“Preface: In no way do we condone or recommend trying out this hack, as it breaks the Mac OS X EULA,” Justin Berka reports for Ars Technica.
“Ever since Apple’s transition to Intel processors, a small contingent of users has been calling for the ability to run OS X on non-Apple Intel and AMD hardware. Apple hasn’t bowed to such a request just yet, and probably never will. Of course, Apple’s refusal hasn’t stopped some enterprising hackers from getting OS X running on non-Apple hardware, despite the fact that such use is illegal according to the EULA. Recently, hackers have taken things even further, and have been able to get Leopard running on non-Apple hardware alongside Windows Vista. It’s a neat trick, but the complicated process and illegality will probably confine this hack to the most die-hard OS X-on-x86 fanatics,” Berka reports.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Note: Apple Inc.’s Software License Agreement for Mac OS X (10.4 Tiger) states, “This License allows you to install and use one copy of the Apple Software on a single Apple-labeled computer at a time.”
Now, I saw a guy at a Starbucks in New York last week with TWO Apple stickers on the lid of his Dell laptop. He was probably trying to cut down on the SHAME of owning a Dell and being surrounded by MacBooks, PowerBooks and iBooks and MacBook Pros (literally).
So do Apple stickers on your DOSBox™ allow you to install and run a crippled version of Mac OS X on crippled hardware?
I saw a guy squeeze a Chevy small block into a ’72 Super Beetle…
The best part is you get to have an ‘Intel Inside’ sticker on your Mac.
Wait, just a second! Mr. Reeee is onto something here (if MDN’s take is accurate)!
The EULA says Apple-labelled computer. If you stick an Apple label (as in those big white Apple stickers you get when you buy an Apple product), you can legally defend yourself by saying it is in fact a computer with an Apple label, hence Apple-labeled.
Of course, there is still that issue of hacking the OS disc in order to install this on hardware that wasn’t manufactured by Apple…
OBill-Wan, back in the 70’s, my brother put a Chevy V-8 into his Datsun pickup. It was scary fast! Leopard on a Dell would be scary, not fast.
It is not illegal to violate an EULA. It is a breach of contract, and you can be subject to damages, but it’s not illegal.
Jaggoffs.
Is it time for serial numbers/Registration in the OS a la Windows? Holographic stickers? Maybe some trusted computing in hardware?
Haha, the stickers! I had one on my old Toshiba laptop, before I got my Mac. Two of my friends said my computer was a poser, and pulled the sticker off. The computer hasn’t worked since. I find it rather comical, my computer liked being a poser so much it just refused to work once it had to go back to being a plain old Toshiba Satellite. Of course it was thanks to that computer ceasing to function that I was finally able to justify getting a Mac, so maybe it was a good thing. Still funny though.
Dell probably was his work computer.
Apple should be happy for the OSX86 project. it lets people try OSX on the custom made Core 2 Duo / AMD machines they have for XP/Vista. Then they go out and buy a mac because it’s an easier to maintain solution than relying on hacks.
stop the fanboyism please. you make the mac community look bad.
Just imagine all those PCs out there running a better OS… then maybe we can put all that computing power to good use and solve some of the world’s problems… starting with the demise of Microsoft Windows. We can doooo iiiit!!
Maybe “Apple-labeled” really means the label was applied by Apple? If so, can you bring your Vaio to a Genius Bar and ask them to put an Apple sticker on it?
Someone create the sticker for Win laptops:
Apple Logo
“I’d rather be using a Mac”
So this means I can finally run OS X on a machine with a state-of-the art-video card for under 4 grand if I roll my own drivers? I’m there!
I saw a white Apple logo sticker on the back window of a car yesterday and it made me smile.
The best part is you get to have an ‘Intel Inside’ sticker on your Mac.
???? Never happened
Mr. Reese – So do Apple stickers on your DOSBox™ allow you to install and run a crippled version of Mac OS X on crippled hardware?
