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Psystar Antitrust Claim Against Apple Dismissed

CNet has a report that a federal judge has dismissed Psystar's antitrust suit against Apple. Observers had said that the counter-suit embodied the Mac clone-maker's best chance of prevailing and staying in business. We've been following Psystar and the dueling lawsuits since the beginning.

256 comments

  1. If these guys couldn't bounce back by retech · · Score: 0
    1. Re:If these guys couldn't bounce back by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      wtf!!! stop using subject as part of the post. you see, there is the subject, which is, you know, the subject, as in "what you are going to talk about", and then the post, the place to write down your idea. stop fucking with data and metadata.

    2. Re:If these guys couldn't bounce back by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I hate Apple. Seriously.

    3. Re:If these guys couldn't bounce back by Khyber · · Score: 1

      AC should learn a thing about media - headlines make people pay attention - same principle being used in a headline is being used in a topic post.

      Nothing wrong with it at all, AC. Quit griping because someone's getting more attention than you.

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
    4. Re:If these guys couldn't bounce back by stewbacca · · Score: 1

      I think you meant to say you hate the legal system.

  2. As much as I dislike Apple... by FireXtol · · Score: 2, Insightful

    This is probably the proper legal ruling.
    Though I disagree with Apple profitting off OSS which they did not initially create. They might as well be Linspire, in that regard.

    --
    Enlightenment is the elimination of that which is unnecessary.
    1. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by dssstrkl · · Score: 5, Insightful

      What's the problem with Apple making money using FOSS? Its not like they don't write their own code or contribute very strongly back to the community?

    2. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by 91degrees · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Though I disagree with Apple profiting off OSS which they did not initially create

      Why not? Most tech companies do this in some way.

    3. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by Xymor · · Score: 1

      There is nothing wrong from profiting from OSS. In fact, I think you're incentivized to put a price different than free by some FOSS licenses, probably to enfisize the difference between free and free.

      As long as you distribute the source you're ok.

    4. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      It's emphasize. Dear gawd.

    5. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by elashish14 · · Score: 1

      Though I disagree with Apple profitting off OSS which they did not initially create.

      I don't really disagree with this; it's not like they broke any licenses at the time they did it. Now that the software is properly licensed, it'd be problematic if they stole from OSS, but it was probably legit when they first released OS X. Not that I know much about the history anyways, so maybe I should shut up.

      --
      I have left slashdot and am now on Soylent News. FUCK YOU DICE.
    6. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      They're not profiting off the Free & Open Source Software that they did not initially create. You can download that bit for free, no profit for Apple. Free of charge, completely.

      What they're profiting from is the non-OSS part that they did create (or bought the rights to, in the case of the NeXT created segment) and the integration of the F/OSS that they use with their OS. That's their work and not covered by F/OSS licenses.

    7. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by elashish14 · · Score: 1

      Additionally, there's nothing in the GPL that says that you can't sell the software, and it explicitly states that you can sell copies of the source for profit. Nothing illegitimate about what Apple's doing really....

      --
      I have left slashdot and am now on Soylent News. FUCK YOU DICE.
    8. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by Koiu+Lpoi · · Score: 4, Funny

      Adding a question mark to any sentence makes it a question?

    9. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      yes but free as in freedom not free as in beer.

      btw i take it you new here.

    10. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by the_womble · · Score: 3, Informative
      There was a time when the KHTML devs were not happy with how code from Webkit was being released (i.e. although they stuck to the letter of the LGPL, they were being unhelpful so not really sticking to to its spirit), but I think that has now been resolved.

      Other than that I do not think they have ever done anything other than what the licences were meant to allow them to do.

    11. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      What does the GPL have to do with Apple or their operating system? Mac OS X is based on BSD.

      Still, the BSD license does allow software distributed under it to be sold with or without offering source code or contributing back, so Apple is fully within their rights to sell Mac OS X. I'm just pointing out that you were referring to the wrong license.

    12. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I thought it was infanticide.

    13. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Technically the legalise stated you could only run it on Apple-branded computers.

      Technically, yes. But I don't believe that was ever intentional- more just incompetent cut-and-pasting which was fixed as soon as they knew about it IIRC.

    14. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Beer isn't free :(

    15. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by JonathanBoyd · · Score: 1

      Though I disagree with Apple profitting off OSS which they did not initially create. They might as well be Linspire, in that regard.

      Isn't that a bit daft? Are you against anyone profiting off OSS they didn't create? What's the problem with profiting off OSS as long as they keep o the licence?

    16. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by gstoddart · · Score: 3, Informative

      Though I disagree with Apple profitting off OSS which they did not initially create.

      They started with BSD code. Which is released under a BSD license which expressly allows this. What's the problem? You are free to make money off that stuff too if you like.

      You can do that with Apache stuff too. Some OSS licenses expressly allow you to use their stuff as a basis for your own stuff. This is a good thing.

      Cheers

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    17. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by L4t3r4lu5 · · Score: 1

      Incesticide.

      --
      Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/
    18. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by nine-times · · Score: 1

      Or if not "most tech companies", then every company that profits off of OSS is profiting from code that they didn't write. Even if they actually start the project, there will still be other code that they didn't write. Either that, or they're wildly unsuccessful at attracting developers to the project.

    19. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by FireXtol · · Score: 1

      I got another analogy! Imagine a few restaurants. Linux, Apple, and Microsoft.
      Apple has employees go to a food bank to pick-up free packaged/canned/etc foods(GNU), only they 'add to it' by cooking it/preparing it and adding herbs and spices(which no one argues are meaningless) they actually did buy(oh, the water is free).
      Something already done by the 'food pantry'/charity(Linux) for free, but now there's a charge involved.
      They don't pass that savings on, Apple is charging just as much, if not more, as the next restaurant(Windows) that buys/produces all its own food/herbs/spice(code). In fact, Mac charges per ingredient(minor upgrades), and there's a steep cover charge to get in(Apple-branded hardware).
      Ingredients Microsoft, which actually 'buys all their food'(paying programmers for code), give you for free with the 'meal'(OS)!
      This is either the best analogy ever or inedible. I seem to like food analogies though!

