If people actually read the terms of use they'd understand that this is a completely legal move on Sony's part

Like it's already been pointed out if you use your PS3 for numbers crunching instead of gaming, you do not need to update the firmware numbers...( and you most likely never do, no matter what because there's no guarantee an update woudn't break your code..)

I use it to stream media via a YDL samba server (the ps3 media server feature is terrible).

What kills me is that institutes that use the PS3 in a clustered environment, will not really be affected by this anyway.  When you are working with something as complicated as that and everything is working perfectly, no way in HELL you are going to update your firmware unless there is a problem.

My dislike of your comments grows by the day, please don't try and preach your hate to me, would you like me to start a thread about the number of lies MS have come out with?

I'm too much of a fanboy to just sit back and let you take shots at Sony when your own company of choice has a far worse reputation.

Lets talk RRoD, hell I'll just link.

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/microsofts_photoshop_blunder_racist_or_shortsighte.php

http://gnews.com/technology/Microsoft-Blunder-as-Employee-Admits-Windows-7-is-Mac-Copy-511138363833.html

http://www.googleandroidblog.com/news/microsoft-s-secret-screw-google-meetings-in-d-c

And there are more.

The point of this is not to rant and rave, it's to demonstrate that all corporations and comglomorates make mistakes, that is the nature of the system, their vast size makes them prone to blunders.

We should all just stick to the original game debate, I would rather roast you over how Uncharted 2 graphics pwn Gears of War then get into what is an otherwise very dirty argument!

Sony used to support User Created Content on PSP firmware 1.5, and end up all their games outside Japan had been pirated to the ground. Dead Head Fred is a good game, and it only sells what? 1168 in the 1st week according to this site, and yet it had been downloaded illegally 14199 times according to another PSP ISO site.

Linux now can just be installed on a thumbdrive and can use it on any PC, I myself installed Slax on my USB drive because of its versatility, playing around for a while, install some programs, play some videos, browse a few websites, and went back to M$ Windows Vista. Why use PS3 for Linux when you can just plug in a USB into any PC and use it instead, if u really need to be different? I myself support M$ OS all the way. 

Hence it makes me think this is a flame thread and should be closed plus OP banned.

Thread killed within the first 2 comments and the first comment is just hilarious.

I'd also like to add that a very small minority use this feature. It isn't a big of a deal as the first comment makes it sound. And out of that very very very small minority the majority of them would probablly use the hack. And the majority of Ps3 owners probablly don't know this feature exists.

You mean like this

I'd like to see the posts that the people " throw this feature in peoples faces over the last few years as Sony being somehow benevolent with their hardware by having it"

What makes you think that when PS3 is hacked that Linux will be needed to use the hack? Linux is just used to open the door. Obviously removing it now won't stop the hackers, because they simply won't update. On the contrary, they will work harder, because they now have a legitimate reason to hack PS3.
So all this does is punish regular users who bought the launch model for a lot of money.

+1