EFiX: OSx86 gone commercial?

-While this device may allow OS 10 to be installed, won't the driver situation be just like that of the OSx86 project?

-How will Apple respond to this?

 

For me those two questions are important.

 

If I have to use "custom" drivers just like we use in our OSx86 installs, what's the real advantage for me? Specially because in my case I can run vanilla kernel? Besides, I do not pay anything today...

 

And if they gonna charge for this thing, in my head I can already imagine the noise this will cause inside Apple. They won't leave this so easely IMO.

Hey wait a second, what can Apple really do about this? Is it illegal to have EFI for regular pc's? Unless thats illegal then they can't really do much about it right? They r going to have to go after those that use it to install OS X on their machines which they can't really do.

To boot I will need the USB connected after the installation?

 

If yes, Why Should I use it?

Apple will just laugh at this PC enthusiast (not our OSX86) community where it is so fragmented by its own success of the PC architecture. All board manufacturers try to differentiate themselves with BIOS tweakers here and there. Throw in the weight of two giant heavy weights ATI and NVidia, ones that have distinctively different approach to graphics, ATA, SATA, sound and network- and you have complete inaccordance.

What we need to have is governing body to set standards of EFI (like those of USB and IEEE) for everyone to follow. Or pay up the royalties and use Intel's EFI. Board manufacturers have been doing this with the chipsets from Intel.

About this EFiX thing. Nothing can stop this company selling their product. They didn't break any law or EULA. All they do is making a device emulating EFI for BIOS system (I am assuming there is nothing else than EFI emulator for any OSes in the device). The only thing that possibly causes a problem for them is that they encourage others to break a contract with a third party (in this case, Apple Inc.) in their advertisement. This practice of consumer torture has been done everyday in U.S. anyway. (Mobile phone, telephone, credit card companies et cetera.) It is not a severe legal problem. It is just unethical. Once it is challenged in court, it won't be help up in my opinion.

1ker, that's pretty legal, EULA says u can't isntall it on Apple LABELED computer (not a Apple MANUFACTURED computer), with every leopard retail disk u gets two copy sticks with Apple Label, so jsut puting them on your PC will make your PC apple labeled, and all's Legal

A funny interpretation on label you got there. Your claim may hold for you, possibly not in court. The real trouble about Apple-labeled computer is that Apple didn't define what Apple-labeled computer is in its Mac OS X EULA. (For you this might help: it's like using a variable without declaring and initializing it.) That does not mean one can interpret the phrase in his favor. And on top of that, even if Apple-labeled computer means Apple hardware, the clause is not a law; it is just a clause in a contract, which never has been tested. So there is no legal or illegal about it yet.

The label thing is a myth.. every lawyer I've presented that argument to (ok all 3 of them ) laughed at it and said that the reasonable interpretation of "Apple Labelled" is "Labelled by Apple", i.e. Apple branded. No-one seriously believes you can "go legal" by sticking a sticker on your machine. The issues lie elsewhere, with things like the viability of the eula as a post-sales contract etc.

Lately, I noted that if anything is announced that could help spread OSX to more people is negatively accepted?

 

Remember, is Apple's fault, with their high prices and lack of hardware variety that pretty much created the OSX86 movement.

 

If this thing works, more power to it.

 

Psystar? great for them for trying, except for the part of no giving it dues to the people that worked so hard on bringing OSX to PC's.

 

Me? I always liked Mac's, since the original Mac and never agreed with their prices. So any cheap way i can get OSX, I will go for it.

 

Also, do you guys think that Apple is that stupid?

 

They know about this place, Psystar and now this people and guess what? they wont do much, since they know that we are expanding their user base and that will help sell more stuff under the OSX banner.

 

So, let’s be more positive in anything that can help us install, use OSX on our pc's

Украина

 

They spelled Ukraine in Russian. Those {censored}s. *shakes fist*

Just 2 questions?

 

1. Why is it not sold to Brazil?

2. Why is it not sold in the web via paypal or anything like that

3. Would Insanelly members get a discount?

 

 

The 3 is not a question is more like a demand

 

I'll make friends with an Apple Store employee and ask him to place a label on my case. Labeled by Apple? I think so!

You are on Gizmodo!!

So it is a USB device... how can a USB device alter how the disc loads? It has to just be boot software that the install disc loads through, so regardless of where it is sold, I think we can expect to see the software show up on TPB or the green demon as images to install to thumb drives.

 

Any thoughts? Am I wrong in thinking this?

No, I think that's pretty much it. As far as any of us knows. Netkas would be best at explaining exactly what it is since he may be the only person in possession of the device itself.

Maybe the developers of EFiX will give you to choose : USB device with ready software or just download their software and there will be some kind of explanation how to use it without their exact device. Maybe, maybe not

i did test with installing it to main system.