Don’t even need the stickers, it’s called Vista.
@ M@c, was that you the other day taking a picture of my beat up truck with the white Apple sticker? Other than the sticker, I haven’t figured out why someone was taking my picture on the interstate. It kinda freaked me out.
he meant on the PC running OS X. But I actually disagree: just running OS X does not make a PC a Mac.
As putting on a designer dress and great makeup on whoever does not make her a red-carpet beauty.
Why write an article about Leopard running on non-Apple hardware, then quote the Tiger EULA? What does the Leopard EULA say?
“The Toys of Summer”
‘Out on the road today, I saw an Apple sticker on Gates’ cadillac
A little voice inside my head said, “don’t look back. you can never look back.’
And the Rolls Royce grill mounted on Volkswagen Beetles was just sad. Like adding a mint garnish to vomit.
I believe Breach of Contract would still be considered illegal. It is not a criminal offense, but falls under civil law.
From the article:
And even if you were feeling frisky enough to try this at home, the process is daunting. There are 46 steps in all, comprising some illegal downloads, lots of command line work, burning, patching, and even some finger-crossing.
46 steps?? ROTFLMAO!!
Folks, Apple has won! The hackers are delusional! If it takes 46 steps to install OS X on a non-Apple PC, then for practical purposes, it’s impossible!
I had no idea cab drivers had that kind of spare time.
The practical effect is probably a benefit to Apple. Hackers will get to see the advantages of OS X and finally figure out that it would be better on Mac hardware. Apple will fuss and fume, but eventually rake in the dough.
The folks in the IT dept where I work are running OS X Tiger on PC equipment with no problems.
I’m just sayin.
“There are 46 steps in all . . .”
Giving yourself a colostomy would be easier and less risky. And possibly less painful.
breach of contract != illegality
illegality: violation of law (between the State and private persons)
breach of contract: violation of contract (between two private persons)
Hey Fatty, so if I sign a contract agreeing to pay you to shut up, and you violate it by running your mouth about legalities, I can’t sue you for breaking your contract? Oh, wait a minute. A contract is a legal statement of agreement between two people. Breaking a contract is illegal, doofus.
“Why write an article about Leopard running on non-Apple hardware, then quote the Tiger EULA? What does the Leopard EULA say?”
1. Since Leopard isn’t a finished, shipping product yet, no one knows the real and final EULA.
2. Were MDN to quote the Leopard EULA, that is developer specific and the wording may change.
3. Quoting the Leopard Developer build’s EULA should technically be a violation of the NDA developers agree to?
“Apple Inc.’s Software License Agreement for Mac OS X (10.4 Tiger) states, “This License allows you to install and use one copy of the Apple Software on a single Apple-labeled computer at a time.”
So this is why Apple provides all those Apple stickers when you buy their stuff. Now I can stick one of them on my Dell laptop that my work gives me and I can run Leopard! Yippie!!!!!
sigh…..
From Merriam-Webster:
illegal: not according to or authorized by law.
A contract is not law. It’s a set of mutual obligations between two parties enforceable through the courts. Therefore, breaching a contract, such as an EULA, is not an illegal act. Just because both a breach and an illegal act are addressed through the same venue, i.e. a court, doesn’t make them the same thing.
If you’re still confused, three years of law school will clear up any lingering misconceptions. And please, for future reference, make sure you’re right before you start the name calling.
I’ve always wondered how far a company can enforce “End User” usability.
If someone buys (that’s the important part) a piece of software, do they not get full use out of it? If they can get it to work, is it illegal?
There is always going to be a part of the computing community who like to tweak their machines. (And frankly, we’re all better off because those folks.) Apple really doesn’t have a product offering for them where they can crack the box and fiddle and experiment to their hearts desire. The question I pose is: Why should they be sequestered to Linux or worse, Windows, to fulfill those desires? I applaud Apple for their ‘controlling the whole widget’ paradigm as it really does make for a superior user experience. However, after some reflection, I think we should support the OSx86 folks for following their curiosities. Who knows what advancements in Apple’s products it could lead to.
