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  • Swad

    Linux and the iMac

    By Swad, in OSx86,

    Our friends over at the “Mactel-Linux Project” (well, ok, we don’t actually know them – but with the commonalities in our name, how can we not love them?!) have revealed their success with booting linux on one of the new iMacs. From their wiki:
     
    Using elilo and a modified Linux kernel, we can boot from a USB hard disk on the 17" iMac Core Duo. We are using the hacked vesafb driver to inherit the bootloader's framebuffer. Gentoo runs and can compile the Linux kernel.
     
    They also have an FAQ and HOWTO on their site, so check out their progress and see what you think!
     
    EDIT: Haha - I actually did know the guy who runs that site and didn't know it!
  • Swad
    As most of you know, two days ago we were contacted by an Apple representative concerning links, posted by our members, to the newest patches by Maxxuss on his site. Since the beginning, we have made it known that we would be very willing to work with Apple regarding any concerns they had with their intellectual property and this site (I actually wrote Steve about it a few months ago… but that's another story...). After speaking with the lawyer representing Apple, we've removed the handful of links to Maxxuss' website from the Forum.
     
    Apple is certainly well within their rights to protect their OS and we have always supported them in this effort. Our first-class moderating staff has helped ensure that direct links to any patches are not allowed. We have in the past linked to the homepage of Maxxuss - but not to the offending 10.4.4 patches - in the interest of news, but we've removed those links just in case.
     
    News of Apple's DMCA concerns with the links on our site have traveled far and wide over the past 24 hours. Most major tech news site have covered it in one way or another, some accurately, some not. I'd like to be clear regarding the history of this site. Back in the summer, after Steve announced the Intel transition and the Net was filled with rumors of faked leaks, it became apparent to a few of us that the transition was one that many people would want to discuss. We first started the wiki, then the forum, then the full-fleged news portion of the site. Since that time, we've been recognized as the leader in discussion of all things "OS X on x86" related.
     
    This site was not founded to be a "watercooler for hackers" as CNet posited. Instead, it was simply meant to be welcoming Mac community for switchers and experts alike. We think that we've accomplished that goal - a large portion of our forum membership is comprised of new iMac users who have commented on the accepting ethos of our forum. We welcome everyone. Of course the hackers came (as we knew they would) but as long as they accepted the rules, they were welcomed as well. It's also important to note that situations like this, in which members post questionable material and the site is served with legal notices, are not uncommon; a similar situation occured in the early days with Neowin and Microsoft.
     
    So that's the story. Apple doesn't "have it in" for our site; they were simply concerned with a few links posted by our members. Those links have been removed and we're back.
     
    Thanks for your patience with this matter, and to those who are new... welcome to the most talked-about forum on Earth right now.
  • Swad

    Apple Seeks (Poetic) Justice

    By Swad, in OSx86,

    Oh, Apple, how do we love thee? Let me count the ways...
     
    We reported a few weeks ago about Apple’s hidden message to hackers within the hardware restrictions of OS X. It wasn’t much, but “Dont Steal Mac OS X.kext” was a shot across the bow of would-be hackers. (Perhaps it should have had the extension .kthnks?)
     
    Today, maxxuss sends word that a few pieces of OS X look for a secret message in “commpage” that gets decrypted via the TPM… basically a decoder ring for geeks. It seems that Apple wasn’t just content with sending an obvious message – they wanted one that sounded pretty too.
     
    Your karma check for today:
    There once was a user that whined
    his existing OS was so blind,
    he'd do better to pirate
    an OS that ran great
    but found his hardware declined.
    Please don't steal Mac OS!
    Really, that's way uncool.
    © Apple Computer, Inc.
     
    While this is obviously not the work of Milton or Wordsworth, you’ve got to give mad props to the Apple designers for taking the time to put their warning in verse.
     
    In this spirit, we would like to humbly offer up our own poem to the developers of the “OS that ran great.”
     
    Rime of the Ancient Hacker
    There once was a hacker named Maxxuss
    who Steve did not think was a genius.
    But Steve pondered awhile,
    grabbed the phone with a smile,
    and said “Bill, there’s a thing to discuss…”
     
    [Digg this article]
     
    Write your own poem here!
  • Swad

    Apple Releases 10.4.5

    By Swad, in OSx86,

    Wow, what a crazy day. Just a few hours after learning that OSx86 10.4.4 had been hacked by maxxuss, Apple released 10.4.5 updates for both the PPC and Intel versions of OS X.
     
    There are a ton of fixes that come with this update, especially for OSx86. According to Apple, the update “is recommended for all users and includes general operating system fixes, as well as specific fixes for the following applications and technologies: iChat video conferencing, Safari rendering of web pages, usability of Dashboard and widgets, viewing of QuickTime streaming media behind a firewall, printing to some Epson printer models, iDisk and Portable Home Directory syncing, time zone and daylight savings for 2006 and 2007, VPN connections to Cisco servers when using NAT, compatibility with third party applications and devices.”
     