      --
      Enlightenment is the elimination of that which is unnecessary.
    20. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by lysergic.acid · · Score: 1, Insightful

      i think profit is the wrong word here. there's nothing wrong with a company using FOSS for commercial purposes, like running a LAMP server or installing Linux on the systems they sell. however, i don't think it's ethical for a company to sell free software they didn't write or own the rights to. they can sell support for the software, or sell hardware running the software, but they should provide the FOSS for free.

      however, when it comes to modified FOSS things become a little more complicated. ideally, all software that incorporates FOSS code should be made FOSS as well. after all, if you want to benefit directly from other people's FOSS code, then you should allow others to do the same with your code. but we live in a capitalist society and in the end this would hamper the adoption of FOSS.

      a compromise would be that if someone sells FOSS-based closed software, they should also contribute back to the community in other ways, and they should distribute the FOSS code they used with their proprietary software. all of this, of course, is contingent on the fact that the FOSS code they use is released under a GPL-compatible license. if it's BSD-licensed code then a commercial company can do whatever the hell they want, as that is the author's intent.

    21. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by jo_ham · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I disagree with Ford profiting off the car, which they did not initially create.

      I disagree with Edison profiting off electricity which he didn't initially create.

      I disagree with your assessment that OSS is somehow immune from future development and profitability if it is further developed by anyone that wants to have a go at it.

      Perhaps you have a thing against Apple because you somehow see it as "stealing" the good work of people who put their code out there as open source (you know, free for anyone to use as long as they follow the licence) and Apple did just that.

      So, for example, rather than writing their own HTML engine from scratch, they decided to build on the good work of the KHTML team, and then released Webkit back into the wild for anyone to do with as they see fit.

      They did the same with with the underpinnings of OS X. The top side of OS X is closed source, however, but that actually was written closed from the start.

      Unless you are of the opinion that *only* OSS can exist and even a single line of closed source code is abhorrent to the human race, then I can't see what Apple is doing as wrong. Would you feel differently if Apple used Red Hat's approach and had a fully open source system and charged for support? Hey. wait, Red Hat are making money off OSS which they didn't initially create! Heathens! Burn them!!!!

    22. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by jo_ham · · Score: 1

      I think the spirit of what your post drives at is what Apple wants to do, but as with any large company it's not as simple as it should be.

      With KHTML, Apple has given a lot back to the community with Webkit (even with the teething problems associated with releasing code back to the community that may or may not have been overblown by sensationalist slashdot stories). Either way, Webkit is out there, with a lot of development time from Apple in it, for anyone to use if they like. And while Apple doesn't directly profit from Safari, they have a vested interest in ensuring it's a major player in the browser market.

      They're trying, is what I'm trying to say I guess. My iBook way back in 2003 came with a full copy of Apple's IDE and it has been available free ever since. OK, it's targeted at OS X development, but I would say that was a good thing to give to the community- there were not many free development suites at the time as I remember (other than fully open source stuff).

    23. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by jo_ham · · Score: 1

      Except that Apple doesn't charge for "minor upgrades" - those come for free.

      The "major upgrades" are just named in single decimal increments, seemingly to confuse people into thinking that they are being charged for minor upgrades, when in reality they're not.

      No one seems to complain that W95>W98>W2000>WinXP>Vista were all paid upgrades in the same way that 10.1>10.2>10.3>10.4>10.5 were, both lineages with an equally large (or small) amount of development time and work.

      Otherwise, your restaurant analogy is pretty good.

    24. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think they did a similar thing that ended up killing darwin.

    25. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by MarcoG42 · · Score: 1

      Yabba-dabba-doo-acide.

      --
      If nothing else works, a total pig-headed unwillingness to look facts in the face will see us through.
    26. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by shentino · · Score: 1

      If it's FOSS, shouldn't OS X be like under the GPL or something?

    27. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by kpainter · · Score: 1

      yes but free as in freedom not free as in beer.

      Beer isn't free :(

      Freedom isn't free either. There is a huge fuckin' fee.

    28. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by dssstrkl · · Score: 1

      Webkit, Darwin, Bonjour, X11, etc. Apple uses the LGPL or its own APSL, both of which are considered free licenses by the FSF. APSL is not GPL-compatible, but then, neither is Apache or MIT. BTW, if by new you mean reading since ~1997, then yes. I just tend not to comment because of morons like you who think out their asses.

    29. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      hefty...

    30. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by gyrogeerloose · · Score: 1

      Imagine a few restaurants. Linux, Apple, and Microsoft.

      Your analogy falls down in one important aspect, namely that software is not a consumable. That is, it does not get used up and turned into waste. This allows Apple to contribute it's spiced-up product back to your allegorical food bank so others can benefit from it.

      --
      This ain't rocket surgery.
    31. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Can we please stick to car analogies here? Thanks.

    32. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by FireXtol · · Score: 1

      Huh? Buy it, Use it, discard it(upgrade/get a new meal). The 'digestion' period may be a lot longer, but they say on average one dies with 15-20 pounds of impacted fecal matter in the colon...(those programs you just can't part with no matter how much better you might feel). You're saying every piece of software you've used that you've never stopped using it?

      That must be very uncomfortable.

      --
      Enlightenment is the elimination of that which is unnecessary.
    33. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by NormalVisual · · Score: 1

      I've used plenty of software that started out as waste to begin with. Does that count?

      --
      Please stand clear of the doors, por favor mantenganse alejado de las puertas
    34. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by Lachlan+Hunt · · Score: 1

      The MIT licence is compatible with the GPL, and the Apache Licence v 2.0 is compatible with GPL3 (not GPL2)

      http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/license-list.html

      --
      By reading this signature, you hereby agree with the content of the above comment.
    35. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by stewbacca · · Score: 1

      A buck oh five, to be exact.

    36. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by gyrogeerloose · · Score: 1

      Uh, that makes no sense at all in this context. More importantly, it ignores the big hole in the logic of your original analogy.

      --
      This ain't rocket surgery.
    37. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by pseudonomous · · Score: 1

      contribute very strongly back to the community?

      Well, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwin_(operating_system)#OpenDarwin and form your own how much apple contributes back to the community. Actually, on reading this, I saw that there's a current project to get an OSS Darwin project going again, last time I looked things were DOA. As far as thing go for me, the only good thing I get out of Apple is CUPS, but that was originally developed Easy Software Products, Other apple products do not play so well w/ third party OS and/or apps such as: - the ipod - the iphone - others? My opinion, when push comes to shove: Apple's NOT doing the same thing as Red Hat or Novell, they've provided a few things to the community, and they provide a lot of base-level code for thier OS, but I don't really think they work with the community or care what they do. Apple makes their own design decisions, based on what they think is best for them as a company. Red Hat and Novell do the same thing, but since they're working with gpl products and more "providing a service" vs. "providing a product" it makes more sense for them to work with upstream projects, and they do contribute back to the community as a whole. I don't really see Apple doing this, or really caring so much. Despite the occassionaly scalding comments fromLinus or Theo, I think there's a lot more of a spirit of cooperation amongst *bsd and linux, and even OpenSolaris, and certainly there's some degree of cooperation amongst major linux distros, even if they're all competing against each other. Meanwhile, Apple keeps OS X off in a sheltered little corner. Maybe I'm wrong, this is just the impression I get.

