How's this for an idea?

[jvd]

What's the money-wise aspect of it?

On the side, the point is not that PS3 is going to take on the PC world, the point is that with a viable alternative that is free, it's not outlandish to think that the number of individuals using their consoles for basic PC functions will go from zero to something other than zero. Is that so crazy?

If the build has a good GUI, and offers basic functionality - I think we're good to go.

If PSP can have the homebrew community built around it that it does, for god's sake Linux on Cell should be able to go beyond that by an order of magnitude.

I should also add that the only reason I remain on Windows whatsoever is because I'm a PC gamer as well; if not for that I'd have dumped it long ago.

Programs and apps . Sure there are free apps but they don't compare 90% of the time to pay apps . Then there is software that wont run on linux with out the developer programing for it .

People aren't going to move over to linux on the ps3 . There is no motive for it .

 

[randycat99]

not so

 

[Hardknock]

People aren't going to move over to linux on the ps3 . There is no motive for it .

jvd you are being very short-sighted.

 

[jvd]

jvd you are being very short-sighted.

Sure I am . Can you provide any counter points to what i said .

Or are u looking at 50 years from now ?

 

[PARANOiA]

I should also add that the only reason I remain on Windows whatsoever is because I'm a PC gamer as well; if not for that I'd have dumped it long ago.

Not being rhetorical here, but would you genuinely switch to the PS3 as your "system of choice" if it ships with Linux? That is, stop using your PC for everything except gaming? You'd voluntarily stop using Office, Itunes, Photoshop in favour of Linux variants?

Add to my last post (last page now) I'm interested, since I can't see 99% of people with a computer following suit, so I'm curious if this is genuine or just an "off-the-cuff" statement.

My next question would be, if so, why aren't you on a dual-boot machine right now? Why not surf the net, post on Beyond3D (what else do you use a computer for ) and edit images in a Linux flavour, and boot into Windows when you feel like playing PC games?

This also raises an interesting point of hardware "life". Consoles generally last for a few years before dying, and they're not used a whole heap - a few hours a day most of the time. My PC on the other hand is on 24/7, and I expect the parts in that to last at least a couple of years. If you used your PS3 as a PC, I imagine its life on your shelf would probably be decreased substantially. Though, in fairness, the "dying" parts of a console are usually the moving parts, like the drive or the optical laser.

 

[Carl B]

Not being rhetorical here, but would you genuinely switch to the PS3 as your "system of choice" if it ships with Linux? That is, stop using your PC for everything except gaming? You'd voluntarily stop using Office, Itunes, Photoshop in favour of Linux variants?

Add to my last post (last page now) I'm interested, since I can't see 99% of people with a computer following suit, so I'm curious if this is genuine or just an "off-the-cuff" statement.

My next question would be, if so, why aren't you on a dual-boot machine right now? Why not surf the net, post on Beyond3D (what else do you use a computer for ) and edit images in a Linux flavour, and boot into Windows when you feel like playing PC games?

This also raises an interesting point of hardware "life". Consoles generally last for a few years before dying, and they're not used a whole heap - a few hours a day most of the time. My PC on the other hand is on 24/7, and I expect the parts in that to last at least a couple of years. If you used your PS3 as a PC, I imagine its life on your shelf would probably be decreased substantially. Though, in fairness, the "dying" parts of a console are usually the moving parts, like the drive or the optical laser.

Fair questions Paranoia, fair questions.

Well, I'm already off of Office - went to Open Office on Friday actually. As for iTunes, don't use it. Photoshop either. Firefox and the rest of it come in what I would need were I to go to Linux.

I'm not on a dual boot just becuase for me that's too much hassle; I want to be able to do what I do without resetting. But I do intend on using Linux as my 'base,' and load up Windows in a layer for gaming when the whole virtualization thing becomes the new trend, come 2006/2007.

You're right though, I myself probably wouldn't use it as my primary computer as such, but the fact that it can be hooked up to a monitor as well - that gets it close for me; close enough that I would weigh my options the next time I was going to spend a couple of hundred on upgrading.

But I think more relevent, for the millions that due the WebTV thing, PS3 seems well suited to target that 'type' of person.

Now - I honestly want very badly to see just how the Linux promise is implemented. Right now I think everyone's expectations are reasonable, but it basically revolves around Sony actually putting the OS on every HDD.

