I was replying to Flying Gerbils "stupid question".
I'm with RockyRan. Sony actively went out and included an OtherOS option to facilitate homebrew. They did similar with Yahtzee for PSone and the Linux powered PS2 (even without the Linux version the PS2 launched with a disc that had coding tools to make simple programs and games with). It's not like Sony is actively anti-homebrew. Don't see any other console officially running a regular OS.
And pretty much no one used it. Uni's n scientists pretty much (and I'm unsure if that's even running through OtherOS or a PS3 completely free of XMB FW altogether). If people wanted more of the machines power (which the extra SPE is even locked off from regular developers) to mess with, why they picking a system with 256MB of RAM? Homebrew is working with what you've got, rather than the easier n more obvious solution of making it on the open PC. There was, and still is, very little need to fully crack open the PS3.
The crack was pretty much developed for piracy. He's not a fucking retard, he knows that that's what it would be used for. As I mentioned here or another thread it's a bit weird how the 360 has a thing you can do with it's DVD drive to make it play pirated games, and no one has really looked at it to crack open the software onboard. Stick a web browser on, better twitter client. PS3 comes with an option at launch to let you run a linux OS and the software that comes with that. And it then gets cracked open too. It's pretty clear that homebrew is a flimsy shield from which folks like GeoHot hide behind.
Now thing here is we get taught UK computer law, and as I understand ours is a bit more refined than the US. And also differs in a few areas. I'm unsure which areas though, so in regards to this it may be the same.
Here it's okay to mod your consoles. It is not okay to modify someone elses console. It is not okay to reverse engineer or bypass a security system put in place.
Now not only did he reverse engineer n bypass the security systems n such in place, he distributed it. (which also tends to come under copyright infringement laws too if you're a smart lawyer. Maybe some on patents too)