It’s time for Apple to let go and allow users to run OS X on non-Apple hardware.
Imagine the uproar if MS bought Dell and locked Windows down to only run on Dell hardware.
well, if someone buys software that came with a EULA, he’s not really buying “full use.” Actually, he’s only buying whatever rights the EULA gives him. So in this case, Apple can sue whoever’s violating the EULA. But in practicality, against hackers who are just doing this for fun, there’s really no point in suing. Courts frown upon penalty clauses so the EULA can’t say “if you break this EULA, then you agree to pay Apple a million dollars.” The best Apple can do in such a suit, I’m guessing, is get the Leopard DVD back. There’s also another issue of copyright infringement if copying Leopard onto a PC is unauthorized copying.
On the other hand, the EULA would come in handy if the hacker starts a business selling PCs preloaded with OS X. Apple can use the EULA to shut down that operation.
Most claims in ANY EULA are not enforceable.
@Whatever
he meant on the PC running OS X. But I actually disagree: just running OS X does not make a PC a Mac.
Agree 100%. It will be much cheaper and will be upgradeable. But, But. But.. It won’t be what’s “REALLY” important to you fanboys, it won’t be “really gorgeous”!!!!
Keep drinking the Kool Aid there fanboy, but regardless what “Steve says”, it’s the same hardware in a pretty box – except in most cases, Macs use cheaper outdated components with a TPM chip tossed in so it can run Apple “Platform Limited” OS.
Apple will NEVER allow OSX to legally run anything but a Mac. How could they possibly ever sell a “pretty” non upgradeable Mac with last years processor, less RAM than everyone else has, and a cheap year old GPU for 20% more than the rest of the industry…
“If someone buys (that’s the important part) a piece of software, do they not get full use out of it?”
EULA = End User LICENSE Agreement
license • a permit from an authority to own or use something, do a particular thing
You bought the license – Apple still owns the software and the media it came on. Courts would decide who wins same as any contract between parties such as a renter and landlord.
You rent your apartment but the landlord owns it.
…
“If they can get it to work, is it illegal?”
Different laws may protect companies such that the method of enabling it to work might be illegal but I’m no lawyer and don’t keep up with such things on a day to day basis.
I would say that Apple would likely win if they wanted to sue any of us.
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In a sense this is good news for Apple in that if people are wanting to steal the OS then it means there is a genuine desire within the marketplace to abandon Windows for something they clearly believe is much better. If piracy becomes rampant and OS X marketshare begins to boom over and above Mac sales, look for Apple to finally license a legitimate version of OS X to the PC assemblers (perhaps one version in arrears in order to maintain their advantage). Once that happens, the tipping point will be on us and a rapid defection will ensue.
MDN Magic word: “instead” – as in something better instead
Apple’s never going to waste their time suing these people unless they do like @MPC Guy suggested and started selling boxes with OS X preloaded.
Here’s a question for those that know: Let’s say for hypothetical purposes that Apple did decide to sue, could they do anymore than prevent the person from using the OS in a manner outside of the EULA? Wouldn’t Apple have to prove damages in order to be eligible for monetary recourse?
Sorry, should be “monetary redress”.
“It’s time for Apple to let go and allow users to run OS X on non-Apple hardware.”
“Let go” is exactly right.
I would give up billions in annual hardware sales for a longshot at competing with the Windows OS hegemony if Derek and all of his friends donated a few dozen billion to fight a good fight. That’s non-negotiable.
Licensing OS X is still the dumbest idea in the last twenty years without a shred of business sense attached to it. It makes as much sense to take a chainsaw to your arms and legs because you want to lose weight.
Yes, Apple stickers help my non-Apple hardware run snappier.