    And as per this TUAW post, the Intel version is substantially larger than the PPC version, leaving the impression that there was much more to fix. We’ll have to give it some time to hear all the improvements and their effects before we know much more.
     
    One thing we do know – the update includes a new mach_kernel and a few other goodies that are almost certainly not compatible with the maxxuss hacks of the day.
     
    Coincidence? We’ll report, you decide.
  • Swad

    10.4.4 Security Broken

    By Swad, in OSx86,

    Happy Valentines Day... from Maxxuss.
     
    The hacking guru has announced preliminary patches for Apple's latest release of OS X for Intel, version 10.4.4. According to his website,
     
    This is a preliminary release of my Patch Solution for the official Mac OS X on the Intel platform. Ultimately, it would allow you to run this Mac OS X release on a generic x86 computer (SSE2 required).
     
    There's still a lot of work and documentation to do, like support for SSE2-only CPUs, a proper installation procedure and a PPF patch. However, if you like to play around, this will get you started.
     
    The significance of this event can’t be overstated. While many users were able to run OSx86 on their PCs last summer, the general feeling was that Apple hadn’t implemented their final security solution. That much was true.
     
    Onlookers have told us that the 10.4.4 is a serious step forward in security, utilizing many of the same technologies as the 10.4.1 and 10.4.3, as well as the obfuscated code that Apple filed a patent for a few months ago.Few expected this final version – or at least the version that shipped with the first Macintels – to be easy to hack.
     
    What this means is that Apple’s best attempts to secure their OS have, ultimately, failed. For its best efforts, the company is unable to lock OS X to their hardware. Without doubt, this will have profound impacts on the company’s future as running OSx86 on a PC becomes less a hacker’s trick and more mainstream. When all it requires is the downloading of a DVD, that’s certainly the future we’re looking at.
     
    This also opens a host of new questions for Apple, OS X, and the PC users who love it. Will this mark the beginning of Apple’s legal endeavors to keep OS X locked down? Will it persuade Steve Jobs that releasing his OS is an insanely great idea?
     
    Time will tell. Things keep getting more exciting. Stay Tuned.
     
    [Digg this Article]
     
    Edit: The technical discussion thread is here!
  • Swad
    Logic Pro is the first of Apple's Pro family to make the jump to universal-ness. From Ars:
     
    Originally scheduled for a March announcement, Apple's Logic Pro 7.2 has been released and is currently shipping (via Create Digital Music). If you're not familiar with Apple's flagship audio development software, it's known for it's strength and flexibility in digital audio recording, digital signal processing (DSP), MIDI sequencing, and notation. Logic's 7.2 "crossgrade" is a Universal release and runs on both Intel and PowerPC machines.
     
    New features highlighted in the article include big-time compatibility with the new plug-ins from GarageBand 3, such as automatic ducking (the app reduces music volume whenever you speak) and a speech enhancer when your 10-cent mic isn't cutting it. It will also be able to use the cheese-ball jingles and sound effects from iLife '06.
  • Swad

    Win Mashugly's iPod

    By Swad, in OSx86,

    20,000 members. That’s incredible! I had no idea when we started this site back in July that it would grow so large – thanks to you it’s become one of the best Mac forums online in just a few months time.
     
    To celebrate our 20,000th member, I’m giving away my iPod. There’s no gimmick, we’re not doing it to be cool or trendy – I just have a pristine 40 gig Click Wheel iPod (along with cables and cases) that I want to give to a member of our forum . You may be saying, “Why would I want a 4G when the 5G iPods are so much better?” Well, the main reason this one is better because it’s free. The second reason is that it comes fully stocked with 40 gig of my favorite music, ranging from The Beatles to Beethoven to… well… just about everything. Since the giving away of digital music is still a legal grey area (the courts haven't figured it out yet), just be sure to delete all the music when you get the iPod. Mkay? Mkay.
     
    Anyway, getting this iPod couldn’t be any simpler. Here’s how:
     
    1. Post on the forum. The winner must have at least 231 posts by the contest’s end on March 1. The site staff will be making sure that your posts are substantial, helpful, and kind.
    2. Post in the new forums. That means that helpful guides in the Genius Bar and threads in “Reviews” will score you more (imaginary) points.
    3. Nominations. Who you think should win? Every forum member can send one nomination to ipod@osx86project.org with the subject of “iPod Nomination”. And yes, you can nominate yourself.
     
    Pretty easy, huh? On March 1, the site staff will compile all that data and decide who should win. The contest starts today and it’s a blank slate – someone with 500 posts right now isn’t any better off than the person who only has 3.
     
    I hope this will be a fun contest – we’re doing it because we like to do crazy things and this is a good way to reward you for helping us make The OSx86 Project the excellent community it has become.
     

  • Swad

    Why Aren't We Dual Booting Yet?

