What if Sony is really going to in-clude Linux with every PS3?

If it is not crippled and has full access to the A/V hardware, what would stop someone from creating an open source media center for it?!?

How many would buy the PS3 if this turned out to be possible?

I can't imagine the ps3 having a full-fledged unrestricted linux distro on the HDD. If at all, it'll be a crippled "protected" linux os distro so that piracy or media piracy isn't possible.. Well not until someone cracks whatever protection the linux distro could present.

But if $ony is as stupid to actually allow a fully working unrestricted linux distro on their ps3.. then I think they may have dug themselves an early grave..

Nevertheless, take what I'm saying with a grain of salt.. I'm purely speculating and this is just my opinion.

It really bothers me when people brag about PS3 having Linux capabilities...
WHY?

Because the PS2 had Linux as well, and look how much great stuff we got out of that... oh yeah NOTHING... what makes you think the PS3 will somehow be different?

I'm not sure if it will exactly work out to be the next media center but the addition of an internal upgradeable hard drive does add a different aspect that the ps2 was lacking. The features and software for the PS3 are being developed with the idea of an integrated hard drive unlike the ps2 which had an addon. Not too mention sony's last media capable machine, the PSP, has done very well in the hacking community. Of couse all of this heavily depends on what type of protection scheme sony has in place for upgrading hard drives.

a 60gb hard drive is no where big enough to run a self contained Myth box. At best it will be a front end.

Not saying that is bad, btw, its just that they have talked about selling an addon to make it a self contained pvr and that is total crap.

I am not bragging! The PS2 did not really have Linux unless you purchased an expensive add-on which included HDD, Ethernet adapter and keyboard/mouse. It did not take off because historically, add-ons for consoles are not very successful - especially something like linux which average PS2 gamer would not benefit from.

Rumor is that the PS3 will be capable of booting Linux out of the box (supposedly it will have Linux pre-installed on the HDD). The question is how much Sony cripples it and whether or not it is of any real use for homebrew stuff.

That is why I think the PS3 may be different. We will not know until PS3 actually ships though.

or whether or not we will be able to wipe it out and install our own flavour

About the dashboard... It looks like the PSP dashboard, almost an exact replica

And about Linux.... Linux is terrible, its a system that isn't very good and its hard sometimes to mess with it. And i heard that once Windows Vista comes out, Xbox live people will be able to get on MS internet explorer and run it through there.

I strongly disagree to say the least.

haha, just because you don't understand it doesn't mean it's bad..

sony uses a version of redhat linux at least the ps2 did. ps2 linux didnt take off course it was a addon and ot alot of people had it. the ps3 is supposed to ship with linux installed and suppoaably is able to boot to a full os. witch relly is not a bad idea wanna check the latest ifo on said game wala boot to linux and go check it without moving off your ps3. thats the only thing i like abought the ps3. i had ps2 linux btw and it was ok but the ps2 wasent all that powerfull and it was slow at best and being the console was not x86 and didnt have mutch of a user base for linux not alot was ever built for it. and the ps2 linux distro was not cripled at all it even came with a sony dev kit and you could acess the gpu.

if the rumers are true abought the ps3 and linux that would mean ps3 linux would have alot of users and alot more would get done but still with it not being x86 i dont think it will be knothing more then a good mythtv frontend and webbroswer you whont see alot of linux games/apps ported to it. sony might be messing up the console compleaty by there markting and price but they are playing nice with the linux world and getting new users interduced to linux. you dont see m$ shipping the 360 with linux do you now lol but to be honest if they did would it be a console or a gaming computer?

the ps3 probly will have its gaming mode and linux os seprated to prevent users from crashing there console. so you probly will be locked out of any critcal files when your in linux probly a partation linux cant read. whats to prevent people from making homebrew stuff on the ps3. if the linux os is anything like ps2 linux not a thing. and it would make sence for sony to do so modchip makers would have no excuse to mod a ps3 for homebrew being the console aruldy allows it.