 

burned some 10.5.0 to dvd-dl for it.

 

I installed it to hdd, formated as guid, then booted jsut installed system with efix and...it booted just fine.

 

I only had to install audio driver for my hda, All other things worked jsut fine, update to 10.5.3 was like I am mac user, that was cool.

 

and, this usb thing insert to usb port on mobo.

 

 

Does this mean the dongle plugs straight into a USB header on the motherboard and not into a USB port on the backplane?

If this is meant for retail OS X DVDs I don't see why Apple would be very concerned anyhow.

I think the whole question of "Will Apple respond to this?" is ridiculous. No, Apple will not respond to this until the day that an average person (i.e. anyone not a member of a computer related forum, and does not visit one frequently as a guest) goes into Best Buy and buys a Intel Windows PC, then walks next door to the Apple Store, and buys a copy of OS X to install on it.

 

Apple will pull a "Bud Selig." They will ignore the problem (not saying we are one) and deny any existence of the phenomenon known as OSx86 until that moment previously described happens. Then Apple will again pull the "Bud Selig" and say this problem has been an on going battle from the beginning and we (Apple) have been constantly entrenched in fighting the bad guys (us) that damage our products (OS X) integrity. Apple will puff out its chest, and crack down hard on any annoying fly (to them, netkas, jas, etc.) that they can get a hold of. That fly (again, in their eyes, in yours and mine, they are gods) will then be taken behind the scenes and asked to repent and do a fake / insincere public apology to make it look like Apple is actually doing something about the "problem." Apple will not go after Pystar (or however the hell you spell their stupid name that I don't even know how to correctly pronounce) or the manufacturer's of EFI-X because that would not be setting an example to the usual culprits, the USERS, ala the people they want to please in the first place...

 

In case you did not pick up on the similarities and the naming of the "Bud Selig," I am comparing Apple's current and most likely future actions to Major League Baseball and the dope of a commissioner Bud Selig...

 

My 2 cents, and fun little rant for the day.

 

Cody

If your argument is that Apple won't care because this way, people will buy OS X discs, that's stoopid. People who are willing to buy some form of mod-chip thingie (whether that's in form of a USB-stick or a thing that plugs onto the motherboard doesn't matter) to run a probably non-legal installation of Mac OS X are _highly_ unlikely to actually _buy_ a license for a product that *states* it is for real Macs only. And let's not forget: It's *quite* stupid to believe that slapping an Apple sticker on your PC and buying an OS X license would make your use of OS X on a PC legal. If it ain't illegal, it's still cheating. Unless it really _is_ just a hobby, you ARE a cheater. Just like me.

 

It's like those incredistoopid guys that get their nephews to sign for an EDU-license of Adobe Creative Suite 3 that they themselves use professionally. Why not pirate the product in the first place? I somehow find that more honest even...

 

So... Apple either _will_ care, because it means much more pirating and quite probably a hit in actual Mac sales, internationally, or they won't – because their momentum is great atm, anyway. But don't argue it as something "half-legal". You should be/are worth more.

This is just EFI on a USB chip. If you downloading one of the DVD releases anyway then it probably won't be of any advantage to you anyway.

 

 

However it emulates or bypasses the EFI is bound to have as many problems as the fixes we already have. And they aren't going to be very popular when people realize that it doesn't actually make your computer run OSX well unless you miraculously have no need for patched drivers.

hey, the whole thing is fishy to me. look from this point:

it wont install any drivers since retail dvd doesnt have it, right?

it only EMULATES the efi thru the USB stick, so u have to actually have it all the time in the usb and dont even try to tell that this doesnt lower the performance(translating efi routines to the bios thru USB port and back)

apple doesnt have any monopoly for the EFI. its just other architecture-like BIOS in pc's that stopped being develeoped ages ago- only apple sticked to that and now, even pc motherboard manufacurers are coming back to EFI, like MSI:

 

http://xtreview.com/addcomment-id-4073-vie...I-efi-bios.html

 

and the last thing is the company isnt doing nothing illegal since are not they, who install leo on pc's. WE ARE, they just made a chip which allows us do to so, but its you(and me:P) who break the eula by installing osx and using this chip.

so, i will stick to osx86 and maybe to real mac in a future. ohhhh and the lack of it in US... where the apple have the biggest power? in USA. its obvious that its much more diffcult to chase a company for example in russia than in US, where apple headquarters are....

personally i wanted to check the their site but its offline....

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Possibly the USB stick would inject some EFI emulation software into the hard drive when your installing from the retail DVD, so you wouldn't need to keep it in all the time.

All you guys might be wrong it might be some actual hardware EFI you need instead of software who knows.

I do not like this one bit

Let's wait 'til 23 june to see the real results