first off, that wasn't really clear. At least not to me, not from the post i quoted. Second, it doesn't really change much, does it?
It is quite clear if you see the post you quoted. It dismisses most of your points in that post.
to whom? You? Think of the average pc users, already quite inapt at the more complex technical stuff. Now think of your usual console users, a large part of whom is in the console market because consoles are "plug and play". These folks don't care. Simple as that. Otheros didn't help the ps3 much because nobody cared and the ps4 is going to be the same, period.
That's the one thing you've got to get through your head: The reason otheros wasn't popular wasn't the ps3's hardware. It was capable enough to run a linux distribution. Back in the day, it was easily powerful enough to run a pc-spec operating system, at least if the flops numbers released by sony are anywhere near accurate. Did the dempgraphic for consoles change a lot since the ps3? Well, yeah, it did! But it became even more casual and went even further away from the market that potentially cares about linux. The console market has been wii'd - ecaxtly the opposite of what'd benefit a linux distribnution.
There are plenty of people out there will probably be interested in such a feature especially if it is fully accelerated. This is a problem with PS3 version, for what most people would want to use another OS with Linux, it is not as useful as it could be. No GPU acceleration, limited amount of ram and processor limited to using one core as well as not being ideal type of CPU to do this kind of general computing. It is better for this kind of stuff:
Link
yeah, right! Because sony would actually like to promote a system that competes with their very own digital distribution system. Have you forgotten that they've got playstation network themselves? Selling a few more consoles in order to open up their console for a competing system? Remember how, usually, most revenue doesn't come from the console sales themselves, but from selling games and digital content? In all honesty, have you thought this through beyond "i want linux and steam on my ps4?"
It will bring games that aren't on PS4 platform to it. Definitive experience for same games would be the PS4 version if there were same one. Sony doesn't need to push this idea, but the idea of it being also a home computer.
first, you don't need otheros and linux to run a dedicated media centre. All you need is proper support for all common video/audio/picture formats and a proper slideshow/player to use them. That and an equaliser. As far as the software goes, that is.
Second, homebrew content. You're talking about the stuff that opened up a huge way for püeople to get content onto, say, their psps back in the day, without palying a single cent to sony? The stuff that allows you to emulate playstation games on a psp instead of buying it from sony? The stuff that allows you to run nintendo emulators on a psp and gives a plethora of games to play, without every buying a single one from sony? Do you, in all honesty, believe that sony, in this day and age, wants to their system to become a safe habour for pirates?
If so, i'd have to say that i really have nothing more to say to you.
PS3 doesn't support all codecs and file types that some people might use. There will probably similar level of restrictions on PS4. Now something like XBMC on OtherOS part, people who are looking to make a HTPC, can then see PS4 as something of an all-in-one device. You can also plug say a USB TV tuner and then you can record and pause live TV. Quite a lot of people probably bought PS3 to use as a Blu-ray player and also occasionally to double up as a gaming device.
Regarding homebrew, it doesn’t mean simply piracy. It can be applications and games designed by users to run on console. I like your Nintendo emulator analogy, quite funny, imagine the outrage by Sony if they didn’t get paid on Nintendo games that haven’t been ever on their platform directly.
the ps3 was plentsy fast back in the day. Stuff like an entry-level pentium 4 was easier to program for and whatnot, but wasn't really faster than the cell - again, the hardware wasn't the reason why otheros failed miserably. And as long as something like itunes can't be installed without a heap of tutorials to make it work on linux, you can kiss the idea of a "mainstream pc user" being content with linux goodbye.
but, let's recap the most important points, shall we?
- linux undermines sony's revenue by allowing people to get free software or by easily pirating it
- linux doesn't offer the compatibility nor the mainstream appeal and is all around insignificant for the pc market
- the same idea fell flat with the ps3
- no major os will ever run on the ps4 out of the box as their distributors aren't going to support sony
- even valve might be unwilling to help, given that their steambox plans might still be in the pipeline somewhere
- increased security risk due to a less controlable and more open architecture
- i can't emphasize this enough: Linux isn't a factor in the pc market and as long as sony gets nothing but linux, it won't ever be able to make the ps4 a competitor to a pc, period. And before you statr rambling on about a secondary pc: Who on earth would by a secondary pc that runs a different os from your main pc, if you can't easily switch software between the two pcs? (ignoring getting a mac for specific programs and stuff, but we're talking about linux here).
