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What would you PAY for a LEGIT copy of MacOSx86?


René Kåbis
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If the whole OS were free (as in "freedom"), let's say released under the GPL or any other license respecting the four liberties, I'd pay for it up to 250€. If only the graphic interface was released in free terms, I'd pay up to 150€ for it.

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After a month experience with the dev kit I'd go up to a double windoze price an still consider it a good purchase. I wouldn't mind installing anti virus spam blah blah software to make it secure (ain't we doing that already!?). Since it's based on BSD I think it's definately more secure than windoze. I would even consider paying for all the software I use damnit!!

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Unfortunately, what you forget is that once OSX goes mainstream, it will become the next target for crackers and virii and security holes as well. There just isn't enough market share for OSX now to make it worth while to infect.

 

Look at Firefox - it was touted as this really secure, better than IE browser, and it too has had its share of releasese to fix some security holes. And its still only has less than 15% share.

 

Hopefully development efforts and foresight for security will outpace the popularity.

 

Even so, it won't stop me from paying ~$100 for an official copy of OSx86.

 

The main reason Windows is insecure is the way Microsoft wrote the kernel and other system files. Want access to the system, throw too much data to this and it crashes, resulting in full access. The only way for Microsoft to change this (and they are working on it) is to totally re-write those parts of the OS. The problem with this is that it can and does break existing software which depend on the parts that are being re-written.

 

Hopefully Apple has written their kernel and other system files differently, so that if it's discovered that the kernel can allow a process through, they can totally re-write it and not affect too much. Not that Apple cares, though, they would do it anyways (see 10.4.1 to 10.4.2 where software broke and stopped working).

 

Microsoft is notorious for legacy support, Apple is notorious for killing off legacy support. Sometimes, losing that support benefits everyone by eliminating the problems associated with supporting EVERYTHING.

 

That said, I own Mac computers, so buying the Mac OS doesn't make sense for me. I also think if Apple released OS X for public x86 machines, it wouldn't be priced at the current prices. Look at Windows XP OEM vs. Retail pricing. OEM is like buying OS X for your Mac. Retail would be like buying OS X for your generic x86 box.

 

I'd say Apple would charge a price in-line (but less) than the retail price of Windows XP Pro (or maybe Home).

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$500

 

I want to run OSX... but I won't buy mac hardware. I prefer to pick and match my hardware components individually. Far more fun that way.

 

Always my biggest issue with Mac's... they seem more like consumer electronics than computers.. wheres the fun in that?

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I think that would depend on the level of support provided by Apple. This could actually be a huge cash boon for their genius bar. They could sell a few different versions:

 

Same price as PPC version, but no additional support from Apple.

Add $100 for help installing on a white box system.

Add another $100 for a year of AppleCare type support.

 

I for one am addicted to contstantly tweaking my hardware, I take pride in building systems from the ground up, and this is simply something you can not do with Apple hardware. I mean lets face facts. So far up to 10.4.3, most of us with modern equipment have been able to get it running and running darn well. About the only piece of software I have problems with it my Tivo software, and of course Flash which is Macromedia's problem not Appple.

 

I think most Apple fans are hardcore enough that much like you see modding and watercooling and the like on the Windoze side of things, I think Mac modders would leave them in the dust!

 

Sure, sell your pre-made iMacs and MacBooks, but let the true geeks legally buy the OS, let us worry about getting it running. I know it doesn't count for much, but I like to consider myself an honest person. When I got started on the osx86 project I actually went out and bought a copy of Tiger for PPC. Apple software programmers have worked long and hard on this and they deserve to get paid, but one of my biggest complaints about Apple was the inability to really tweak out your machine.

 

Yes, when the base MacBook comes out and if it is along the same price point as the current iBook, I will be getting one. I always treat a laptop as a secondary device though. My pride and joys have always been my home system, something that I select what I feel are the best mobo's and cpu's and peripherals.

 

Sorry guess I got into a bit of a rant there, well anyway there is my two cents.

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a nice move would be this one:

 

opensource the os X - to improve driver support for the plethora of hardware in Intel world

allow personal building of software to install (ISOs blah blah)

forbid selling preinstalled PCs with the OS

forbid selling physical media (CDs, DVDs) with the OS

 

reduce the price on the hardware :)

 

this way, they will satisfy people like us, because many of us have skills to build the system from source and also they will keep (if not increase, having a higher number of eyes seeing their OS) their user mass, because most of them are unable to build up their own system (hardware AND software).

 

millions of windows preinstalled PCs are sold worldwide, why isn't apple clever to open up to this market too? (people buy windows licenses because they want to be on the legal side, they want support or they don't have time/reason/knowledge to pirate it)

as a mac fan, you can still have your pride, which comes from the hardware, not the software. come one, how many of mac users worldwide do know that there is BSD under the cover? moreover, how many of them know what is BSD ? :)

of course, I (and others) am/are a little biased because we want to have our very own mac, built by us, instead of spending the money on overpriced (in intel world i think it's a little overpriced) hardware :)

Edited by sigxcpu
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I agree with the original poster.

I am a A+ certified computer user and I make many home computer house calls.

I've been using PC's all my life only because that is all I have ever known.

I am sick of windows.

They charge me a hefty cost for a OS that is vulnerable as all hell, and don't do anything about the millions of clients they have that don't know how to protect themselves against virus and etc.

Just as of this week I have experienced the beauty of the mac os and I am a changed person.

Name your price apple.

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I have several dell computer running Debian and still I had to pay for Windows. no way to buy without the OS. We all guess why is that way. :pirate2:

 

I would pay €99 (about $119).

 

I will also buy apple equipment, just because I like it and do not ming to pay, let say, 100 more. But I understand those who prefer to build their own systems. I use to be that way. But now I guess I am becoming too old. Too bad. ;)

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IF Apple would take the smart move, and develop OSx86 for third party hardware (ie P4, AMD based boxes), the price would be higher than the 139$ for the ppc version. There is far more development, and even more periphials, chipsets and so on, that would have to work as well.

A reasonable price, i think, would be 259,95$US

But then they would also have to bother with the amount of illegal copies that would go around, but if microsoft got so huge, with an OS so stinky :blink: , Apple could realy dig well in to the cake, and earn a dime or two!

 

They could still use the community to test, and develop, OSx86 and sell it for a developer/betatester discount price, and gain alot of both credit, and dedicated work on tuning an "mainstreaming" their OS.

 

As for now, I am stuck whith the best legal working OS for PC, DEBIAN :angel:

 

- Pete

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I'd be willing to pay up to €300 for the OS to install it on hardware that I pick.

 

I'm pretty sure that hardcore Apple fans will still buy Apple's hardware so they will still be making money out of those people (heck, people are buying iPod's while there are cheaper and better mp3-players out there). People like me who like to pick their own hardware would be additional revenue as far as I can see.

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I really dont know.. iam windows sick too and i can do almost everything with it. click click. many free apps etc..

MacOs: always wants me to buy programs, and very few free apps, stupid file manager. And i think the MacOs for girls. I feel lucky that i could try it on Pc because i would never pay for it.

If you can manage the windows it can be a really stable system.

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