The PS3 has been out for almost two years now, so it’s sorta odd to see a Popular Mechanics article explaining, in painful detail, how to install Linux on the system. But lo and behold, here we are.
As you know by now, pretty much all you have to do to turn your PS3 into a fully functional computer—OpenOffice, Firefox, etc.—is download the PS3 version of Ubuntu, backup all your saves onto an external drive, then choose “install other OS.” Again, given a simple Google search for “how to install linux ps3,” it’s weird to see Popular Mechanics doing such an article now.
Maybe it has to do with the fact that they’re giving one away? Some prize.
Actually, you can create a partition for the hard drive so you don’t have to back up your saved games (it’s still a good idea though.) This way, you can play games and use Linux. Also, Linux’s “Yellow Dog” supposedly has tech support specifically for PS3 users.
Thanks for the picture credit…