I have a PS-3 (all current gaming systems actually). While mildly annoying, I tend to think this whole incident was in my best interests. While I never used the "other OS" feature, I was rather irritated with Sony pulling it on principle. This was done largely because they figured they could make a few extra bucks indirectly by making piracy a little harder, without them caring about all the legitimate users it affected. They lied outright about their reasons for doing this, acting like this was some major security vulnerability with the systems, when in reality their security overall was tissue paper with or without any benefit that could come from pulling this feature. Then they attacked some guy who did nothing but restore the advertised functionality of a product that was paid for.
It's hard to not be happy to see Sony getting reamed by this. The authorities weren't going to intervene in the case, so the only real alternative was online vigilantism. If this was let go, it would open the door for the game industry to engage in gradually more outrageous abuses.
This does not mean I hate Sony or the PS-3, or will stop using it, simply that I disagree with Sony on this issue, and think they are getting their just desserts in this case. I think the problem persists because Sony is unwilling to just come out and publically say it's wrong and it's sorry. Instead it is using groups like the FBI as it's personal punkhammer, using the flimsy justification if legality to defend something that was hugely immoral, and exploitive, and was arguably only legal due to the expense and difficulty of challenging the issue from the right angle in court.
When this is over, it will just be business as usual, with hopefully a kinder, gentler Sony walking the earth... perhaps awkwardly at first from the anal reaming it's getting from Anonymous.
I've said all of this before, and as someone who was against what they did with the "Other OS" option to begin with, it's very difficult for me to be sympathetic. I would have preferred for someone to take them to court, attack the TOS/Eula agreements from the right direction, and force them to stop, but that didn't happen as it wasn't practical. That's a problem with big businesses is that they can get away with just about anything due to nobody having the resources to challenge them, and by doing things like buying up all the lawyers who are experts in a given area, at least enough to prevent them from ever being on the other side due to a "conflict of interest", ensuring that any case made against them is liable to be second rate due to them having specialists and the other side having to play catch-up as they fight the case.
I hope it's over with soon, and is ultimatly resolved in the best possible way for me, the user.
