Apple's Hidden Message to Hackers: "Dont Steal Mac OS X"

I see, now I know what Daisuke744 was talking about here:

http://www.win2osx.net/forum/showthread.php?t=2637

This is pretty bizzare, even for Apple. In any case, "Dont Steal Mac OS X.kext" does not "protect Apple copyrighted

materials from unauthorized copying and use" and under the doctrine of "Fair Use" you absolutely do have the right to publicly display it (or at least the part displayed) here.

Regarding that link to "Profiler.txt", I am getting an error in PPC 10.4.4 that says it ".. could not be opened using text encoding Unicode (UTF-8)."

More of Apple's devious little games? Umm.. this is hardly prompting me to take them and their lying lawyers any more seriously.

Yeah, props to Daisuke and the others on IRC that discovered this...

Since no one could really determine who found it - and who should get credit - mad props all the way around.

I was actually tipped off to this by email and had no idea who found it or where it came from.

Wow, interesting - I wonder if anyone can tell if the Intel Mac will boot Windows - since they are able to access them like that....

I can't believe they hid that message in the code (laughs) why don't they put it somewhere more obvious like the Install Disc(s)?

Well, I paid for OS X. I went to piratebay and downloaded 8F1111, but still have 2 licenses left in the family pack I bought for Tiger last year.

1st Lic: Sawtooth

2nd Lic: Beige G3

3rd Lic: Pentium 4

I have two left.

If it was anyone else other than Apple, I probably wouln't even bother paying for it. (Like Windows). And I just don't believe in paying over, and over for software for different machines I own. But it being Apple, I want to show my support for their Innovation, and technology. Its kind of like buying a Slackware CD, when you can download it for free.

Sorry, but nobody will ever tell me what I can, and can't do with something I paid for.

Well, I paid for OS X. I went to piratebay and downloaded 8F1111, but still have 2 licenses left in the family pack I bought for Tiger last year.

 

1st Lic: Sawtooth

2nd Lic: Beige G3

3rd Lic: Pentium 4

 

I have two left.

 

If it was anyone else other than Apple, I probably wouln't even bother paying for it. (Like Windows). And I just don't believe in paying over, and over for software for different machines I own. But it being Apple, I want to show my support for their Innovation, and technology. Its kind of like buying a Slackware CD, when you can download it for free.

 

Sorry, but nobody will ever tell me what I can, and can't do with something I paid for.

No, you don't. You have a license to Mac OS 10.4.0 for PowerPC. You do not have a license to Mac OS 10.4.4 for Intel. You did not buy Mac OS X for Intel. You do not own it. Owning Windows XP 32 bit edition does not give you a license for the 64 bit edition. Sorry, doesn't work that way. This version is newer than the version you bought and is licensed for a different platform. Apple can very well decide that your PowerPC license does not give you an Intel license. They are not the same product.

Actually 64bit edition of Windows works with 32bit licenses afaik

Looks like the dump's no longer available. Would someone who has access to it repost it or check to see if the "VMX" (Vanderpool/Virtual Machine Extensions) flag appears under "CPU FEATURES"? Thanks.

this is all hearsay. (waiting for a leak...)

The most interesting part of this message? It’s placement, found in /System/Library/Extensions/Dont Steal Mac OS X.kext Despite being a lighthearted jab at hackers, it seems that Apple is taking the pirating of the new OSx86 seriously, since the same kext is not found in the PPC version of 10.4.4. Is this simply a hidden message for the interested parties, or is it a new tounge-in-cheek implementation of OS X’s TPM security? Details are sketchy at this point… watch this space for more news as we get it.

A "lighthearted jab" eh? Do you honestly think that Apple respects you and I for running "illegal" copys of their operating system. Why on earth would they ever want to jab us lightheartedly, vs prosecuting everyone?

"Oh, because we help them find bugs?"

"Because the operating should be made available for purchase?"

Come ON. Despite the fact that I like reading these forums; more and more it seems to me that no one here has ever been to college; and if they have, they have never taken a basic economics course. There is no financial reason for Apple to release control of their proprietary software to the masses, and separate from their hardware. None. Zip. Zero. Open source my ass. They can't manufacture hardware cheaper than other companies, and Apple knows this. Which is why they continue to keep their software under tight IP restrictions.

More "seriously?" You're damn right.

"a hidden message for interested parties?"

It doesn't take a retard to realize that the hidden message is "Stop warezing our shizznit." Did you really need a random kext to tell you that?

