“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,” The OSx86 Project reports. “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.
(C) 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,” The OSx86 Project writes.
More in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews reader “nate” for the link.]
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Related MacDailyNews article:
Apple’s Mac OS X 10.4.4 for Intel cracked – February 15, 2006
Apple puts ‘Don’t Steal Mac OS X’ message to would-be hackers in Intel version of Mac OS X 10.4.4 – January 13, 2006
funny and cute… in a geeky sort of way.
whaddya know. first post. and i even did it from work on a slow, crappy Windows network.
What can one say other that this Company has STYLE!!!!
Can you imagine the grey world of Windoze including anything so original? They lost their soul at 3.1.
Nice poem the decoder said
It even provides hints as it is read
that make my desire to compute
In OS X on an x86 more resolute
It isn’t the money that makes this great
It is the victory I can relate
To all my fellow crakers around
To hear the startup sound
On an x86 ring in my ears
That will make me the envy of my peers
So on I work in the late of night
To be able to see the sight
Of the little open Apple on my Dell
And then I will be able to tell
All my friends on MacDailyNews
How easy OS X on an x86 is to use.
MDN = red
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”big surprise” style=”border:0;” />
as in “this poem will make Apple see red”
Apple will never make it easy for you. But keep up the hype all the same! Because 99% of the people you get interested in OS X will just buy a Mac, not do what you did. Your goal to kill the best OS on the planet is a lost cause. There’s no way you can take THAT much cash out of Apple’s pocket.
I can’t stomach a rhyme of “pirate” and “ran great.” That’s going too damned far.
Of coarse the poem from the OSx86project back to steve just reminds me how much I hate those guys.
Alright everyone! Time to warm-up your creative keyboards and come up with your own pirate poem for Apple to use in the next update.
Boy YankInOz, your quick!
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” />
There once was a geek from Nantucket
Who put all his bits in a bucket
Hacking was so nuts
So he ate many doughnuts
Now his shirt flaps around, he can’t tuck it.
nice idea, but you’ve to wonder about people who try to rhyme ‘pirate’ with ‘great’!
Amprar that was ncie and quick also and funnie!
Anyone else remember how the original Mac had the signatures of the design team molded into the inside of the case?
“It is the victory I can relate
To all my fellow crakers around
To hear the startup sound
On an x86 ring in my ears
That will make me the envy of my peers”
YankInOz, you won’t hear the startup sound on anything but a real Mac (not at the proper point in time at least) because the startup sound is not part of the OS, that’s in the computer’s firmware.
If geeks are going to start writing peotry, it’s gotta at least be technically accurate damnit!
Let’s do CHUCK!
Chuck, Chuck, fo Chuck, banana fanna fo . . .
Andy C. –
It’s a friggen poem not a technical paper.
get a life.
I am looking forward to your poem written in two minutes…
And for your info – I have had Apples since 1983 (a LISA) and Macs since 1984… so I may know a few things. Don’t put me down like a newbie.
MDN: down
..l..
Nice ploy by Apple: get hackers so hooked on writing poetry they won’t have enough time for OSX!!
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />
How about a quick haiku
steal not this OS
wasting time hacking away
buy a macintosh
There were some hackers with changes a-brewing
But they knew not what they were doing
The progress they made
So quickly did fade
When Apple gave their asses a screwing
There once was an OS named Windows
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”LOL” style=”border:0;” />
When compared to OS X it did blow.
All those crashing XP bits,
threw their users into fits,
Who then switched to MacBook Pros
I once knew these people who diddled
With code, these geeks always fiddled
But it was all just for show
Cuz soon they did know
With holes their answer was riddled
Microsoft beat Apple to it, remember?
Developers developers developers,
Developers developers developers,
Developers developers developers,
Developers developers developers.
The x86 life has always been hard
Their efforts have mostly been marred
They realized before long
Once they put down the bong
That Apple left them a legal calling card
do you really think a poem is going to stop a peecee hacker?
Ohhhh, this is too much fun . . .
Hackers to great things aspire
‘Tis fame they seek to acquire
But with many tears shed
They realized with dread
Threatening Apple, they’re playing with fire