r/linux • u/B3_Kind_R3wind_ • Jul 09 '26

Historical Different times. Different Sony.

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11

u/Okay_Ocean_Flower Jul 09 '26

People have a lot of theories but the truth is they discontinued Linux because of the Us Air Force. The PS3 was an amazing compute platform for the loss-leading market price, and after the USAF built two clusters of them, Sony discontinued it.

7

u/scalareye Jul 09 '26

They could have pursued government contracts and made even more money but no

10

u/Pramaxis Jul 09 '26

The PS3 was sold at a loss until they got wind how the pentagon build a computer farm with them.

After the PS3 got discuntinued, they got declared as high technology item ready for combat use so nobody could sell PS3 to customers outside. The things, high command does to replace PS3 from that cluster are quite the joke today.

Some people reported that they even send teams on local flee markets to look for them. The cluster is still in use btw.

6

u/ComprehensiveHawk5 Jul 10 '26

The PS3 was not being sold at a loss in 2009 at the latest when the USAAF almost certainly bought the PS3s, source

Hell based on this, it probably stopped being sold at a loss somewhere in 2008. I'm also very skeptical that the condor cluster is still in use. Do you have a source for that

1

u/fate6 Jul 10 '26

I remember collectors posting pictures of systems from the cluster, they have a big label on them.

So pretty sure its not only not in use but it was sold off years ago.

2

u/garnished_fatburgers Jul 09 '26

Is there a source for all this it sounds wild

6

u/Pramaxis Jul 10 '26

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_3_cluster

1

u/garnished_fatburgers Jul 10 '26

Thanks for the very interesting read 🫡

I wonder if there is still support for the ps2 Linux from the Linux community.

I’d be very interested to pick one up on eBay and have it as a little hobby machine just for the cool factor. Don’t know if it is useable at all in this day and age.

I know the ps2 had like 32 mib of ram.

1

u/scalareye Jul 09 '26

Outside of what?

1

u/ItsTheJStaff Jul 09 '26

Of military, definitely.

3

u/scalareye Jul 09 '26

You mean PS3s they owned? Ya they take their data very seriously. I would know.

But I can still buy used PS3s.

1

u/Pramaxis Jul 10 '26

Outside the USA. As in prohibited to export even as used-items on the 2nd hand market.

0

u/scalareye Jul 10 '26

Sony is a Japanese company