it doesn't affect you?

  2. JeffyPooh
    Happy

    I just updated my PS3 Linux to Ubuntu 10.04...

    ...and the Sony PS3 OS has completely disappeared from the boot menu.

  3. wawadave

    Sony rootkitateers...

    Sony makers of fine rootkits what else can be expected from a company with out morals?

  4. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    PS3 was a cheap Blu-ray player

    I run Linux on my PS3 and use it to play blu-ray disks. I do not have *any* games! Now it seems that (medium-term) I can choose to have only one of the two features that I bought it for. Given that I'm in the US, the class action looks tempting, although I can't say that I like lawyers ..

  5. wawadave
    Thumb Down

    Sony can you hear us yet?

    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v165/wawadave/cor-piratefinger2.jpg

  6. Wrenchy
    Linux

    This type of action

    sounds like something Apple would do. Offer a function and remove it later at their whim. But like all things Apple, the loyal fanbois would never questions it.

    Sony should get their heads out of their a$$es and do the right thing. Restore 'Other OS' capabilities like they originally advertised the PS3 of having.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    @Wrenchy

    Where exactly did they advertise it?

    My PS3 handbook says the feature is unsupported, which makes it pretty clear that it's not a core console function...

    1. AlnilamE

      What the manual says

      is that the actual Linux install is unsupported. It lists the ability to install the OtherOS and tells you how to switch back and forth.

      That's a feature. Whether itś core or not, is up to the individual user.

      http://www.playstation.com/ps3-openplatform/index.html

      "There is more to the PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system than you may have assumed. In addition to playing games, watching movies, listening to music, and viewing photos, you can use the PS3™ system to run the Linux operating system."

      1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
        Happy

        Kershiing!

        Sony can give up with that last paragraph.

        Though they might just want to settle and pay out, then change the feature set instead of incurring the wrath of the copycontrol powers.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    @wawadave

    http://i44.tinypic.com/dpx2lj.png

  9. sT0rNG b4R3 duRiD
    Go

    Go lads

    Sue the evil mofo that Sony is...

    Sony, you hear that? We're coming for you, you bastard!

    You better wise up and do the morally right thing!

    (I'm looking to get an EU thing going but that's kinda hard given I'm down under at the moment).

  10. Henry Wertz 1 Gold badge
    FAIL

    Class action, EULA & boycott

    You guys claiming "nobody" or "40 people" or whatever use OtherOS, and that it's not worth suing over. THAT IS NOT FOR YOU TO DECIDE. People are angry enough over this to start a class action suit. If it's true that very few people are interested in this functionality that Sony took, the class will be too small and the lawyers can still decide to drop it. If it's big enough to proceed, the class action lawyer and Sony's lawyers will lawyer it out and a judge will decide the merits then, simple as that.

    One argument I would like to refute -- the EULA. Again this'll be for the court to decide, but to me this appears to be a CYA (Cover Your Ass) clause so Sony couldn't be sued for a buggy update that loses data and functionality, I would think it would be an unconscionable term in a contract for this to mean Sony could pull ANY functionality at ANY time with no recourse.

    As for everyone saying they should boycott Sony for this. First, I agree. Second, don't be surprised! Sony is well known for numerous instances of not supporting the product well post-sale... removing functionality with updates, releasing products with bugs and then NOT fixing them, making products gratuitously non-standard (computers and computer peripherals in particular), and so on. This is truly par for the course for Sony, I already avoided Sony products even before the PS3 came out because of this general behavior.

    FAIL icon, because this is a big fail. FAIL on Sony for removing functionality, FAIL on Sony fanbois saying people don't have a case to sue just because they PERSONALLY are not affected, FAIL on other Sony fanbois to assume people are in this ONLY for a cash grab instead of to penalize Sony for improper behavior, and FAIL on people for getting into flame wars over this.