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I took the plunge the other day and bought a new, LCD, non-Apple monitor since there isn’t any new Apple displays in sight. As I am not a graphics professional, 100% color accuracy doesn’t override cost and flexibility advantages that non-Apple monitors have.
At the risk of throwing gas on an open flame: Plus I couldn’t take the chance that Apple will *upgrade* their monitors to the new glossy format since all their customers want them. (Eyes rolling.)
My Macbook screen is okay. Would have preferred the matte screen but that glossy screen is acceptable. UNLIKE the new iMacs (to borrow a word from Mr. Jobs at the iPhone announcement in January when he described using a stylus – Yuck). Why bother with a screen at all? Just put a mirror there instead – serves the same purpose. The new screens are absolutely horrible – reflections are much, much worse than the Macbook.
Just my two cents worth.
Peace.
exactly right, apple would have to prove damages, of which there will be none. but like I said, apple probably also has a copyright infringement claim considering how OS X is only authorized to be copied from the DVD to mac hard drives and not generic PC HDDs. There, the hacker would run into statutory damages (kinda like fines but instead of the money going to the government, it goes to apple). I forget exactly how much, but something ridiculous, like tens of thousands of dollars per each copying.
You can’t polish a turd!
@NSFY
Thanks, I’ve been looking for some new weight loss ideas!
“Licensing OS X is still the dumbest idea in the last twenty years . . .”
Make that licensing the Mac OS. Remedial math just kicked in.
Not sure to whom I am replying to… Thanks for the response… it’s refreshing that a discussion on MDN doesn’t always degenerate and posters can trade back and forth without name-calling and blaming everything on Microsoft.
>@ MPC Guy wrote: license • a permit from an authority to own or use something, do a particular thing
That being said, lets use your definition of license as it pertains to this software – OSX. I agree with your definition.
Your example of of the lessor and lessee is a good one. However, some key differences exist that alter the argument considerably.
– Software isn’t a physical thing. It exists on physical media as that is one method of to store it, transmit it, and sell it.
– Software is portable. Generally, the landlord cannot physically take his house away from you.
– Software is changeable. It can be altered to work in different hardware and configurations.
I’m not saying that I’d like everyone to hijack OSX to run on non-Apple boxes. I will say that the argument can be made that Apple’s computers are essentially identical to other computers on the market. The processors are the same; the RAM is the same; the Hard Drives are the same.
The only thing different is that Apple wants it to only run on hardware they sell. Fine. I don’t mind that much at all, I’ve been an Apple customer since the days of the ][e.
However, the requirement of Apple-labeling is not so much about protecting property as it is about limiting consumer choice.
An example would be, modifying a Gillette Mach-3 blade to mount onto a Schlick handle. They’re generally made of the same material and design, but don’t “operate” with the other’s counterpart. The designs are similar enough to work with minor modifications. No theft of property is happening since the hardware/software is being purchased.
> “such that the method of enabling it to work might be illegal”
The act of reverse-engineering is a perfect example of such a method. However, I’m guessing much, if not all, of the settings can be changed from within the OS, using Apple’s own OS-included software. If that’s the case, the EULA can be challenged as being void in such cases, as those settings are freely accessible, easily altered, and changed continuously by users whether or not on Apple-labeled hardware or not.
@ M@C & WoodyI have an apple sticker on the back of my ’93 Hilux surf.
I live in York, UK, was it mine?
MacDailyNews Note: Apple Inc.’s Software License Agreement for Mac OS X (10.4 Tiger) states, “This License allows you to install and use one copy of the Apple Software on a single Apple-labeled computer at a time.”
And we all know that everyone reads and follows their EULA to the letter too..
This is just a hack, and it’s effect will be extremely limited in scope..
This is just a hack, and it’s effect will be extremely limited in scope..
Until some wunderkind folds it into a reliable, one-click easy installer.
