After Sony's PS3 slim announcement last week, many fans were dismayed the new model would no longer include backwards compatibility and the option to run Linux as an alternative operating system. Sony stated the console's ability to run PS2 games wasn't a major "purchase intent driver" and therefore not worth the cost of including, yet remained relatively silent on the missing "OtherOS" option.

A class action lawsuit has been filed against Sony Computer Entertainment America for the removal of the 'Other OS' feature from the PlayStation 3.

Installing and Running Linux on Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3): It is possible to install and run Linux on the Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3) video game console (not-including the PS3 Slim model). In fact, there are plenty of distros that are compatible with the PS3 such as Fedora, Ubuntu, openSUSE, Yellow Dog, and Gentoo.

The recent release of the PS3 Slim brought about joy for those who were waiting for a less expensive/smaller gaming system and indignation for those who were waiting for a Linux experimental machine of the same type as there was no "OtherOS" or Linux option on this model. Why? we cry sadly. Because, the deep, omniscient voices of two Sony representatives boom back.

Sony are removing the "Install Other OS" option from all PS3s citing "security concerns" for the change which will block Linux from running on the console

Hell hath no fury like an angry open sourceror. WHEN THE GAMES CONSOLE MAKER Sony decided to stop people from running Linux on its Playstation 3 it made a lot of open sourcerors quite angry.

The feature, called 'Install Other OS,' has been removed, three years after the console's introduction, "due to security concerns," the company said in a blog post.

Dropping support for Linux on the PS3 has landed Sony in court. A class-action suit filed Tuesday in a San Francisco court (via IGN) claims that the intentional disablement of Other OS support constitutes a breach of sales contract as well as a breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing.

Hacker Geohot claims he has a plan to permit PlayStation 3 (PS3) users to continue running Linux on the gaming system, despite Sony's announcement that it will block alternate operating system installs. On Sunday, Sony announced that a 3.21 update due on April 1 will prohibit the installation of alternate installations, due to security concerns.