"Details are sketchy at this point."

Really? Let me fill you in then. Apple, does not want people pirating their OS. Yes, I have the dev dvd. Yes, I've played with it. Does it make it right? No. It's still copyright infringement. But honestly, I don't care. I wanted to try OS X, and I did. But let's be real here. I mean, come on; honestly, do you really expect Apple to just release OSX to the masses, without control of the hardware it is supposed to run on? That goes against everything Apple has ever done in their history as a corporation. And that goes against their business plan and financial strategies.

Sorry for the rant. While the fact that Apple included this random statement in a build is interesting, their position shouldn't surprise anyone here. And if it does...well, you're an idiot.

as the first place you'll go, is to extensions to see what is new, this is a nice easter egg.

in the long run we'll all be dead.

as the first place you'll go, is to extensions to see what is new, this is a nice easter egg.

 

in the long run we'll all be dead.

That's a mesage from Apple:

Don't steal OSX, steal a Macbook pro if you can

*points* OH MY GOD! I think that plane is going to crash!

*grabs MacBook Pro and runs*

Every virgin iPod pulled out of its packaging sports a big sticker on the front: "Don't Steal Music." ...So yeah I'd suggest the phrasing of that .kext is both "Getting the Message Across" and "Brand Consistency"

No, you don't. You have a license to Mac OS 10.4.0 for PowerPC. You do not have a license to Mac OS 10.4.4 for Intel. You did not buy Mac OS X for Intel. You do not own it. Owning Windows XP 32 bit edition does not give you a license for the 64 bit edition. Sorry, doesn't work that way. This version is newer than the version you bought and is licensed for a different platform. Apple can very well decide that your PowerPC license does not give you an Intel license. They are not the same product.

Yes, this basically right. If the software you bought will run on other machines, you have a legal right to run it on them, regardless of what the eula says. Eulas to the contrary will be unlawful and unenforceable. If you have to hack the software to make it run, this may involve violating US law on hacking. If you are running a different version of the software, which was not made available as a free upgrade to something you previously bought, then again, your previous purchase gives you no rights of running it on anything.

It is pretty simple actually, and the analogy is Office for Windows. Regardless of what the Eula says, if my copy, upgraded by purchase or Service Pack, or not upgraded, runs under Wine, its lawful for me to run it (one copy). If I have to decompile it and alter it to make it run, that may be behaviour that is unlawful in itself. If I get a Mac version by downloading, my previous purchase of the Windows version gives me no rights to run this.

The thing that makes me a bit uneasy in the above post is the reference to licensing. You have actually bought one copy. The industry talks about licenses, but that is not, legally, what has happened. Legally, you have bought a copy. It is to this copy that copyright applies. This is why they cannot stop you running it on whatever you want. But this is also why they can stop you making multiple copies.

There are lot of mac enthusiasts who would like it to be more unlawful to run a bought copy of OSX on a non-mac machine, than it is to run Office under Wine. It isn't. Its exactly the same thing.

Look, I'll make you a deal...

You sell me a boxed copy of Tiger for Intel, for up to, say, $400cdn. I'll run it on the machine I want to, and I'll make all my friends drool with how beautiful it is so they can buy it too.

But if you want me to pay s**tloads for a measly <2Ghz Yonah machine, just 'cause it looks better on my desk than the dual-dual-core-hyperthreading 3.8GHz Pentium 4 machine I built for cheap looks *under* my desk, no. I'll run Linux on that and quietly sigh every once in a while.

But if you sell me OSX for my own machine, yep, I'll buy it. Absolutely.

mindslip

You do know that a 3.8GHz P4 machine only barely performs better, right?

Apple really doesn't care about the whitebox market (I also build my own machines and know where you are coming from, though).

Look, I'll make you a deal...

 

You sell me a boxed copy of Tiger for Intel, for up to, say, $400cdn. I'll run it on the machine I want to, and I'll make all my friends drool with how beautiful it is so they can buy it too.

 

But if you want me to pay s**tloads for a measly <2Ghz Yonah machine, just 'cause it looks better on my desk than the dual-dual-core-hyperthreading 3.8GHz Pentium 4 machine I built for cheap looks *under* my desk, no. I'll run Linux on that and quietly sigh every once in a while.

 

But if you sell me OSX for my own machine, yep, I'll buy it. Absolutely.

