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OSx86 Library


Tim Smart
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Hello all.

 

Behind the scenes a few InsanelyMac community members have been working on something that we hope you will all find useful. Here is a little explanation:

 

Earlier on this year I started development on a web-based system that would record hardware items and their details. After telling Sabr about this, he quickly approved of the idea and said he would love to take it on board and help develop it with me. I worked on it some more until it got to the stage where most of the system was done and functional, but the website was looking a bit rough, so Sabr pointed out that he could do some design work for it. After some discussion he pulled out a template he had worked on previously, and we decided to integrate the system into the design. At this point we all got a bit busy and progress was halted, but resumed a few months after. A few more tweaks were made, some UI changes executed and some useful input from Suhail to ensure security was upheld. Now we think it is ready for people to start using.

 

At the moment, you can use this site to look through, submit and edit hardware information for all to see. In the long term, we want this site to aid in coming up with compatible system configurations and making decisions on purchasing hardware easier for all OSx86 users. It is still a work in progress, but we wanted to release the hardware database for use as soon as possible. In terms of future updates, we have a few things lined up that will benefit anyone using or considering OSx86 immensely. We are certain you will enjoy them. Please note that this site in no way should be considered a replacement for InsanelyMac (it never will be), but just an addition to help improve documentation of all things related to OSx86.

 

We hope this contribution for all the OSx86 users out there will aid in the development of future updates and projects, and also help in making the OSx86 experience an easier, more enjoyable one. Our goal is to "Simplify the installation of OSx86, so more people can experience the beauty of Mac OS X". On behalf of the developers, please enjoy using this site as much as we did making it!

 

Link: http://www.osx86library.com/

 

Developers:

  • Suhail - Useful input on PHP and hosting
  • Tim Smart (me) - All coding
  • Sabr - Design and graphics

Hardware database moderators:

  • MasterofComputers
  • SkyHighMac

Almost forgot - beta tester:

  • Awesomo

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so first of all, i enjoyed reading the post, and even more to browse the site the eye candy design is finger licking,

i added this site to my OSX search engine i recently published, and added a post in my forums and blogs to encourage people to submit their hardware configuration, up until now i always suggested to first check th HCL but now i guess we will have another resource.

 

thanks a lot guys,

Good Work.

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We have done some necessary updates:

-Added support for Device / Vendor ID's, which we should have had in the first place

-Hardware counter on the Hardware section start page.

-General tidy up for viewing hardware items.

 

Updates coming:

-Build section for hardware

 

Enjoy!

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Congrats bro, just dont give up on this. I think we had a solution like this previously, which died down soon. I would love to see this replace the wiki.

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I love it

bookmarked here too, nice work guys

 

Suggestions:

for download section you guys can separe it by combo updates (kaly, jas, others), drivers and etc

 

this has strong potential for go ahead :D

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Hey guys - just wanted to say thanks for all the lovely comments and suggestions. We definitely have some cool ideas lined up which should definitely help those who are new to OSx86 and those who are old. :)

 

- Sabr.

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Oh I forgot to point out, if you see any bugs or things that you feel need improving, please either post them in this thread or send me a PM. We are always wanting to make your experience nicer :)

 

Also, thanks to all who have submitted hardware items!

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Hey, great idea! However, I'd like to share something that I've learned in software development at work: text entry boxes = bad, pick lists = good.

 

The reason for this is confusion. If you have a text entry box for, let's say, bus connector, you'll end up with a dozen different things to search for. E.g.:

AGP

agp

PCIe

PCI-E

PCIE

PCIExpress

PCI-Express

etc.

 

You need to limit things to what we call "pick lists," or selection boxes, as much as possible. Specifically, I'd limit the Manufacturer and Bus or Connection Type to the most common ones. Chances are, if it's not a mainstream brand, it won't work anyway, so I wouldn't worry about getting all the brands in there.

 

Also, what fields are optional/required? Make sure important ones (device ID, bus, category, mode) are required, and show that clearly. Also, maybe in the future you can allow for attachments, for prefixed kexts that are necessary for a lot of audio and networking devices! Maybe also some functionality for EFI string generation in the future. Hey, that's a good idea! Users submit the plist info for the hardware, and then others can "add hardware to their cart," then the site can generate and let them download a com.apple.Boot.plist that's got all the EFI strings they need in it!

 

But those are just my suggestions, and I'm sure some will require a lot of work. It's a GREAT idea, and will be VERY helpful! :D

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Hey, great idea! However, I'd like to share something that I've learned in software development at work: text entry boxes = bad, pick lists = good.

 

The reason for this is confusion. If you have a text entry box for, let's say, bus connector, you'll end up with a dozen different things to search for. E.g.:

AGP

agp

PCIe

PCI-E

PCIE

PCIExpress

PCI-Express

etc.

 

You need to limit things to what we call "pick lists," or selection boxes, as much as possible. Specifically, I'd limit the Manufacturer and Bus or Connection Type to the most common ones. Chances are, if it's not a mainstream brand, it won't work anyway, so I wouldn't worry about getting all the brands in there.

 

Also, what fields are optional/required? Make sure important ones (device ID, bus, category, mode) are required, and show that clearly. Also, maybe in the future you can allow for attachments, for prefixed kexts that are necessary for a lot of audio and networking devices! Maybe also some functionality for EFI string generation in the future. Hey, that's a good idea! Users submit the plist info for the hardware, and then others can "add hardware to their cart," then the site can generate and let them download a com.apple.Boot.plist that's got all the EFI strings they need in it!

 

But those are just my suggestions, and I'm sure some will require a lot of work. It's a GREAT idea, and will be VERY helpful! :D

 

I had thought about using pick lists instead of text boxes in some cases, except all submissions get moderated anyway. If we were letting people add info straight to the database, then we would certainly put more restrictions in place. Required fields: Manufacturer, Model. All other fields are a bit skeptical, as some are relevant to certain devices and some are not. Also if a submission is not up to standard, the moderators don't accept it. Thanks for you valuable input though :(

 

That plist idea is good, I might talk to Sabr about it and we could integrate it into the new Build feature we are working on. Also we are thinking of a decent file attachment system atm, which will also be part of the Downloads section. Don't quite know yet the expected release time of them, but expect them soon!

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  • 7 months later...
Just what happened here? we're all in the dark.

 

We are still running, about to release the Build feature for Hardware, lets you Build a system from our database.

 

We also have a few updates coming soon, such as a Digg-like news system, Downloads section, and a 'Library' section for tutorials.

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Guest Abyssian
Just what happened here? we're all in the dark.

 

Hi Hagar,

 

Did the InsanelyMac management rip off the OSx86 Library's content and implemented it in your/their OSx86 database?

 

Thanks,

Abyssian

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