A couple weeks back, I wrote about the PS3 3.21 firmware update that removed the option to install Linux on the original “fat” PS3. Well, it seems some people were royally pissed about it, enough to demand refunds and threaten a class-action lawsuit. Sony claims that it has done nothing illegal in removing the feature.

One UK gamer stated that the update violated the Sale of Goods act, which basically means that a customer can sue if goods they bought no longer do their claimed purpose, like Linux capability. But Sony PR head David Wilson told thinq.co.uk that “the console packing and in-box manual…do not refer to the use of Linux on the console,” and that “the product’s design and specifications are subject to change without notice.” Basically, Sony’s EULA (End User License Agreement) lets them do whatever they want, as long as us gamers press accept whenever there’s an update. Which we almost always do.

So it looks like the PSN using gamers are still out of luck. That’s big business for you, folks.

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This is a development the folks at Amazon likely weren’t expecting.

Seems that some enterprising soul out there, whom you might recognize when I tell you it’s Jesse Vincent, managed to get his recently-released Kindle 2 ebook from Amazon to run Ubuntu 9.04.

He apparently did it for no other reason than 1. to prove it could be done in the first place and 2. to get some serious geek cred at Foo Camp last weekend, where he showed off his new, previously unheard of Linux Kindle.

The practical ramifications of this do escape me somewhat, but even I’ve got to admit, as a concept, it’s still pretty cool.

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Believe it or not, packed inside this plug is a tiny 1.2Ghz computer.  Called the Marvell SheevePlug, it’s designed to act as a low powered server running a flavor of Linux, you know for email and stuff.  Other features include 512MB of RAM, 512MB of flash storage, and a USB and Ethernet port.  If anything it might be a good option as a low powered Bit Torrent server or a means to putting some of those spare hard drive online.

[via BBG]

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Features:

• 2Ghz Intel Celeron 440 processor + Linux OS
• 512MB of RAM + 80GB hard drive

Buy it: Shuttle K-4500-N Linux Desktop Box – $208