Ok so such a beast is all but unlikely (reliable, one-click, and easy… on a PC??). But imagine Apple’s wrath if someone did pull it off…
“. A contract is a legal statement of agreement between two people. Breaking a contract is illegal, doofus.”
What an idiot you are. As has been stated, it’s not illegal to break a contract, but it may give the person you contracted with a reason to sue you.
The standard remedy is money damages, Apple would show how much you had hurt them by your breach of the contract, and you would have to pay them that.
Good luck to Apple showing that they lost any more than the profit they would have made on an Mac sale, less what you paid for OS X.
how did these guys get a copy of Leopard and where is mine. Where’s my stuff!
how did these guys get a copy of Leopard and where is mine. Where’s my stuff!
how did these guys get a copy of Leopard and where is mine. Where’s my stuff!
how did these guys get a copy of Leopard and where is mine. Where’s my stuff!
” imagine Apple’s wrath if someone did pull it off”
Apple had to know it was just a matter of time after they moved to industry standard PC hardware that somebody would do this.
Apple should be happy for the OSX86 project. it lets people try OSX on the custom made Core 2 Duo / AMD machines they have for XP/Vista. Then they go out and buy a mac because it’s an easier to maintain solution than relying on hacks.
Damn strait. Been using OSX86 on an Intel Pentium IV for a while, and can’t wait to get my damn MacBook (I never could get CI or QE to work, so video and such is sloooow, along with other random things that only work half-assed).
46 steps?? ROTFLMAO!!
Folks, Apple has won! The hackers are delusional! If it takes 46 steps to install OS X on a non-Apple PC, then for practical purposes, it’s impossible!
It took me three steps to install Tiger:
1) Download patched Intel/AMD OS X install DVD.
2) Boot up install DVD, and install.
3) Enjoy.
Getting certain hardware to work can take some effort (as a lot of hardware is not supported by OS X, as Apple did not really intend for OS X to be used on non-Apple hardware…), but getting the system up and running is a fscking piece of cake. Apple has won indeed. They won me as a dedicated Apple supporter, anyway.
irrelevant….vista steals from mac os, mac os steals from linux….
I agree with Jesus. I’ve been running OSx86 (tiger not leopard) for close to 3 months now. It is hands down the best my pc (AMD Athlon 3200 – about 3yrs old) has ever performed. The installation was cake and I got all the graphics (QE and CI) and everything else to work flawlessly.
The real kicker: I’ve tried to install Vista betas 1 & 2, and RC1 on this machine each at least 2 times over the past couple years, and never got them to install correctly! After about 30 minutes of installing OSx86, this machine was saved. Btw, I don’t feel like such a criminal because I’m also a proud owner of a MacBook pro, too. If you can figure out where to find the OSx86 installation and have a pc that you’d like to have operating the way computers should, give it a shot.
1) Download patched Intel/AMD OS X install DVD.
Thieves.
Apple has won indeed. They won me as a dedicated Apple supporter, anyway.
Really. First you steal their product, then praise how good it is. For leeches like yourselves, it’s unfortunate Apple survived 1996.
“Thieves.”
Nothing stops you buying a real license and slapping an Apple logo on your PC. The theiving is a choice not a requirement when you do this.
make that, “…of the last twenty years…”
Six months on & I’m running Leopard on a PC right now, I bought a proper DVD from Apple and installed it as-is using a separate boot loader – I’m a Linux geek by trade, and if I hadn’t run the hack I never would have known how good OS X really is – the best of both worlds, real software, a nice media-enabled GUI, and I can still manage 200 remote servers with it because it IS Unix underneath!
And soon I’m going to buy a real Mac Pro because of the hardware, normal PC’s cant touch it but it is expensive, but I wouldnt have even considered buying it if I hadnt already got a taste of how wonderful OS X is… those hackers are doing Apple a big favour and increasing their sales. On the forums almost all OSX86 users would have a real Macintosh if they could afford one.