[yellowdog-announce] OtherOS functionality removed April 1st in PS3 firmware 3.21

[Announce List for all Fixstars Solutions products (moderated)]

Yellow Dog Linux Enthusiasts,

Sony has announced that the the 3.21 firmware that will be released on
April 1st 2010 will remove the OtherOS feature on old, large form factor
PLAYSTATION(R) 3s. This will affect all versions of all Linux
distributions for the PS3 including YDL and YDEL. If you upgrade to
the new firmware, you will NOT be able to run Yellow Dog Linux.

IMPORTANT: If continued use of Linux on your PS3 is desired, do not
update the firmware on your PS3 after March 31 2010.

By not updating your firmware, the following features will not be available:

* Ability to sign in to PlayStation Network and use network features
that require signing in to PlayStation Network, such as online features
of PS3 games and chat
* Playback of PS3 software titles or Blu-ray Disc videos that require
PS3 system software version 3.21 or later
* Playback of copyright-protected videos that are stored on a media
server (when DTCP-IP is enabled under Settings)
* Use of new features and improvements that are available on PS3 system
software 3.21 or later

Fixstars remains committed to providing updates and support for it's
PowerPC and Cell Linux products through the end of the scheduled
lifetime. For YDL 6.2, updates will continue until the end of July 2010
and for YDEL 6.1, updates will continue until end of April 2012.

For more information about the new firmware, please visit:

SCEA (US):
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2010/03/28/ps3-firmware-v3-21-update/

SCEE (EU):
http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2010/03/29/ps3-firmware-3-21-coming-april-1st/

Sincerely,
The Fixstars Linux Team