“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.]
Advertisements:
• MacBook Pro. The first Mac notebook built upon Intel Core Duo with iLife ’06, Front Row and built-in iSight. Starting at $1999. Free shipping.
• iMac. Twice as amazing — Intel Core Duo, iLife ’06, Front Row media experience, Apple Remote, built-in iSight. Starting at $1299. Free shipping.
• iMac and MacBook Pro owners: Apple USB Modem. Easily connect to the Internet using dial-up service. Only $49.
• iPod Radio Remote. Listen to FM radio on your iPod and control everything with a convenient wired remote. Just $49.
• iPod. 15,000 songs. 25,000 photos. 150 hours of video. The new iPod. 30GB and 60GB models start at just $299. Free shipping.
• Connect iPod to your television set with the iPod AV Cable. Just $19.
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
Good one, Luke!
“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.”
Relax there YankInOz, I’m just pointing out a technical error and having some fun. If you consider someone pointing out an error as putting you down, then I think you are being a little too defensive.
Kudos to Chunky Monkey and Luke Masson! Nice work people! Or is that “people”? :o)
Once there was a firm named Real
It’s motto is eat lots and steal
If you can’t be legit
Then claim lots of $%it
‘Cause Glazer still craves a big meal.
PeeCee’ers you must get a clue
This OS, it just ain’t for you
Cough up the dough
Since your WinBox does blow
And buy you an iMac or two
Even if you get it to run, it will not be the same. You will still be looking at a butt-ugly Dull box, while Mac users get to stare at a beautiful Mac.
~M
Jealousy shows, oh and how!
Hack Tiger to run on a “Cow”
Mac user geeks
Don’t mess with such tweaks.
We’re happy with what we have now.
~M
If PCs were worth just a dime,
Then hackers would not waste their time
Their coffee they’d sip
Wait for Vista to ship
Instead of all turning to crime
~M
Windows must really suck bad
For hackers to drive themselves mad.
While Mac users smile,
Computing in style
Windozers know they’ve been had!
~M
PeeCee’ers, I don’t get your view.
You say only Windows for you.
But hear Mac Intel
Might just run on your Dell,
And you can’t wait to see it come true.
~M
Now what do the Trolls have to say
When they “dog” on us day after day,
But tell them that Mac
Can be theirs with a hack,
And they all want to switch right away.
~M
Mozfan, those last two are great. 😀 Someone, please start a collection….
I am a Mac user. I am proud that I picked the superior platform and I am happy that I get to use the best computer available for home use everyday.
I get tired of trolls. I wonder how many of them want Mac OS on their PC’s so they will only feel that they were half wrong when they see the light.
Whether OS X will work on a PC is not the only issue. If it isn’t an Apple, it isn’t a Macintosh. If it isn’t a Macintosh, it ain’t s#!t.
~M
(The “last two” I was referring to were the ones starting with “Jealousy shows….” I see you are on a role, and posted three poems in the time I took me to read the posts and add mine!)
DistantThunder:
Thank you. I was rather enjoying myself.
~M
DistantThunder:
Tell every little kid you know to learn how to type.
Writing is innate, but typing fast comes in handy too.
~M
pirate, and ran great
the rhyme makes me irate
Bummer, I was expecting a Haiku.
“irate”
Is that an iTunes review app added to the iLife suite? (j/k)
Maybe iBandwagon?
Forcing open truth
Good runs on bad through deceit
Plants die in bad earth
Sorry, Toby. Not really my forte, best I can do on short notice.
~M
…mozfan – you’re brilliant, and I’m rolling OTFL!! Great rhythm to your limericks. They just glide off the tongue… If you don’t mind, I’d like to borrow several of them to send to a certain entrenched Windoze friend, who thinks he’s a gadget friek/early adopter type who owns so damn many toys, including an iPod, but…. still runs WinXP network at his house featuring IE 6. He won’t even look at OSX (“too toylike…”), finally did an install of Firefox on my insistance, only to remove it within a day. Guy’s got all the appearances of a classic consumer seeking ‘coolness’ yet remains rigidly entrenched in his own little ‘risk averse’ world (ironically false assumption on his part..) And here’s the thing… for all his stuff, including tons of music production hardware, etc, he mainly surfs the web… go figure. Anyway, I want to amuse him with your poems, and perhaps some of the resistance to Mac just might begin to be chipped away.. I’m still determined to convert this guy, he’ll be so grateful in the end… maybe…
Mozfan fan:
By all means, send them along. If you could, just keep the Mozfan authorship attached.
Let’s see, your friend thinks OS X is “toy-like” but uses the cartoonish (in my opinion) XP…
He is “risk averse” yet still uses IE 6…
He has “tons of music production” stuff, but mainly surfs the web…
Please help this poor man before he destroys himself.
Glad you liked the posts.
~M
PCs inflict pain
Apple has the cure for you
It’s Mac medicine
Mozfan fan:
I can tell you your friend, when you finally do convert him, will be eternally grateful.
I resisted purchasing a Mac desktop for four years until my wife finally got me to look at how they were designed and built.
I switched and have not looked back.
Trust me, the hard-won converts are some of the staunchest Mac evangelists once they (we) see the light.
Good luck,
~M
PS – you have, without a doubt, the coolest handle here
Mozfan fan:
This one is for you and your friend. Tell him that I was once a knee-jerk PC apologist. I thought if Macs were any good, they would have 95% of the market. Thanks to my wife, I know better now.
I knew she was pretty sharp when she said yes.
There once was a Mozfan whose art
Was tearing Mac users apart
Then he tried out a Mac
Now he’s not going back
Thank goodness his wife is so smart.
~M
Simple poem:
L
E
O
P
A
R
D
Mac users drive me crazy sometimes. “Why put OS X on crappy PC dell’s? Just shell out a lot of money for a mac.”
Windows is a horrible peice of crap that wasn’t built for me, the consumer, and doesn’t do what I want it to do. That doesn’t mean the hardware is useless. I generallly like apple hardware, but now more than ever, it is mostly the same stuff that goes into other computers, and some of the standard features on powerbooks and such are useless to me and I’d like other ones that Apple doens’t offer. Some people love the degree of felxibilty and control they get by building their own perfect systems, instead of taking one of the 10 good ones that Apple has.
If Apple could ever release OS X to run on all or almost all hardware that would be fantastic, but that could lead them into some of the troubles that MS has always had, so I don’t blame apple for not doing it. At the same time I can’t blame these hackers for trying to do it themselves. If they want to spend their time and effort doing it, good for them. They are computer geeks and it’s what they like to do. These efforts are never going to seriously impact Apple’s business, unless running OS X on generic hardware becomes easy and reliable enough for the average consumer, in which case Apple should open it up and charge a very high license fee. Even it was 2-3x more than Windows I’d pay it if it allowed me to run a great OS on my DIY box.