Lesson plan

OtherOS

OtherOS is a feature of early versions of Sony Computer Entertainment's PlayStation 3 video game console, allowing user-installed software, such as Linux or FreeBSD. Software running in the OtherOS environment has access to 6 of the 7 Synergistic Processing Elements. Sony implemented a hypervisor that restricts access to the RSX Reality Synthesizer graphics chip. IBM provided an introduction to programming parallel applications on the PlayStation 3. The feature was controversially removed by Sony since system firmware update 3.21, released on April 1, 2010. A class action lawsuit was filed against Sony on behalf of users, but was dismissed with prejudice in 2011 by a federal judge. The judge stated: "As a legal matter, ... plaintiffs have failed to allege facts or articulate a theory on which Sony may be held liable." However, this decision was overturned in a 2014 appellate court decision finding that plaintiffs had indeed made clear and sufficiently substantial claims. Ultimately, in 2016, Sony settled with users who had installed Linux or had purchased a PlayStation 3 based upon the availability of OtherOS. The settlement was then rejected in February 2017 by judge Yvonne Gonzalez, citing two problems: the lawyers' high fee percentage, and the users' difficulty in collecting. Sony responded in September 2017, offering each member of a single proposed class up to $65.…

Back to article

Article summary

OtherOS is a feature of early versions of Sony Computer Entertainment's PlayStation 3 video game console, allowing user-installed software, such as Linux or FreeBSD. Software running in the OtherOS environment has access to 6 of the 7 Synergistic Processing Elements. Sony implemented a hypervisor that restricts access to the RSX Reality Synthesizer graphics chip. IBM provided an introduction to programming parallel applications on the PlayStation 3. The feature was controversially removed by Sony since system firmware update 3.21, released on April 1, 2010. A class action lawsuit was filed against Sony on behalf of users, but was dismissed with prejudice in 2011 by a federal judge. The judge stated: "As a legal matter, ... plaintiffs have failed to allege facts or articulate a theory on which Sony may be held liable." However, this decision was overturned in a 2014 appellate court decision finding that plaintiffs had indeed made clear and sufficiently substantial claims. Ultimately, in 2016, Sony settled with users who had installed Linux or had purchased a PlayStation 3 based upon the availability of OtherOS. The settlement was then rejected in February 2017 by judge Yvonne Gonzalez, citing two problems: the lawyers' high fee percentage, and the users' difficulty in collecting. Sony responded in September 2017, offering each member of a single proposed class up to $65.…

Key claims

  1. release date: 2010-04-01 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  2. release date: 2006 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. The record states that the release date is "2010-04-01". What evidence would count against this claim?
  3. The record states that the release date is "2006". What evidence would count against this claim?
  4. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  5. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

  1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1378181236

Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.