  11. sT0rNG b4R3 duRiD

    Reality Check

    Firstly, lads, I just want to say again, I hope Sony gets sued right and proper.

    One thing I would like all of you to consider is what we can learn from this debacle.

    Myself, the lesson is, no matter how cool and nerdy it is to have access to a cheap powerpc with copros in it, when the source is one vendor and one vendor alone, who has, at best, ambivalent feelings about said access, do not put all of your eggs into said basket.

    I had quite a bit of code written for the cell. It now appears with the fact that the cell is now EOL'ed that this is quite a pointless exercise.

    If one is interested, at an amateur level, at high performance computing, at this present time given the uncertainty and more open and powerful (and viable) alternatives, I can no longer recommend the PS3.

    Go look at stuff like cuda instead, methinks.

    Nevertheless, lads, let's sue the Sony monster FWIW, and if I get to keep my linux and play MW2 online, great!

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    Steve Jobs

    did this to protect the iPAD.

    OK - I'll get my coat and leave now.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Linux

    Sony FTL

    As Thomas Hesse so very nearly said,

    "Most people, I think, don't even know what OtherOS is, so why should they care about it?"

    Wake up Sony. People DO care when you pull unethical shit like this. If you didn't learn that with the rootkit, maybe you'll learn it with Linux. Here's hoping...

    One more reason I would NEVER buy Sony.

  14. Mectron
    Flame

    bring Sony down

    Everyone planet wide must make sur not to buy any sony products of any kind, but at the same time make sure to dsitribute as much sony IP as possible to completly satured the net with it. This might make sony understand that ILLEGALLY REMOVING FEATURE(S) on a product will not stop PIRACY.

    This is 2nd Sony blantant illegal move... (rootkit was the first one). How can this compnay is still allowed to operate.. they need to be shutdown

  15. Mectron

    @Joerg

    i could suspect:

    Nintendo to do it, they make money out of every console sold, with that many millions users base they also sell a lot of games, event with a fully cracked WII and a HD full of game, there is game you just go to buy!

    Microsoft to do it, they let the free ride for a while then swing the BAN hammer and get peoples to re-buy a new console, rinse, repeat = profits

    but Sony? last time i check they are still loosing money on every console sold. They may make the PSP easy to hack because it is a FLOP. but not the PS3....

  16. Eric Van Haesendonck

    This is required for the precedent.

    I think that this lawsuit is required just to avoid setting a precedent. If manufacturers are allowed to change the feature set of their products after a sale is made this is the door open to infinite abuse. If we let this go Sony could for example remove the network play features from the PS3 when the PS4 is released and force you to upgrade just to keep playing online. Of course they would say that it for security reasons, as the PS4 would be much more secure than the PS3...

  17. sisk
    Linux

    Saw it coming

    I wondered how long it'd be till someone sued over this. Personally I've never used the OtherOS feature on my PS3 but mostly because I've been lazy about it. Getting Linux going on my PS3 was on my todo list for a long time. PS3 OS is pretty weak in some areas that are pretty important for a media center (organization in particular) and Linux would fill that void nicely.

    Honestly the legal aspect is just one more reason that removing the Other OS option was a dumb move. There WILL be Linux on the PS3 whether Sony likes it or not (just as there is on the Wii and the 360) and if the people who want it have to crack the thing to make it happen then you can bet your booty that software pirates will come along behind them and pick up whatever crack they use to make pirated games happen to. I really think they staved that off for years by making it so there was no need for the Linux community to crack the PS3.

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Troll

    mandatory title

    This is all because of Obama.

  19. Scottie Taylor
    Linux

    Count me in

    Whenever it goes to Class Action status and people can start opting in I'll be more than happy to sign up. I've already filed complaints with the FTC, BBB and my state's attorney general.

    I don't want money or a refund. I want my console the way I bought it. With the secondary OS option allowable as well as allowing me to update and play the newer games and blu-rays. In short, the way it was prior to downgrade 3.21

  20. Furbian
    Coat

    The customers gets trampled on...

