There’s another catch. If Sony wants to maintain its Linux support, it will have to open up more of the hardware. That in turn could bolster piracy. If I recall correctly, the first PS3 image dumps were done through Linux. Linux was also the OS responsible for the eventually-legal cracking of DVD. Basically it’s not an environment Sony will have any real control over. ‘Homebrew’ is a deal with the devil, but such deals can be lucrative as well.

I doubt royalties will be too much of an issue. If Sony makes any real gains from selling PS3s as servers, then its games business would be in trouble anyway, since it should be making a lot more money selling consoles to the leisure market and view server sales as a pure bonus.

we want killzone2 now

Yeah just look at the raft of XBOX 1 Linux servers that have infiltrated server rooms the world over. Come on, if I have to budget for hardware purchases the last thing bean counters want to see or will accept is a PS3 for the Physics department.

This is silly article. The PS3 was not meant to be a server. But it can run linux. You are acting like the the PS3 was depending on Linux. Please…

I think it’s a fair article, when taken in context. The PS3 is never going to be considered for enterprise computing, but where this sort of application will be very popular, will be at universities and other facilities where huge computational capabilities are required, but there’s a limited budget.

Looking at the Folding numbers, the cell is ideal for cluster computing, and there’s proof, because there are ready “PS3 clusters” running in some American universities. Even @ $600 compared to the price of a pure cell blade to a PS3 – the blades about 3x the price.

The main issue, and why it’s not a “silly” article is that as long as Sony keeps touting the “other” abilities of the PS3 and at the same times IS NOT SELLING ANY GAMES. The Games publishers are going to shy away from it. Proofs in the puddings gents. the 360 sold 3x as many games as the PS3 in Japan this last week, let’s not even think of the Wii or DS . . .

I believe it’s any PowerPC based distro, but yellow dog seems to be the one with a pre-built ISO. It’s doesn’t require a bot disc, it’ll boot of the hard drive apparently.