Today Sony's Satoshi Hashimoto, in an interview with Impress Watch, confirmed that Sony will not be removing the OtherOS and Linux functionality in old (non-Slim) PlayStation 3 consoles.
Until now, many feared Sony would remove the functionality from older PS3 systems via PS3 Firmware 3.0 or a future update.
Additionally, he stated that there isn't an issue with the feature leaving a security hole with the system.
To quote Andriasang.com (linked above): "Rest assured, this will not happen. Sony's Satoshi Hashimoto, in an interview with Impress Watch, said that Sony will not be removing the feature, which he refers to as "Other OS functionality."
He also assured readers that there currently isn't a problem with the feature leaving a security hole with the system."