    38. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by FireXtol · · Score: 1

      But the water is free, for all!

      --
      Enlightenment is the elimination of that which is unnecessary.
    39. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by FireXtol · · Score: 1

      I'd say 9x to NT was a similar leap from OS9 to OSX. Now that's MAJOR! Having only used OS X.4 and OS X.5, the differences aren't major, IMO. Lots of minor things, fixes mostly(and uhm, Spaces, which is buggy and illogical). Windows SP's do these kind of mass fixes for FREE, and SP's seem more major(but mostly tons of minor fixes). Plus there are multiple SP's given for free.
      All-in-all, Windows offers much more support per dollar.

      --
      Enlightenment is the elimination of that which is unnecessary.
    40. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by jo_ham · · Score: 1

      You can't have it both ways. Either both Apple and Microsoft charge for what you call "minor" upgrades or they don't.

      MS charged for all the "upgrades " between Win 95, Win 98, Win ME (!), Win 2000, WinXP, Vista in the same way that Apple charged for all the "upgrades" between 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.4, 10.5.

      The differences between all those different versions of Windows (that you had to pay for) is not that much different than all those different versions of OS X (which you had to pay for).

      The only real difference I can see is that each retail copy of OS X is equivalent to the "super duper balls to wall Ultimate Professional Corporate Non-Crippled" versions of Windows, and yet only cost $129 each time.

      So, assuming you paid full retail for your new copy of OS X each time, that's 4 releases (assuming you already had 10.1), which is $516 total over the several years of the product.

      How much for 4 retail (full quality, not the crippled XP home versions that came in with XP) copies if W98, Win 2000, Win XP and Vista (I'm leaving out Win ME because I'm feeling generous - no one bought that anyway).

    41. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by FireXtol · · Score: 1

      I don't think you understand Windows history at all.
      Windows 95 aka 4.0 to Vista aka 6.0. Is two major versions. Compared to half that by Apple. Over a decade of development compared to about half of that by Apple.
      Are you smoking crack?
      Read the fucking updates for OS X. They're mostly applications within the OS!
      Read my journal for over 2 dozen bugs I found in OS X.5!
      I use Windows 2000, and will until at least 2010.
      Come to think of it I can't recall a single bug in Windows 2000 SP4! And SP1,2,3,4 are significant updates.
      Here's some examples of Apple 'updates':
      iTunes logo was changed.
      Mail (e-mail client)
      Terminal â" the Terminal was a feature that allowed access to Mac OS X's underpinnings, namely the Unix core.
      Mail â" An adaptive spam mail filter.
      TextEdit â" TextEdit now is also compatible with Microsoft Word (.doc) documents.
      Quicktime this and that. Safari this and that. iCal, iChat, and so on.
      They list HUNDREDS of improvements, like a service pack. Nothing as revolutionary as 9x to NT, or NT to Vista.
      Plus there's Windows 95a,b and c. Windows 98, and 98se(the good one). Windows NT3,4,5(2k). Pro, Server, Advanced Server, and Data Center. Windows XP Home and Professional. Windows Server 2003. Windows Vista(lol). And in the works Windows 7.
      To compare Windows with a tiny company like Apple in terms of development is HILARIOUSLY RIDICULOUS! As is your argument.
      Microsoft probably spends more on R&D than Apple makes in revenue.

      --
      Enlightenment is the elimination of that which is unnecessary.
    42. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by FireXtol · · Score: 1

      Compared to half a version by Apple.*

      --
      Enlightenment is the elimination of that which is unnecessary.
    43. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by rmav · · Score: 1

      i think profit is the wrong word here. there's nothing wrong with a company using FOSS for commercial purposes, like running a LAMP server or installing Linux on the systems they sell. however, i don't think it's ethical for a company to sell free software they didn't write or own the rights to. they can sell support for the software, or sell hardware running the software, but they should provide the FOSS for free.

      Well, apple does not "charge for the FOSS they do not write". They charge you for an OS that contains also FOSS. But there is a lot of development by Apple that Apple decided to keep closed (and it is their right to do so) and sell. What's wrong with this? The fact that the two types of product are on the same DVD does not make it a violation of GPL of BSD licenses. Roberto

    44. Re:As much as I dislike Apple... by rmav · · Score: 1

      You are obviously totally clueless. There are HUGE kernel changes in all these OS X revisions. Roberto

  3. Where's the logic? by wild_quinine · · Score: 4, Funny
    I never understood what these guys were trying to do. It was clear from the off that they would be legally defeated at every single last turn. Blam.

    You see, whether or not you agree or disagree with the legal standing of this EULA, or that EULA... whether or not you have a position on all this stuff, whether or not you agree that the law needs to be codified more properly for modern times, changed to fit the needs of the public... whatever you think there are just simply weaker cases which need to be tested first.

    These guys marched straight into the castle stronghold without a hope in hell, and pissed on the kings chips.

    We all stood back watching, saying to ourselves... well, this won't go anywhere. This was stupid. These guys are going to get slaughtered.

    And lo! It was stupid, it didn't go anywhere, and they just got it handed to them.

    1. Re:Where's the logic? by Andy_R · · Score: 3, Insightful

      They took a gamble on how a very vague law would be interpreted by a judge. If they won, then they would have been sitting on a goldmine, having lost they will still have the paycheques they they took home each month. There was a lot of upside for hardly any downside.

      --
      A pizza of radius z and thickness a has a volume of pi z z a
    2. Re:Where's the logic? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      I expected them to get the beat-down in court as well, but I'm left hoping this case doesn't set too much of a precedent.

      Apple sells good hardware; they also sell a good OS.

      It really is a shame that those two products can't be treated separately and mixed with other products on the market.

      Yes, you can run a different OS on the hardware; yes, you can run the OS on different hardware (with as-yet-to-be-determined legal work-around).

      Can someone bundle such a package to sell to consumers? Many mightn't want to spend their time on an OS install - that could be perceived as added value.

      Perhaps someone will come up with a better car analogy - here's mine: wouldn't you be peeved if you weren't allowed to resell your car after you replaced its engine (and it passed all safety requirements, etc)? Whether it's one car (yours), or a company offering an "upgrade service" (Ruf Porsche caters to the high end) - it's a benefit for consumers to have those options.