 

mindslip

I doubt you would pay $400 tiger if it's available on Torrents. At that price you would be better off buying a Mac from Apple than building a Box/buying OSX86.

I would like to buy a Mac but the iMac with the integrated screen turns me off. When you want a more powerfiul machine in the future, you can't re-use the monitor. The should at least have a VGA/DVI INPUT to the iMac. Apple asks way too much for power upgrades and are not always available. I'm waiting for a box from Apple. In the meantime, I will try to use my homemade Mac as long as I can.

Fine, but the warning in the "info.plist" file of the "Don't Steal Mac OS X.kext" should not have simply stated "this file" and "this software" because that "info.plist" itself is implied. Rather the "info.plist" text should have clearly specified the "Don't Steal Mac OS X.kext" as being a bone fide DRM. How much are Apple's legal geniuses getting paid for this second rate work?

Anyways, the complete contents of that "info.plist" file and more information on this subject have been posted here:

http://www.win2osx.net/forum/showthread.php?t=2669

Well, as I'm not in US, and here at Brazil technology things are incredibly expensive, I had NEVER got my hands on a Mac. But yes, I always wanted to.

Now, after a little time spent on researching and a few downloads, for the first time in 4 years I can have what would be the closest to a Mac. No CG, no QE, but yet, an incredible OS.

If Apple believes that they will be able to stop Mac OS X piracy, well, that sounds more like a joke to me than a wish, but is this all that bad?

Other companies got were they are today not because they had the best product, nor because it was cheap, but instead, because everyone already had a pirate copy of that running elsewhere, either a neighbor or a friend, they saw that incredible feature of a single square getting smaller to a certain point and then the window disappearing after that and WOW I need this!

People here never got concerned with what they run at home, but instead, with what they run at work. Some governmental entities here had adopted OpenOffice as the official office suite, and thrown away the other proprietary software that they already had. Ok, this is a governmental entity, not a business company, in which case the company will no change its operating system and work environment so easily. Now, imagine a lot of your employees telling you how Mac OS is wonderful, how it is fast, how it is so many other things, you'll get curious.

As a matter of fact, as soon as there are Mac OS X's illegal copies around, I believe that Apple will have on of the most incredible sales boom that they have never had. Why? Simple, because from that moment on, people will know what they want.

When you talk about a Mac around here, there are 2 possibilities: 1 - you're rich, 2 - you work with it. No, it's absolutely a remote possibility that you got a Mac just because I think it's cool here, because a Mac here worth R10,000.00 (local money), while a good PC worth R$3,000.00. But why all that difference when we have Macs starting from U$1,299.00? No, it's not that easy. Illegal hardware are equals 60% or 70% of personal equipment market, and that is a lot! However, there are no illegal Macs, none, so, no price comparison. The US $ is nowadays about R$ 2.34. Ok, so, as a Mac costs U$ 1,299.00, can we get it for about R$ 4,000.00? NO!!!! Our government taxes 60% and then comes the logistic guys part, and then the shopping guy, even the coffee guy gets some, and then, the Mac is about R$ 10,000.00. By the way, our minimum salary stands for R$ 300.00, about U$ 128.00, extremely different of the U$ 700.00 (I guess). So, try to figure it out.

For us, to get close to a Mac is something really rare. Now, after working with a Mac OS for about 2 weeks, you know, even against all that, it kinda worth it. I would by a Mac OS for Intel. Or better, I would until buy a Mac.

Now, the fun starts. After that consciousness had come, what do you think I would like to have at my office? And what do you think I would like to use as my notebook? As a Linux user and fan as I am, do you think I would by a Dell Notebook to run Linux on it? Oh come on...

Piracy has lead the big guy where it is today. Now, all that stuff about no piracy is required, ok, but come on, how do you buy something that you don't know? Seriously, after using the Mac OS, I felt insulted by the amount of rubbish software I had been using for so long. Widgets, dock bar even with it's lack of functionality, my iPod, Finder, the entire system!

Well, you know, right now, I got a problem. I'm in a 3rd world country, with a bad economy, tons of difficulties but, I become a Mac fan, even an Apple fan.

And all began with iTunes for Windows, since I never had used a software so easy to manage and burn music CDs. Ok, my credit card won't work on Music Store, but I tried to buy there! Now, I'm using Mac OS X, and I don't wanna lose it anyway!

So, you know what? I'm seriously considering Macs from now on, even with its extremely expensive costs for us.

My 2 cents.

