Something about $ony without $

在小心翼翼的确认过自己的T43电池不在召回范围之后，我松了一口气，否则在出差之前断然无望换掉这个定时炸弹了...随即读到了$ony因为此次召回事件今年无望盈利的消息。我对$ony的感情略好过M$, 属于既爱又恨，它在Legends of Uninnovate占有一席之地是丝毫不奇怪的，其让人恨得牙根痒痒的垄断行为最新表现大概就是PSP用户为了夺回"自己的"PSP所有权不得不进行可歌可泣的长期斗争。

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Sony and its attempts to lock users out of their PSPs:

March 2005

• PSP Released in America. Firmware version is 1.00.
• PSP version 1.50 released by Sony.

May 2005

• A method discovered to run homebrew software on PSP version 1.00.
• PSP version 1.51 released by Sony.

June 2005

• A method discovered to run homebrew software on PSP version 1.50.
• PSP version 1.52 released by Sony.

August 2005

• PSP version 2.00 released by Sony.

September 2005

• A method discovered to run homebrew software on PSP version 2.00.

October 2005

• PSP version 2.01 released by Sony.
• PSP version 2.50 released by Sony.

November 2005

• PSP version 2.60 released by Sony.

December 2005

• A method discovered to run homebrew software on PSP versions up to 2.60.

April 2006

• PSP version 2.70 released by Sony.

June 2006

• PSP version 2.71 released by Sony.

August 2006

• PSP version 2.80 released by Sony.
• A method discovered to run homebrew software on PSP versions up to 2.80.

September 2006

• PSP version 2.81 released by Sony.

Summary:

• Number of PSP versions, including 1.00: 12
• Number of PSP updates that purposely broke homebrew support: 11
• Number of PSP updates solely intended to prevent homebrew: 4 (1.51, 1.52, 2.01, 2.81)
• Longest amount of time the newest firmware prevented homebrew: 4 months

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在Crowdsourcing Rising的今天，连IBM都慢慢转过身来顺应历史潮流，甚至准备在线开放专利申请，在MD, Network Walkman屡战屡败的$ony依然固执于包办所有无论擅长或拙劣的领域，实在让人费解。有关PSP令人发指的传言还有很多，如果全部属实用罄竹难书形容绝不为过，比如限制CPU主频，限制PSP播放mpeg4视频的分辨率以保住UMD Movie的竞争力(结果不奇怪，UMD Movie还是完了)，拒绝提供API防止插件厂商先于自己生产出PSP键盘...

我相信所有的公司多多少少都会有千秋万代一统江湖的痴心妄想，前车之鉴足够深刻的水果牌也依然在iPod上显示出试图垄断者的唐吉坷德式的勇气，但是在Embrace Change这一点上，Apple比$ony要清醒的多，借着iTune模式搞定了前赴后继打击p2p的娱乐巨头，也没有傻到不支持mp3，甚至给mac提供了bootcamp, 你喜欢hack么？欢迎之至，给你一个官方hack吧。回头看看$ony对PSP非官方软件的态度，真是让人唏嘘不已。

作为一个后知后觉的数码产品消费者，我愚钝的坚持认为，如果死不瞑目的MD当初被开放，不仅是音乐随身听市场，它甚至可能成为事实上的便携数据平台；如果因为缺少游戏性而处境尴尬的PSP被开放，它可能早已成为统治性的便携娱乐和信息终端。我不知道$ony的Big brother情结是否强大到了无视历史潮流的地步，用不着V们费心，$ony的大厦恐怕自己就要倒掉了，到时候多半连用老柴的序曲做丧钟的资格都没有。