      Why make software so different?

    3. Re:Where's the logic? by Paradise+Pete · · Score: 1

      I never understood what these guys were trying to do.

      If it ever comes out who the money is behind them then it may become much more clear. Perhaps it is someone like Dell, trying for a decision that would allow them to do the same thing. That would be a *huge* victory for them, and worth a small anonymous gamble to try to pull it off.

    4. Re:Where's the logic? by m.ducharme · · Score: 1

      There was a lot of upside for hardly any downside.

      Until damages and costs are assessed in Apple's favour.

      --
      Rule of Slashdot #0: You and people like you are not representative of the larger population. - A.C.
    5. Re:Where's the logic? by Andy_R · · Score: 1

      The problem is, Apple now have a judge saying they don't have a monopoly, so they could simply jack the price of OS X up to $1,000,129 with a $1m discount if it's installed on an Apple computer, or limit sales to 10 per customer, or use any other way of making it uneconomical to make clones, and it wouldn't count as monopoly abuse.

      --
      A pizza of radius z and thickness a has a volume of pi z z a
    6. Re:Where's the logic? by L4t3r4lu5 · · Score: 1

      I think you mean "adjusted"

      --
      Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/
    7. Re:Where's the logic? by JonathanBoyd · · Score: 1

      Why make software so different?

      It isn't. There are physical products you can buy that have licensing terms attached restricted resale e.g. multipack crisps or rental DVDs.

    8. Re:Where's the logic? by m.ducharme · · Score: 1

      Actually, I meant "assessed", as I meant that the judge, having ruled in Apple's favour, would assess damages (if Apple counter-sued, which I expect they did), and that the judge would also make a costs ruling in Apple's favour. I'm not sure what you mean by "adjusted", is this the term more commonly used in US jurisdictions? Or are we thinking about different kinds of costs and damages?

      --
      Rule of Slashdot #0: You and people like you are not representative of the larger population. - A.C.
    9. Re:Where's the logic? by nine-times · · Score: 1

      On the plus side, they're probably making money until the court shuts them down, at which point they can declare bankruptcy and disappear.

    10. Re:Where's the logic? by Zey · · Score: 1

      Apple sells good hardware;

      At the very top end, sure. The Mac Minis, on the other hand, are way overpriced and under-specced. Hardware from two years ago at "average consumer desktop of today" prices. Woeful stuff considering the only alternative for a Mac desktop system (table lamps don't count) is the Mac Pro at a hefty USD $2800.

    11. Re:Where's the logic? by hairyfeet · · Score: 2, Insightful

      That is because the morons are aiming at the wrong target. The issue they should have brought up was first sale,which has a lot of precedent behind it and which a judge isn't nearly as liable to shoot down. To use a slashdot car analogy,it is like I buy a Ford motor and then build my own kind of car around it to sell. What I do with that motor is out of Ford's hands once they took my money. I bought,I own it,if I wanted to flush it down the toilet or paint it Chevy red is no business of Ford once the money has changed hands. And I doubt any judge is going to say a shrink wrap EULA is able to defeat first sale,because if he does he has single handedly destroyed first sale for everyone,as every asshole company out there will be putting "first sale killers" in their EULAs the very next day. IMHO THAT is what they need to bring before the judge.

      --
      ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
    12. Re:Where's the logic? by DrgnDancer · · Score: 1

      Why don't table lamps count? It's the way Apple chooses to sell mid-range systems. Personally I think it's a bad idea. There's a market for a mid-range Apple Desktop not tied to a monitor it seems to me, but that's their business decision not mine. It's inarguable that the iMac is a decent mid-range system, though the monitor bundling tends to make it more expensive that it could be if I could just use my old monitor like with a 'desktop' PC.

      --
      I don't need a million points of light, just two points of multi-mode fiber and a 10 Gig-E router.
    13. Re:Where's the logic? by AtariKee · · Score: 1

      "Apple sells good hardware; they also sell a good OS. It really is a shame that those two products can't be treated separately and mixed with other products on the market."

      Not going to happen. There's no good reason why Apple would do this. It would upset their current business model, which has been incredibly successful. Their profit is made in hardware, not software.

      Because Microsoft sells the OS and not the box, I think there's a tendency for people (read: geeks) to look at Apple in the same light, when they use a completely different business model.

      Of course, nothing is stopping anyone from building and running a Hackintosh. Just don't try to sell it. Apple is protecting their IP from a company that is trying to profit from it. What Psystar tried to do is wrong and the court agreed.

      I think this entire argument boils down to one fact- people want cheap shitbox Macs. And it's never going to happen.

      --
      "You're getting brutal, Sark. Brutal and needlessly sadistic."
      "Thank you, Master Control"
      -Sark and the MCP
    14. Re:Where's the logic? by gnasher719 · · Score: 1

      Actually, I meant "assessed", as I meant that the judge, having ruled in Apple's favour, would assess damages (if Apple counter-sued, which I expect they did), and that the judge would also make a costs ruling in Apple's favour. I'm not sure what you mean by "adjusted", is this the term more commonly used in US jurisdictions? Or are we thinking about different kinds of costs and damages?

      I think this law case is running slightly different than you think. What happened is that Apple sued Psystar for copyright infringement and all kind of evil things; Psystar then replied by countersuing Apple for being an evil monopoly. Psystar's countersuit has been dismissed (Psystar has a chance to amend its claims and try again, but I don't think there is much hope for them), which means we are now left with Apple suing Psystar. Psystar and Apple will both carry their own cost for bringing this bit of light entertainment to us :-)

    15. Re:Where's the logic? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why don't table lamps count?

      Integrated monitor. In a desktop class machine, you want to pick and choose your own. If you can't, a table lamp system is a non-starter.

  4. There was a lot of upside for hardly any downside. by Chrisq · · Score: 1

    Except perhaps bad timing. Its probably not the best time to start a new business or look for employment.

  5. I couldn't agree more by raynet · · Score: 4, Funny

    Re:If these guys couldn't bounce back

    --
    - Raynet --> .
    1. Re:I couldn't agree more by ArhcAngel · · Score: 2, Insightful

      This is hilarious and yet I feel the same as AC. I'm so conflicted.

      --
      "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
    2. Re:I couldn't agree more by Arterion · · Score: 1

      Just a guess: AC and GP are same poster.

      --
      "That which does not kill us makes us stranger." -Trevor Goodchild
  6. I wish they could win by Shivetya · · Score: 1, Insightful

    I hope they find an angle that works.