 

[rabidrabbit]

How much software is ther on average user's PC that he's invested anyway?
The OS and some antivirus software, maybe the Office suite and some games
The rest is downloaded, pirated software or freeware. Or "bundled" like some image editing software with cameras.

How much of that software he actually uses?
Does he use these programs fully? In most cases no.
-In Office he might only use Word for some simple wordprocessing (where in many cases he'd do just fine by using Notepad )
-Image editing. I think most use just the automatic image correction function, photoalbum and greetings card creation.
-Video editing. The basic cutting, transitions and titling must be the most used.
-Music and video players. Simple software that are painlessly replaced by another.

My personal experience (sorry if some feel offended when I speak of what I need, or I want, and say it does't matter sh*t... but that's all I know for sure) from many Windows XP reinstall on my PS is that there's a ton of unnecessary, unused software that accumulates on th harddisk over time.
I even haven't played but less than five games since I bougth my new PC (two years ago), Half Life 2, Unreal Tournament, Doom3, Sims2.. of which only Half Life 2 and UT did I like enough to play more than just try them.

When I need to format the HD and lose much of the software installations, I feel the pain.
Then I realise than from all the programs I had I really only need a third that I do use. I might even had two or three software on my PC that are actually doing the same thing, but I had installed them before I could decide which one was "the right for me".

Emptying your PC and getting rid of all the unneeded software is a liberating experience.

Oh yes I almost forgot. Is it the fear that there'd be no software like Bittorrent clients for the new OS that's people are most afraid of? Or that there'd be so heavy DRM inbuilt into the OS that it'd make the pirated software difficult to use

 

[jvd]

Wow rabbit seems like u don't take care of your pc .


I used to build pcs for a living . You'd be suprised how much software one actually buys when they aren't into the cracking scene .


Anyway it sounds like u really want to use your ps3 instead of a pc . SO i ask how much do u use your linux ps2 and why isn't that your primary machine ?

 

[BlueTsunami]

PS2 Install and Run Linux

Seems actually pretty cool. Its a full blown Linux Distro and its supposed to run well even with the 32MB embedded RAM. I would actually like to try installing Linux on my PS2 (I have the Network Adapter....and theres a list of generic IDE HDDs floating around that work with the PS2).

 

[Guden Oden]

Can you provide any counter points to what i said .

How about you back up that statement of yours that 90% of free linux software doesn't compare to commercial (windows I have to assume) apps?

Not saying you're wrong (because there's a chance you're not), just that this assertment looks anecdotal in nature at best, and I'm curious as to what facts you got pointing to it being true...

 

[BlueTsunami]

How about you back up that statement of yours that 90% of free linux software doesn't compare to commercial (windows I have to assume) apps?

Not saying you're wrong (because there's a chance you're not), just that this assertment looks anecdotal in nature at best, and I'm curious as to what facts you got pointing to it being true...

One thing I read was that a school was moving to GIMP instead of Adobe Photoshop. GIMP isn't as feature rich as Photoshop but since GIMP is free and you basically get almost everything you would get from Photoshop, it was all justified.

Point is, it gets the job done. Theres also a MOD for GIMP that switches around the whole Interface to exactly mirror Photoshop

 

[_phil_]

A PC is ovekill and over complicated for a majority of people's need.
If sony can make it so a good user friendly GUI is built on a cell pc (fixed plateform,btw) with the base app needed for what most people get a pc for,and the ablility to use that from their livingroom, then i'd bet they' ll win a big chunk of MS business.
The point is not to attack PC front and console front as 2 different markets ,but to create a third one in the living room.

 

[jvd]

How about you back up that statement of yours that 90% of free linux software doesn't compare to commercial (windows I have to assume) apps?

Not saying you're wrong (because there's a chance you're not), just that this assertment looks anecdotal in nature at best, and I'm curious as to what facts you got pointing to it being true...

Just compare features of any free software to the rival pay software (same is true on windows platforms)

 

[jvd]

A PC is ovekill and over complicated for a majority of people's need.
If sony can make it so a good user friendly GUI is built on a cell pc (fixed plateform,btw) with the base app needed for what most people get a pc for,and the ablility to use that from their livingroom, then i'd bet they' ll win a big chunk of MS business.
The point is not to attack PC front and console front as 2 different markets ,but to create a third one in the living room.

THe problem is software isn't static .

a cell 3.2ghz with 512 megs of ram may be fine now . But how about in 2 years as websites get more complex and the demands become greater ?

