If you didn’t already know what Linux is, it is essentially an operating system like Windows. There are slight differences with the way things are laid out, but for the most part, the two operating systems are the same. The only difference is in the price, where with Windows you have to pay hundreds of dollars, Linux is completely free and available for download all over the web.

Linux is designed for PCs, but specific versions can be installed on your PS3 to turn it into a super computer of sorts. While you can install Ubuntu, Redhat, Kubuntu, and even Fedora, the best distro to choose is Yellow Dog Linux. The reasoning is that Sony commissioned Yellow Dog directly to build it for the PS3.

Installing Yellow Dog Linux on your PS3 is quite simple. You’ll want to make a quick backup of all your save files first. Not that anything can go wrong, but just in case. On your PS3, go to “System Settings” and then select the “Format Utility” option. A popup window should ask if you want to go ahead and format your hard drive. Click the “Yes:” option. When prompted for partition sizes, select “Custom” and then allocate 10 GB to a new partition.

Go ahead and insert your Yellow Dog ISO disc into your PS3. If you haven’t downloaded it yet, just search the web and burn it to disk using something like Daemon Tools. In your PS3’s menu, go to “System Settings” one more time and then there should be an option to “Install another operating system.” Obviously this is the option we want! Then the system will search for images of the operating system and find our disk.

You will then be guided through the entire installation process in the same way as if you were installing Linux or Windows on a standard PC. During this time, any PS3 controllers will stop working, so make sure you have a mouse plugged into the USB port, otherwise we’ll have to start over!

Make sure you have plenty of time to sit down and watch the operating system install. It can take a long time and during the installation you cannot touch your PS3 at all. Even unplugging a USB stick or external hard drive will cause the installation process to fail and you will have to start over.

Once the process is complete, you should now have a dual boot PS3. You can boot into the standard PS3 operating system to play games, or your fresh yellow dog install to use your PS3 like a normal home computer.