    Really it is amazing how people will come out of the woodwork to support Apple in this. Sorry, I own multiple Apple products but I do not see how in the hell it is justified they can tell me or anyone else how to use their product once I buy it. This would be akin to Microsoft having said Windows only on Intel, using another processor violates the EULA. How far would have that gone?

    Apple isn't denying Pystar business by suing them on grounds of copyright violation, they are denying you the right to purchase hardware supported by another vendor to run an operating system of your choosing. If other companies could produce configurations they could legally back as running OS X it would give some of us the machines we can't get from Apple.

    --
    * Winners compare their achievements to their goals, losers compare theirs to that of others.
    1. Re:I wish they could win by Andy_R · · Score: 2, Insightful

      This would be akin to Microsoft having...

      Judge actually ruled that this is pretty much the exact opposite of 'This would be akin to Microsoft...'

      This particular ruling isn't about the EULA aspect of the case, it's about the (alleged) monopoly abuse. Psystar's argument was that Apple had a monopoly in the market for computers running OS X, and therefore had to abide by the much stricter laws on what a company can and cannot do if it gets into a monopoly position. The judge said that 'computers running OS X' isn't the applicable 'market' in this case, he defined the applicable market as 'computers running any OS', therefore Apple only have a minority of the market, and Psystar is wrong. In that market, Microsoft do have a big enough OS market share to be defined as a monopoly.

      --
      A pizza of radius z and thickness a has a volume of pi z z a
    2. Re:I wish they could win by MrMickS · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Apple isn't denying Pystar business by suing them on grounds of copyright violation, they are denying you the right to purchase hardware supported by another vendor to run an operating system of your choosing.

      So when it sends reports following crashes where do they go? Apple.

      When someone files feedback or some such where does that go? Apple.

      When something doesn't work as expected who gets the blame? Apple.

      Apple gets bad rep and no financial recompense from Psystar's business model. Why is this something that should be allowed?

      --
      You may think me a tired, old, cynic. I'd have to disagree about the tired bit.
    3. Re:I wish they could win by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      he defined the applicable market as 'computers running any OS'

      Define "computer".

      Sincerely,
      The mobile phone business

    4. Re:I wish they could win by TheRaven64 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Apple gets bad rep and no financial recompense from Psystar's business model

      Unless you count the $129/sale from the boxed copy of OS X that Pystar include as a financial recompense...

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    5. Re:I wish they could win by penix1 · · Score: 2, Informative

      The judge said that 'computers running OS X' isn't the applicable 'market' in this case, he defined the applicable market as 'computers running any OS', therefore Apple only have a minority of the market, and Psystar is wrong. In that market, Microsoft do have a big enough OS market share to be defined as a monopoly.

      However, the other part of the Sherman Act (illegal tying) was still not addressed. From
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tying_(commerce)

      Some kinds of tying, especially by contract, have historically been regarded as anti-competitive practices. The basic idea is that consumers are harmed by being forced to buy an undesired good (the tied good) in order to purchase a good they actually want (the tying good), and so would prefer that the goods be sold separately. The company doing this bundling may have a significantly large market share so that it may impose the tie on consumers, despite the forces of market competition. The tie may also harm other companies in the market for the tied good, or who sell only single components.

      (emphasis added).

      Since you can buy OS X without having to buy an Apple Computer and since OS X will run on non-Apple hardware, it is illegal tying especially since it is a contract only (EULA) that prevents you from running on non-Apple hardware. Whether or not Pystar pursued this line I have no idea.

      --
      This is a sig. This is only a sig. Had this been an actual sig you would have been informed where to tune for more sigs.
    6. Re:I wish they could win by DaveV1.0 · · Score: 1

      You do not buy an operating system. You buy a license to use an operating system. You are required to abide by the terms of the license.

      --
      There is no "-1 offended" or "-1 you don't agree with me" mod options for a reason.
    7. Re:I wish they could win by BigDish · · Score: 1

      Lets change one word in your statement:
      So when it sends reports following crashes where do they go? Microsoft.

      When someone files feedback or some such where does that go? Microsoft.

      When something doesn't work as expected who gets the blame? Microsoft.
      --
      Hmmm, sounds like the attitude most of Slashdot has towards Windows.

      To be quite honest, I'd really disappointed to see this antitrust suit thrown out. Apple is selling PCs, and Mac OS runs on PCs - they just won't admit it. It's time the OS competes on technical merits solely, not vendor lockin/lockout.

    8. Re:I wish they could win by JonathanBoyd · · Score: 1

      Really it is amazing how people will come out of the woodwork to support Apple in this. Sorry, I own multiple Apple products but I do not see how in the hell it is justified they can tell me or anyone else how to use their product once I buy it. This would be akin to Microsoft having said Windows only on Intel, using another processor violates the EULA. How far would have that gone?

      Apple isn't denying Pystar business by suing them on grounds of copyright violation, they are denying you the right to purchase hardware supported by another vendor to run an operating system of your choosing. If other companies could produce configurations they could legally back as running OS X it would give some of us the machines we can't get from Apple.

      Actually, the problem is that they're installing Mac OS X then reselling it. They're not going after consumers or anyone who's violating the EULa; they're going after a company. Companies don't have the right to do what they want with someone else' software, especially when that involves violating the license. What if Microsoft modified some GPL software then started selling it in violation of the license by not distributing the source? That's similar to what Psystar are doing.

    9. Re:I wish they could win by dshadowwolf · · Score: 1

      I've never liked that analogy. And, at least in California, this "licensed not sold" thing has been shot down in court. See the recent Autodesk case.

    10. Re:I wish they could win by JonathanBoyd · · Score: 1

      Surely the ruling does address tying indirectly? If the market is defined as 'computers running any OS', then it is possible to buy a computer without OS X or another OS without buying an Apple Mac ergo Apple is not forcing anyone in the market to buy a component from them because you can buy either component (computer or OS) from someone else. The tying would only be applicable if the market was 'computers running OS X.'

      The Wikipedia article on tying seems fairly clear on this in the 'Tying in United States Law' section where it notes that 'The Supreme Court has since held that a plaintiff must establish the sort of market power necessary for other antitrust violations in order to prove sufficient "economic power" necessary to establish a per se tie.' In defining the market, the judge has ruled that Apple do not have the market power necessary.

    11. Re:I wish they could win by nine-times · · Score: 3, Insightful

      And it is some level of financial recompense, but it doesn't address the question of whether it's fair recompense. The $129 number is a price subsidized by the purchase of a Mac. That's essentially the "upgrade" price. We don't know what the fully retail price of OSX would be if Apple were licensing it for use on non-Apple computers, because Apple doesn't offer those licensing terms to anyone.