    .. one way or another. Some PS3 Fanboys are probably ones who got 'done' over by M$, I'm on my 4th (maybe 5th, lost count) Xbox 360, but we're still on our fist PS3 (over 4 years old) which is only 6 months younger than our first Xbox 360.

    The PS3 has been 'loosing' features for some time now. The PS2 backwards compatibility, started out as a hardware chip, then it became a software emulator, and now I think the new PS3 doesn't even offer support for PS2 games (?).

    For many the other OS feature, which I never used, was obviously a straw too far. But boycott Sony, ok, and then get what? Buy an Xbox 360? M$ do updates that kill off not just 3rd party addons (I have a now useless Datel Memory Max unit), but even the whole console if it's 'moded'. Apparently even those that just had better fans put in to cool them were banned from Xbox Live, it is assumed they did this by detecting the voltage drawn by the fans.

    I started out with an iPhone 2G, bought an aditional charging cradle, some chargers to use in the cars etc. I upgrade to a 3GS, and guess what? The accessories are no longer compatible.

    So we tolerate the company that's the least evil. Feature modification, addition and removal are now part of life for the foreseeable 'future', where 'they' decide which features you will have, or not as the case maybe. Remember the Kindle '1984' remote removal anyone?

  21. Thomas 4
    Linux

    My 2 penguin's worth

    I've been keeping half an eye on the whole Sony/Linux thing for a few years now - came close to getting a full Linux kit for my old PS2 until it gave up the ghost. The people that are really suffering as a result are folks like those at Yellow Dog Linux, who have been working on a PS3-specific version of Linux only to now have all that effort wasted.

    Granted I don't if I will get around to putting the Penguin on my PS3 but it's an option I don't want taken away for the most vague and pointless of reasons.

  22. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    4th strike for them, in my opinion...

    I had a $200.00 Turtle Beach soundcard,

    and after $ony got involved with the software side of it,

    Turtle Beach $old out,

    and $ony wanted me to shell out $600.00

    to keep using the software, except...

    I'd be needing to update my software first,

    "cept the update (just like any other update)

    only DISABLED the Turtle Bitch Soundcard in the process (of course)...

    ...in the process...of trying to convince me of the need

    to upgrade to a $1000.00 $ony Soundcard...

    That was Number 1.

    $ony made MiniDisc Record/Players that have become

    a standard operating device for many audio professionals,

    Yet in their wisdom they have repeatedly neglected to update their software

    for these products,

    and to basically "END the LIFE"

    of most of these (EXPENSIVE, I might add) gadgets...

    That was Number 2.

    My first Multi-Media Computer (Professional level audio/video in/outs),

    SADLY was Taken Down by an errant disc played by a EX-Girlfriend,

    WITH HELP FROM $ONYs ROOTKIT...THANKS...

    (This One Sadly "Took The Cake" for any chance at any more investments by ME TO $ONY)

    That was Number 3.

    Ps3 No Alternate OS Function, cripples the device,

    thus making many more than just me a fool!

    That is Strike Number 4!

    $onys actions repeatedly show

    a "Total DIS-REGARD"

    for its customers time, money, and their lively hoods,

    that depends on perfectly good and able software and hardware, only to have its functionality ripped out from under their INVESTMENT in $ony..., and on rather short terms

    This is just another action by $ont to:

    > infringe on ownership rights, ($300.00-$400.00 cost of investment each count...)

    > constitutes trespass, (? costs tied to next qualification)

    and if any data (ie: programing, saved games, pictures, music...>ANY DATA<) was lost,

    > Loss of Intellectual Property.

    (My Time Programing, Music, & Photos are gonna cost 'em plenty)

    Another Sad Day for $ony...AGAIN...AND AGAIN...

    Root - Kit Any One?

    $ue $ony...

    Where do I sign Up!

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