How about in 2 years when virus programers target the linux versions on the ps3 . Do we then have to run virus programs and spyware programs on our ps3s taking more performance away ?

Do i have to reboot after surfing the web to play a game and then reboot to edit a video .

People use thier pcs in diffrent ways . My little cousin is normaly listening to music while surfing the web and having 15 to 20 im convos . Will i be then able to jump into a game ? WIll it affect performance ?

With opening up the system to doing more things we take away from its ability to do its primary task .


Sony put out a ps2 linux kit and it did not take off . I see no reason to believe a ps3 kit will .

 

[Druga Runda]

if Sony ever went PS3 + Linux on Microsoft, their strength (and chance) would lie in Open-ness of Linux to count on many developers world wide to get on the bandwagon and start developing for PS3 hoping to make a $... for all kind of apps. What opening up the architechture did to PC vs Apple on hardware front, so it could do to Linux vs Windows on software front. Even now when the majority of support comes from enetrprise side Linux is slowly creeping up on MSFT, but if a big player like Sony would come out with a desktop product that could be a killer.

(just to add, the final winner would be Linux on PC, open hardware + open software end) but this would suffice for Sony I think

 

[rabidrabbit]

Wow rabbit seems like u don't take care of your pc .

I used to build pcs for a living . You'd be suprised how much software one actually buys when they aren't into the cracking scene .

Anyway it sounds like u really want to use your ps3 instead of a pc . SO i ask how much do u use your linux ps2 and why isn't that your primary machine ?

I do take care of my PC, and I've built it myself. It's worked just fine but sometimes unexplainable things just happen when I run some registry cleaning software, or let some automatic remove unneeded dll's

Yes. I'd welcome another platform in addition to my PC, one which I'd leave be and just run my games, e-mail, messenger apps, video + photoalbums with editing and webbrowsing...all my primary uses, a computer that I would not mess with and get it into a knot

PS2 linux isn't my primary machine because
1. It isn't easily available.
2. The aforementioned apps aren't already coming withe the Linux kit.
3. I wouldn't bother searching for the best apps from each kategory.
4. PS2 Linux scene is not well (officially) supported, and imo is not polished enough for anything but hobbyist use.

I'm not saying PS3 would for sure be the console to kill my PC, time will tell how well the PS3 will perform of those tasks, but if......

 

[_phil_]

Sony put out a ps2 linux kit and it did not take off . I see no reason to believe a ps3 kit will

the ps2 linux kit wasn't meant to be a PC replacement at all.Some geek at sony said he could have linux running on ps2 ,this raised the interest from hombrew developpers who asked sony to release it.The surveys showed enough people interested for sony to issue something like 2000 linux kits .This is not exactly a market penetration tentative.

 

[rabidrabbit]

The same could be said for that xbox "media center extender" kit that MS released for the xbox.
Did that really take off? Then why did MS bother building the feature in xbox360??

 

[jvd]

I do take care of my PC, and I've built it myself. It's worked just fine but sometimes unexplainable things just happen when I run some registry cleaning software, or let some automatic remove unneeded dll's

hehe regedit yourself !

Yes. I'd welcome another platform in addition to my PC, one which I'd leave be and just run my games, e-mail, messenger apps, video + photoalbums with editing and webbrowsing...all my primary uses, a computer that I would not mess with and get it into a knot :smile:

Sadly it wont be an upgradable system and after a point if it ever became popular would be a target for viruses . For u someone that uses linux it wont be much of a transition but for the majority of people it will be and that is why there wont be an uptake of it

PS2 linux isn't my primary machine because
1. It isn't easily available.
2. The aforementioned apps aren't already coming withe the Linux kit.
3. I wouldn't bother searching for the best apps from each kategory.
4. PS2 Linux scene is not well (officially) supported, and imo is not polished enough for anything but hobbyist use.

and what gives you the impresion that the ps3 version will be any diffrent

I'm not saying PS3 would for sure be the console to kill my PC, time will tell how well the PS3 will perform of those tasks, but if......

I don't think any console will kill the pc. Just as it did in the past the pc will continue to evolve and it will some day kill the consoles

 

[BlueTsunami]

The Linux OS itself wasn't meant to be an attempt at anything but a test piloting for Linux on their console. Its also why its labled PS2 Linux Development Kit. The name should give away that much.

I wonder if the Linux kit itself was a early sign of things to come?