      It may be that, if Apple chose to license OSX for generic PCs, they would charge $500 or $1000 per copy. We don't know.

      So in light of that, it's not clear that the $129 is sufficient for Psystar to say, "But we bought copies of OSX fair and square!"

    12. Re:I wish they could win by rgviza · · Score: 0, Troll

      Give it up dude, most of /. is so far up Apple's ass they get poked in the eye whenever Steve Jobs gives someone head.

      The funniest part is /. generally sanctions people stealing music, but Apple enforcing their ridiculous EULA against *people who paid for their OS* is kosher?

      Where are the "I don't believe in IP" people?
      Apple makes the RIAA look friendly. At least the RIAA doesn't tell you what kind of stereo you have to play your music on.

      Talk about double standards...

      -Viz

      --
      Don't kid yourself. It's the size of the regexp AND how you use it that counts.
    13. Re:I wish they could win by DaveV1.0 · · Score: 1

      That case does not apply because the seller was reselling the license. That falls under the first sale doctrine. Your understanding of the case and the law is flawed.

      --
      There is no "-1 offended" or "-1 you don't agree with me" mod options for a reason.
    14. Re:I wish they could win by stocke2 · · Score: 1

      The problem with your example is simply
      that is Microsoft's business model. They know what they are in for
      they sell their software to run on basically any computer.

      Now call Microsoft and tell them that your vista doesn't work on your 386 with 128mb of ram and see what they tell you

      --
      A Smith & Wesson beats four aces -- Murphy's Law of Poker
    15. Re:I wish they could win by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because you aren't buying the OS product, you're being licensed the OS.

      It's the funny way in which copyright works. You own the physical medium, not what on it. You have a license to what's on the medium. Apple owns the copyright, copyright grants them the right to dictate weather or not you're allowed to copy the copyrighted product, and under what terms.

      Weather you agree or disagree with copyright law is irrelevant, it's law. Disagreeing with it doesn't give you a license to not abide by it. You don't like their terms, it's your right to not buy the product, just as it's their right to dictate the terms on which you're allowed to make a copy of it.

      You don't own the OS on that disk, you're being licensed it. Copyright does not transfer upon the sale of physical media, unless expressly stated.

      It works the same way in free software, you don't own GPL'ed product, the copyright isn't being transfered to you (otherwise it would be impossible to enforce the terms of the license, as copyright holder you'd be free to do whatever the hell you want, and are not bound by the terms of the original license). You are granted the ability to modify, redistribute, copy, etc the product, not because you own it, or because you have some inherent entitlement to do so, but because those are the terms the copyright holder has dictated to you.

      Apple denies you nothing. Their product is an integrated system, it's a take it or leave it deal. Solaris was the same way for a very long time, and even after the x86 port, it still only supported a subset of hardware, so most of the time you were still bound to Sun-branded x86 hardware.

      What it boils down to, again, is that it's their product, their work, their copyright. You aren't entitled to it because you want it, you're bound to their terms, which is something, conversely, which _they_ are entitled to.

      And the Windows example is a terrible one, different products. Microsoft's Windows product isn't an integrated system, it's a standalone operating system (which used to run on MIPS, Alpha, and PPC as well as x86, btw), plus, Microsoft has a pseudo-monopoly built around Windows, which forces them to play by a different set of rules, limiting what they can and cannot do.

      Apple, however is into integrated systems. They're the OEM, in addition to the OS maker and Hardware vendor. The hardware and Mac OS are NOT separate products, their product is a Macintosh: The combination of Mac OS on Mac hardware. They aren't depriving you of anything, and it's not the same as MS saying "intel only" because OS X isn't a standalone product, it's a component of the Macintosh product. Ergo, no anti-competition, no depriving competitors, no leveraging of product, no monopoly, no antitrust. They're just a single player in the integrated systems game.

      they are denying you the right to purchase hardware supported by another vendor to run an operating system of your choosing. If other companies could produce configurations they could legally back as running OS X it would give some of us the machines we can't get from Apple.

      Running their OS on the hardware of your choice is
      not you right. It could be if their OS was a standalone product, but it isn't, it's just a component of their integrated system product.

    16. Re:I wish they could win by itsdapead · · Score: 1

      Unless you count the $129/sale from the boxed copy of OS X that Pystar include as a financial recompense...

      If you pay Microsoft $129 then all you get is an upgrade to Vista Home Premium which requires that you already have a license for XP. If you fancy "Ultimate" for that sort of money you'll have to settle for an OEM copy, the license for which specifically excludes technical support (now that's one EULA which would be fun to see tested in court).

      So Apple could easily point to their main competitor and argue that $129 is not a fair recompense for a "full retail" license of a full-featured OS (and since when did Windows come with a web server and complete development tools kit?)

      I can't understand why Apple don't describe the OSX retail boxes as "Upgrades" though - since you require a Mac and all Macs ship with Mac OS it amounts to the same thing, and I really can't see a court overturning the practice of selling "upgrade" products.

      --
      In a survey of 100 programmers, 111111 thought that duck-typing was a good idea.
    17. Re:I wish they could win by Anthony_Cargile · · Score: 1

      Where are the "I don't believe in IP" people?

      Wishing we could continue installing Mac OS on our Dell, Gateway and HPs only without fear of any legal repercussions if a crApple lawyer happens to be in the same coffee house as us.

      Nothing says we can't keep installing it as long as we don't sell it, but this case was the hackintosh underground's way of using Leopard without any (even vague) legal consequences.

      And stop calling them clones, its just an operating system (look up the definition) running on non-Apple hardware, making it ideal for dual/triple booting.

    18. Re:I wish they could win by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      that is a subsidized cost assuming you are upgrading an existing mac

    19. Re:I wish they could win by internic · · Score: 1

      "Sorry, be we've decided to make Sony Blu-Ray players (and PS3s) only play on Sony brand televisions. After all:

      When the HDCP support on the TV doesn't work and the connection is degraded, where do the complaints go? Sony.

      ..."

      Does that sound reasonable? Look, the line of thinking you're using can be extended to all sorts of products. It's true that it's much easier to ensure a good user experience if you control all aspects of that experience, and it's true that when you have your products interacting with those of others there may be problems that are the fault of another company but get blamed partially on your company by the user. Apple does, indeed, have a rational motivation for trying to lock their hardware to their software, and it's not at all unique to them. However, where that leads is to a world where consumers don't have choices. How many contractual obligations are you going to accept with your purchases? How about a car with a contract that constrains where you're allowed to drive in order to maintain optimal ride satisfaction? As a consumer, we each ought to demand that when we buy a product it's ours to do with as we please (within the bounds of the law). We can accept that certain configurations or uses aren't supported, but we should not accept them being prevented.