there is no, absolutely zero incentive for sony to put linux or any other os on the ps4, outside of a fistfull of additional hardware sales. Which, however, is offset by the necessary work to actually omplement a feature and a crapload of negative points about it.
i, personally, would love it if all consoles game with a feature to install a given operating system. But, i'd enjoy it for reasons that no console manufacturer would ever want to become a reality. So, yeah, i can see where that wishful thinking comes from, but for the love of god, try to keep that thought to the back of your head for a second and try to see it from sony's point of view: Is there a business case that'd cause them to properly introduce linux on the ps4? There simply isn't.
really, even though i'd like such a feature, i'd be laughing my butt off if sony did that. I'd point at them and luagh for an hour straight, as it would be the dumbest move ever, especially after they already fell on their faces with the same darn thing on the ps3.
/edit:
New, er, news.
Destructoid reported some of the specs they learned at GDC. They're talking about an eight-core processor clocked at 800 MHz. The processing power is supposedly somewhere around two TFLOPS for the processor alone. Calling BS on that last bit, though, that might be the overall system output, if that. Something might have been lost in translation/reporting somewhere, Sony might be throwing single-precision FLOPS calculations around (again), Destructoid might be writing strange stuff or something like that, but an 800 MHz Jaguar isn't outperforming an i7. Certainly not by a a factor of twenty.
PS3 processor is probably quite a bit faster than the one in PS4 at what it does best. However if OtherOS only has 256mb of ram with no GPU acceleration and part of the performance of PS3 professor which is not designed really for general computing then you have problems of being something that is far from ideal and ruins the experience. iTunes is not that important.
First point, which is what having any PC would do. GameOS would still be relevant as people will still get games on there and applications dedicated to take advantage of PS4 to its maximum and ease of use.
Linux distros do offer that mainstream appeal, it provides functions most people probably use rather conveniently. Same idea did fall flat due to poor implementation and removal due to security. Linux distros
I consider quite an important player in OS market. Look at BSD for example, PS3 uses it and so will PS4, Linux Distros are much more popular than BSD so there is always a use for them. Look at Samsung, they might push Tizen which is a Linux based OS. Android has Linux kernel and look how many people phones with that on. Am I also right in saying, people are buying a lot of tablets recently and I don’t think Windows ones are the ones selling the most.
Valve would most likely push it if they could, more people using Steam Platform the better it is for them. They won’t need to help anyway.
Regarding security risk, I think things will be much more isolated this time around. ARM TrustZone should also help out a lot.
Even if it is a really small factor, that could still mean millions of consoles being bought due to that reason. Also about secondary PC, it would be useful PC to have in living room on main TV. Most software required is probably media, office and web browsing.
More I think about it, the more it makes sense too. It could be a unique ‘PC’ platform for Sony to push and also for AMD as unified memory makes a difference to your typical computer. It could come down to about cost of console and if it is profitable on launch, whether they include such feature or not initially or at all. It would make sense from a business point of view, if it is profitable at launch. You may laugh, but as long as Microsoft don’t and Sony do, I don’t think they would mind so much.
Finally your edited part, that is regarding GPU. Clock speed of CPU will probably be around 1.6 to 2GHz.
Sorry but that's a ridiculous theory. Devs have been working on games more months/years, Sony can't just radically change the hardware once the Xbox is revealed then still release it 4 months later.
Also you'd have to be pretty naive to think Sony don't know what MS are doing and vice versa.
Nothing is really finalised yet. I think CPU clock speed is main thing that they are probably thinking to set. They can still change things around up until it goes into full production for the launch consoles. PS4 has changed quite a bit in the dev kits. They had at one point a faster CPU than they have currently but I think power consumption and heat is main reason for change. They have also reduced the memory bandwidth but increased to 8GB GDDR5 ram. All devs will probably know the minimum performance of console, I don't think Sony themselves know what they will be putting out in final console just yet. Quite a few things seem quite undecided on.
It will probably be more interesting regarding Microsoft's console, I think at the moment they are going to try and undercut Sony in price by using lower end GPU and cheaper ram. They may have a few surprises up their sleeves but the ones they have will most likely not be possible to react to and would probably require a big change from Sony.