    By Swad, in OSx86,

    Since we started our much-anticipated Mac forum last week, it’s gotten a lot of use, especially on the topic of dual booting the Intel Macs. A few ideas have been thrown out which makes us ask the question… why aren’t we there yet?
     
    This thread poses an excellent question – if Gateway has been selling PCs with EFI-based Windows XP, why can’t we do the same with the Macintels? According to a news.com article from December 2003,
    The first EFI computer, a Gateway PC, went on sale in November. Others are expected to appear in 2004, with ever greater numbers coming in the following years. But not everyone is jumping on the EFI bandwagon. […]Gateway, which uses EFI in its all-in-one Gateway 610 Media Center desktop, said it chose to do so because EFI proved a more efficient way to code preboot software and can also help to improve the product from a long-term development perspective, a company representative said.
    Does anyone have this computer or one similar? If we could check out what makes these EFI XP machines tick, we would probably be a lot closer to getting a dual boot environment going.
     
    Another thread discusses the prospect of using both EFI and BIOS on the same motherboard. If we can’t figure out how Gateway did it, this may be the second best route.
     
    Have you come up with anything we’re missing?
     
    And of course, how could you miss this contest which intends to pay 10,000 to the first person who successfully dual boots. My question – since a lot of the work on this subject is being done on our community forum… what happens if multiple people put the pieces together? Food for thought.
  • Swad

    Adobe: "Universal? What's That?"

    By Swad, in OSx86,

    Oh, Adobe. There was this memo floating around last June – you may or may not have seen it, it didn’t get much press – about how this tiny computer company called Apple was going to switch their processor architecture. Not a big deal, I can understand how you could have missed it…
     
    …but then, wait, weren’t you at WWDC? Didn’t you give a press conference shortly thereafter? It would seem that since you had a good half-year’s head start, you could have at least given the Mac community something universal to whet our appetites. Well, there’s the Lightroom beta of course, but I know I can’t wait to use it with a beachball-ridden Photoshop.
     
    Ok, well, maybe I’m being too hard on Adobe. I understand that they have a massive number of products that they would need to transition. But in light of their announcement yesterday that we may not see Universal apps like Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Illustrator, and the rest until 2007, it would seem that they have been nowhere to be found during the switch. Since Adobe knows that the millions of creatives who use Macs at work would at least need Photoshop, couldn’t they at least switch one or two apps over and then give us the suite next year?
     
    In my opinion, there is no excuse for this. Their corporate line…
     
    "As we've refined our software development process over the years, we've generally found that the most effective way for us to support these types of changes is to incorporate this testing into our regular development cycle. This enables us to advance our technology at the aggressive pace that our customers expect, while also adding support for significant new system configurations."
     
    …doesn’t address the fact that as one of the world’s largest and most important software houses they had plenty of advance warning to at least prepare a universal Photoshop for MacWorld. I could even understand an interim universal release sometime in the next few months. But forcing Mac users to wait until the end of this year or the beginning of the next (at which point we’ll be using Leopard) essentially sends the message that we’re not all that important. And that’s a shame.
  • Swad
    Let’s face it – the Mac is an awesome machine. Somewhere along the line, however, Apple decided that it was SO awesome that upgrades weren’t that important. For many years, especially in Apple’s early history, expandability of hardware was a touchy issue for Mac users. As Andy Hertzfeld (and isn’t it every geek’s dream to have “hertz” in their last name?) notes in a folklore.org entry, Steve Jobs and other Macintosh pioneers thought that hardware upgradablity was “a bug instead of a feature.”
     
    It was for this reason, among others, that Macs never quite caught on with the gaming/overclocking community as did PCs. Granted, there were many who overclocked their Apple computers or modded them to fit their needs, but the large group (like myself) who enjoyed swapping out cards and upgrading components were left out in the (liquid cooling system equipped) cold.
     
    All of that may be changing with the new Macs. Maybe. We’ve seen several things in the past few days which point to a change of heart in Cupertino. One article tells the ease with which users are able to upgrade their ram (as opposed to previous iMacs), while another at Accelerate Your Mac tells of intrepid Japanese users who successfully upgraded their Core Duo CPUs.
     
    I can tell that at this point you are underwhelmed, as well you should be. PC users have been upgrading processors for eons… or at least the past 15-20 years. The significance here is that Apple has, in the case of the RAM, gone out of its way to ensure that users can quickly and easily upgrade components. This is a seismic paradigm shift from previous Apple eras and causes us to wonder if Apple has had a change of heart with the move to Intel processors.
     
    Will Apple take this opportunity to attract the mod/gaming/overclocking/leet crowd who are more than content to spend their Friday nights swapping out graphics cards (hey, who you lookin’ at?)? Let’s hope so.
     
    Liberty for Mac components is a winning move for all users, since it means wider adoption and higher production of third-party products. Meanwhile, if you need me, I’ll be building my (imaginary) custom iMac at the Apple website… and hunting down a few upgrades to go along with it.
     
    [Digg this Article]
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