      Don't sign away your freedom to use the things you've bought just because it makes brand marketing more convenient for some corporation.

      --
      "You call it a new way of thinking; I call it regression to ignorance!" -- Operation Ivy
    20. Re:I wish they could win by iron-kurton · · Score: 2, Insightful

      That was a really fancy way of saying Apple's hardware is way overpriced (perhaps to offset the high marketing costs??)

      --
      Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine -- Robert C. Gallagher
    21. Re:I wish they could win by jo_ham · · Score: 1

      But Microsoft sells their OS at a price that takes that into account, and it is sold as such. I have no doubt that MS gets a lot a flak for "windows being crappy" when it's installed on shitty PCs made out of tissue paper and Chinese orphans' teeth with a Dell sticker on the front, but that's part of MS' business model.

      Apple's OS is sold to run on Mac boxes, and is cheaper as a result. Part of the cost of supporting the OS is paid when you buy the hardware. Not that Apple is saying that Psystar is stealing profit from Apple (it's an extra $129 that they wouldn't otherwise have had after all) just that it's not something they want to deal with and is against the terms of the licence.

      If the case had gone the other way, I expect Apple would simply have increased the price of OS X hugely and offered a discount at the point of sale or with a mail in rebate if you can prove you own a Mac to install it on. But no one wants that! Part of the niceness of of installing OS X is that it has no serials, codes, or other protections. Well, apart from the gigantic dongle with the screen and hard drive and Apple symbol on the side that also doubles as a computer.

    22. Re:I wish they could win by UnknowingFool · · Score: 1

      Psystar is technically a reseller not a consumer. They probably did not pay full retail. And as a reseller they are under different obligations than a consumer. Also Apple alleges that in order to get OS X to work on generic hardware, Psystar would have had to modify the code. So Psystar modified and redistributed their code. Nothing in their reseller license grants them the ability to do that.

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
    23. Re:I wish they could win by nine-times · · Score: 1

      Not really. Companies like Dell/HP sell high-margin expensive hardware and use that to subsidize their low-margin cheapo hardware in order to have a more complete product lineup. Apple sells high-margin expensive hardware and use that to subsidize development of software to run on that hardware.

      Apple's prices aren't really out of line in comparison with Sony, for example. The difference is, you get to run OSX, Final Cut, iWork, etc. if you choose (legally) as well as Linux or Windows.

      But I don't know why you think any of this has to do with "high marketing costs". Any backup for that?

    24. Re:I wish they could win by idontgno · · Score: 1

      So, if you trash the hard drive and install an empty one.... you're hosed? No MacOS for you?

      Not every Macintosh boot drive will have a valid MacOS image. Selling, and restricting, the retail package to "Upgrade" pretty much obligates you to sell a "clean-install" version, undercutting the "we only sell upgrade packages" argument. Labelling the packages "Upgrade" but not enforcing any kind of technical measure against clean installs is called lying. If that "Upgrade Only" proviso becomes part of a body of evidence in court, it'll be refuted in 30 minutes by opposing experts. (See also "Internet Explorer is an integral part of Windows".)

      --
      Welcome to the Panopticon. Used to be a prison, now it's your home.
    25. Re:I wish they could win by gnasher719 · · Score: 1

      Where are the "I don't believe in IP" people?
      Apple makes the RIAA look friendly. At least the RIAA doesn't tell you what kind of stereo you have to play your music on.

      Way off the mark. What annoys people about the RIAA is: A lawsuit tactics that forces completely innocent people to hand over extortion money (obviously some very guilty people are handing over extortion money as well), damage claims that are out of this world (like $9000 for copying a single song that can be bought for 99 cents), and the feeling that if these guys were not living back in the stone ages, then they could have worked out a system that gives us lots of cheap music, and them lots of profits, because the technology to do that is there.

      What Apple does is more like if allofmp3.com opened freshly in the USA, offered lots of music for cheap prices without paying anyone for the rights, and told the RIAA to f*** off. And when the RIAA sues them, they would claim that the RIAA has a monopoly on all the music and therefore no rights to prevent anyone else from selling it.

    26. Re:I wish they could win by dave420 · · Score: 1

      If there's a hardware problem with a Psystar, Psystar has to deal with it. If the problem is with OS X, then Apple has to deal with it. All Psystar machines are bundled with a copy of OS X bought from Apple, so it doesn't negatively affect Apple at all, only the loss of the sale of hardware.

    27. Re:I wish they could win by gnasher719 · · Score: 1

      I can't understand why Apple don't describe the OSX retail boxes as "Upgrades" though - since you require a Mac and all Macs ship with Mac OS it amounts to the same thing, and I really can't see a court overturning the practice of selling "upgrade" products.

      I wouldn't mind at all if they printed something like that onto the package. For the license terms, it makes very little difference. The license is a piece of printed paper, and you follow it, or you don't. Whether it says "install only on Apple-labeled computers" or "install only on computers with a valid MacOS X license", that doesn't make much difference. Either terms are equally enforceable (or unenforceable if you believe Psystar). It might make a psychological difference, but not a legal one.

      If someone at Apple went mad and changed the license terms to "install only on Apple-labeled computers, or computers in a case with at least twelve really annoying flashing LED lights in at least three different colours", then these terms would be just as valid, even though we all (and the judge) would agree that the person setting these terms was a complete idiot.

    28. Re:I wish they could win by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's idiotic. If there's a incompatible problem in sw updates because Apple doe not test their sw on Psystar machines, who will support it? Psystar? Apple? Suppose Psystar asks Apple to fix it and Apple refused? Should Psystar sue Apple to fix it? Suppose Psystar won? Then Apple needs to spend resources to fix a problem that was not theirs to begin with. How is this not affecting negatively on Apple?

    29. Re:I wish they could win by itsdapead · · Score: 2, Informative

      Labelling the packages "Upgrade" but not enforcing any kind of technical measure against clean installs is called lying.

      Nonsense. If so, selling a music CD with a copyright notice but no DRM to stop you ripping and uploading it is also "lying". I don't think so. Before product activation became commonplace most commercial software did nothing to enforce its license. Lots of publishers sell software "for educational use only" at a discount - the license says you can't use it for commercial purposes, but there's nothing to enforce it.

      (See also "Internet Explorer is an integral part of Windows" [cnet.com].)

