Mark Leese said:
can I just say i feel sorry for sony, there company has been massively effected by the earthquake in japan, so much so that they have already had to push back launch of the NGP until next year, I for one am just fucking sick of hackers, I dont give a fuck what "cause" they are fighting for, they are only hurting us, the users,
this lawsuit wont go anywhere, and sony will probs give something free on the PSN as a sorry and we will all have forgotten bout it in a couple months
This. A thousand times this; bolded for emphasis.
Whether or not this was an attack (as it wasn't only Sony that was targeted, other major companies got hit, too), or just a shits n' giggles expenditure to prove it could be done is hardly relevant...the problem is that no matter the "cause" that any hackers "fight for", it really mainly hurts the users, long-term. Yes, the companies themselves suffer losses (both directly and through shareholders, etc), and we get to enjoy the benefit of increased security -- which is moot; nothing is unhackable -- but it also results in service outages (such as this), more stringent DRMs, and a whole host of other factors that further and further destroy end-user freedom and enjoyment. While that's a whole other bag of marbles itself (and not really on-topic for this discussion), something like this really doesn't help matters, either.
That being said, I too, feel sorry for Sony and their host of employees, this year. Between the court issues, the earthquakes in Japan, and a handful of network attacks (particularly this one, which has a lot of impatient "OMG! I NEED TO PLAY MULTIPLAYER NOW!" users on their backs), they're really in a poor place this year, from a consumer standpoint. Irony being their console sales in respect to that, but I digress.
You think your job sucks? Picture being in Seybold's place, right now. The media is having a field day with every little scrap they can twist and spin, people are nit-picking every tiny thing he says, and he's got millions of people on his case, 24/7.
Could Sony have had better security implemented, especially after Hotz put up the rootkey? Yes, absolutely. Even still, that's really only another hurdle, though...like I (and various others have said), nothing is unhackable. It was really only a matter of time, and it wouldn't shock me to see XBL get hit, as well. Nintendo, not so much, because of the way their market works, but it's still a good possibility.
Did Sony deserve this shitstorm?
I don't think so. Some may not agree, and sure, Sony doesn't have a spotless customer service record, but they really didn't do anything wrong to have this coming to them. The Hotz thing was a mess and changed the game, but if they hadn't pursued that, I'm pretty sure this would have been ten times worse for them, in the long-run; a company laying on their backs and taking it will put a target on their back they can never get off.
I may use my PS3 more often than the other consoles (hell, I haven't TOUCHED my Wii -- hahaha -- since getting my new TV a few years ago) or even my PC...but I just tend to prefer its controller and interface. That, and the majority of my friends own a PS3 exclusively, or use it more often than their other consoles themselves.
I have to agree with JDKJ: It's bullshit "I HAVE TO SUE EVERYONE!" cases like this that clog up the courts. The only crime committed was the hacker(s) breaking into their network. Yes, their security could have been better, but that's hardly the point; they did take the appropriate measures, someone just got around them. Leave the court system alone for real issues; it's already mired down with too much nonsensical crap as it is.