[]'s

Igor

Well, as I'm not in US...

I think that is what Apple is actually worried about. Their crooked lawyers should have no problems keeping a lid on priracy in Western Europe, Canada, USA and Japan, it is in the rest of world where they could really get screwed. But Microsoft has the same problem, so it really is not a competive disadvantage. However, I agree that the net effect of pirated OSx86 is great for Apple, more people using OS X and buying Apple products.

Anyways, you should like OS X a lot more once the x86 drivers for video cards get out.

Doesn't anyone here understand that piracy does not equal sales boom?

You all want to write long complicated essays on how throwing a million dollar investment out for free might be beneficial, only because (be it ulterior or not) you don't want to pay for it.

Don't lie to yourselves, I find it pathetic. If there is a pirated version around, you're not going to suddenly and unexplainably become a good person and buy it instead of download it. You're going to download it, and try to justify it if made public.

Simple, just the way I like it: Piracy will never equal gain, only loss.

Apple's marketing and strategy is very respectable, and they take risks. But now it's looking like give people a hand, they'll try to take the arm.

Don't Steal Mac OS X

I think that is what Apple is actually worried about. Their crooked lawyers should have no problems keeping a lid on priracy in Western Europe, Canada, USA and Japan, it is in the rest of world where they could really get screwed. But Microsoft has the same problem, so it really is not a competive disadvantage. However, I agree that the net effect of pirated OSx86 is great for Apple, more people using OS X and buying Apple products.

 

Anyways, you should like OS X a lot more once the x86 drivers for video cards get out.

If someone goes through the trouble of pirating OSX, I doubt he will "buy" other Apple products.

Most piracy problems are solved when the company affected by it takes an active position on the market.

You see:

Microsoft is a highly pirated company. We all know that.

But they're getting better and better results in selling software and computer accessories in Brazil and Latin America since they opened the infamous Microsoft Stores. They adapted their prices to those markets and made partnership programs with government.

Police keeps pirate under pressure after companies like Microsoft started ad campaigns and lawsuits focusing the piracy. They're trying to protect their products.

On the other side: Apple there has a very tragic story.

Their market share is minimum due to high taxes on hardware, as someone mentioned before.

But price is not the only thing keeping people away from Mac.

They never stablished a relation to customers there.

The Macs have a terrible support from Apple. A broken machine (needing a simple hardware change) may be off to repairs up to 2 months or so.

You see a lot of non-satisfied customers on the Home User segment.

When they're not needed (as in studios, for their graphical performance) the Mac just doesn't sound as a good option. And when they're needed, you better keep a spare machine to avoid problems.

Some may say 'But Mac is a premium product. There's no place for them in Latin America's poor economy.' To whom I may reply: You see a lot of premium Stores in Brazil. There's a store named Daslu that sells from Dolce & Gabbana to helicopters and keeps crowded with rich people.

You don't have to be THAT rich to buy a Mac. There's space for Apple in the L.A.

And it would be a lot more if their had a little more care for their costumers and products there.

For those interested, here is the output of system_profiler, ioreg, and kextstat on an iMac Core Duo:

http://appleintelfaq.com/#17.6

One of the active kexts is:

com.apple.Dont_Steal_Mac_OS_X (4.0.0)

If someone goes through the trouble of pirating OSX, I doubt he will "buy" other Apple products.

Are you actually trying to say that nobody here plans to order a new Core Duo Mac after first playing with OSx86 on their PC for free?

Perhaps then the poll results from this thread should interest you: http://forum.osx86project.org/index.php?&s...4&mode=show&st=

I'm getting a MacBook Pro [ 10 ] [17.86%]

17" iMac for me [ 1 ] [1.79%]

I'll take a 20" iMac, please [ 6 ] [10.71%]

Waiting for upcoming models [ 36 ] [64.29%]

I have no intention of spending money on an Apple [ 3 ] [5.36%]

So, at least 17 people here claim to be ordering new Core Duo Macs with 36 more waiting for better models from Apple. That's 95% of responders, with only some 5% have "no intention" of paying for an Apple.

The Macs have a terrible support from Apple. A broken machine (needing a simple hardware change) may be off to repairs up to 2 months or so.

You see a lot of non-satisfied customers on the Home User segment.

When they're not needed (as in studios, for their graphical performance) the Mac just doesn't sound as a good option. And when they're needed, you better keep a spare machine to avoid problems.

What are you talking about? Umm... have you ever owned a Mac?