Your Favorite Computer Company Hates You

posted by chip on 2010-04-13 17:12:27
You probably didn't hear about the latest PS3 update which removes Linux support from all PS3s, because you probably don't have a PS3, and if you do, you probably don't run Linux on it. Even if you do, you may not care anyway because the environment in which Linux ran was a nerfed hypervisor that wasn't good for much except toying around with the Cell SPEs. The official line is that removing Linux will help combat piracy, as some hackers were using Linux to help bypass the platform's copy protection. In a completely unsurprising turn of events, it hasn't stopped them. This goes way beyond piracy or Linux, though.

The issue in my mind is that these systems were sold with the Linux feature, and Sony decided you shouldn't have that feature anymore, so they removed it without warning or compensation. They have taken back something you bought. And sure, the update is "optional," much in the same way putting more gas in your car is optional. And I'm sure the EULA covers Sony's ass legally — Sony could probably brick your PS3 and you'd have no legal recourse whatsoever. But it's still a supreme dick move that has shaken my (and I'm sure a lot of others') faith in the platform. Before this, I was considering buying a PS3. Now I'm not.

On the mobile front, Apple is using its dominant position to clamp down on competition. They have officially forbidden using any language other than C or C++ to develop iPhone/iPad apps. It's pretty clear that this was done to make developers take sides, as it prevents code reuse from other platforms that use Java, C#, or Flash. Apple claims that restricting the language set will help prevent poorly written applications, which is of course hogwash. You can write poor applications in any language (and a lot of people do :-/).

It's an especially curious move in light of Apple's desire to be the #1 mobile gaming platform, as it excludes game toolkits like Unity3D. It also stymies the unreleased Adobe Flash CS5, which has a direct-to-native-iPhone compiler to get around Apple's existing prohibition on unapproved runtime engines. Apple has just taken everyone who was going to port their flash game to the iPhone and flipped them the bird. I wonder if anyone at Apple understands how much it hurts the platform when you anger its developers? Certainly Microsoft understands this. Oh, wait...

Were you excited about getting Machinarium on your Xbox? Well, too bad, because Microsoft has decided they don't want to publish Machinarium because it's not a Xbox exclusive. That's right, because you can get Machinarium on Mac and Linux, you won't see it on Xbox. Or at least, you won't see it published by Microsoft. Amanita Design does, of course, still have the option of getting it published through someone else, but they've decided not to bother. You will see Machinarium on PSN if you have a PS3, but as we've already established, you probably don't. And, if you play your video games on a PC like a man, all of this is pretty well moot.

So remember, kids: corporations don't have your best interests in mind.

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posted by Andrea on 2010-04-13 23:20:57
Believe it or not, I did hear about the business with the PS3, and although I don't give a damn, I didn't really understand why they were doing it. But, I am thankful for the end result: you losing interest in the PS3.

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