      MS were accused of monopoly abuse by bundling IE with windows, and trying to claim that it was technically impossible to remove it. How do you get from there to "you can't impose a license condition without backing it up with a technological measure"?

      Anyway, Microsoft has a near-monopoly in personal computer operating system market - so anti-trust law allows the courts to poke their nose into what they sell to who and for how much.

      TFA was all about Psystar being laughed out of court for trying to argue that Apple were a monopoly - because only Apple made Apple products - and could therefore be told what they had to sell to whom and for how much. Apple don't have a monopoly. The reason that it sometimes seems that there is one law for MS and another law for Apple is because there is.

      --
      In a survey of 100 programmers, 111111 thought that duck-typing was a good idea.
    30. Re:I wish they could win by itsdapead · · Score: 1

      It might make a psychological difference, but not a legal one.

      I agree there's no real difference, but there is safety in numbers: Apple is slightly unusual in saying "you can only use this software on Apple branded computers", but most big software houses sell "upgrade" versions and would quite like that to be legally enforceable. Not that I'm suggesting that big business interests can influence the legal system at all.

      --
      In a survey of 100 programmers, 111111 thought that duck-typing was a good idea.
    31. Re:I wish they could win by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Which competitor? None of the major PC makers develop or sell their own OS.

    32. Re:I wish they could win by GaryPatterson · · Score: 3, Informative

      You quoted only part of the text, and missed the critical bit.

      Certain tying arrangements are illegal in the United States under both the Sherman Antitrust Act, and Section 3 of the Clayton Act. A tying arrangement is defined as "an agreement by a party to sell one product but only on the condition that the buyer also purchases a different (or tied) product, or at least agrees he will not purchase the product from any other supplier." Tying may be the action of several companies as well as the work of just one firm. Success on a tying claim typically requires proof of four elements:
      (1) two separate products or services are involved;
      (2) the purchase of the tying product is conditioned on the additional purchase of the tied product;
      (3) the seller has sufficient market power in the market for the tying product;
      (4) a not insubstantial amount of interstate commerce in the tied product market is affected.

      Look at point 3 - "sufficient market power."

      Apple do *not* have sufficient market power (which is usually triggered by monopoly status) and therefore are not subject to laws against tying.

      Monopoly status (or 'sufficient market power') triggers a whole raft of conditions which are not an issue before that point.

    33. Re:I wish they could win by penix1 · · Score: 1

      Actually, they are when you define the market, like the article points out, as the tying object (OS X). So my original statement stands. The market isn't defined as the computer market here. I think the judge erred on that one but IANAL and all...

      --
      This is a sig. This is only a sig. Had this been an actual sig you would have been informed where to tune for more sigs.
    34. Re:I wish they could win by iron-kurton · · Score: 1

      No back up for it, I was just being facetious :) I was implying that since their marketing campaigns are so good they obviously must spend a lot of money paying for it, and that they must somehow make up for that money.

      --
      Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine -- Robert C. Gallagher
    35. Re:I wish they could win by nine-times · · Score: 1

      Microsoft, Dell, and HP also have a lot of advertising (I'm assuming that's what you mean by "marketing", even though marketing and advertising are different), and spend a lot on it. You might think Apple's is better, but that doesn't necessarily mean they spent more.

    36. Re:I wish they could win by rtechie · · Score: 1

      This would be akin to Microsoft having said Windows only on Intel, using another processor violates the EULA. How far would have that gone?

      In fact, the Windows XP EULA says exactly this. Attempting to port Windows XP to another platform (not that you could without the source and lots of help from Microsoft) violates the TOS. Low-level hacking on the kernel is also banned, but I don't think MS has ever sued anyone for shimming the kernel (they'll say "That's a really bad idea." though).

      More importantly, Microsoft has strict limitations on running Windows in VMs. Basically, it violates the TOS unless you have an additional license.

    37. Re:I wish they could win by rtechie · · Score: 1

      Apple gets bad rep and no financial recompense from Psystar's business model. Why is this something that should be allowed?

      Psystar isn't at fault for user stupidity.

      Every computer, including those from Apple, is a collection of components from different manufacturers.

      You buy a Dell computer. That computer contains a MSI video card with a chipset made by Nvidia running on a Microsoft operating system. When the video card has a problem, who do you call?

      DELL.

      In the same way you call Apple for problems with your Nvidia video card.

      So these users are supposed to call Psystar. It's not Psystar's fault of their users call Apple, any more that it's Dell's fault it's users call Microsoft.

      And Apple CAN get financial recompense from Psystar's model. Psystar pays retail for the copies of OSX they include and Apple COULD charge Psystar users for additional support in the same way they charge Apple users for additional support.

      And I'm not sure how much "You're not supported at all, fuck off." really costs Apple. That's they're current support model for Psystar users. If anything they're saving a bit of money because they provide no support of the copies of OSX Psystar provides.

      The REAL "cost" to Apple is the loss of a potential sale to a competitor. That's it.

  7. Re:it's a blow to us all. by somersault · · Score: 1

    I just moved from OSX to Ubuntu a couple of weeks ago.

    Benefits:

    • multiple desktops, with nice shiny 3D desktop switching
    • future updates are free
    • it's much easier to find and install new applications using the built in package manager

    Downsides:

    • No two finger right click so far, and the two finger scrolling is a little finicky compared to in OSX. Only matters in the evenings when I'm away from my desk though, the rest of the time I'm using an external mouse, keyboard and display anyway
    • The properietary ATI/AMD graphics driver for linux is pretty guff so far
    • Err.. that's about it

    Poor attempt at flamebait tbh.

    --
    which is totally what she said
  8. Re:it's a blow to us all. by NoName+Studios · · Score: 1

    You do realize that OS X has fancy multiple desktops, free updates, and a built in package manager?(Spaces, Software Update, APT GET or my favorite the Trash Can.)

    Before any one tries to refute the free updates, security fixes and other obvious updates(Web Browser, Codecs) come free from software update. New paid releases of OS X really only include fancy new features that people can live with out.

  9. I'm glad they lost by crmarvin42 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    This would be akin to Microsoft having said Windows only on Intel, using another processor violates the EULA

    Except that Microsoft does say that with the Xbox and Xbox 360. They have 2 different platforms with 2 different lisencing strategies for their hardware. Windows is lisenced to anyone and everyone for an exorbinant fee, while the Xbox OS is not lisenced to anyone and used only for running hardware assembled and sold by Microsoft. Apple doesn't have any obligation to market it's computer OS the same way that MS does, and unless you have a problem with MS, Sony, or Nintendo marketing their OS the same way Apple does I fail to see validity of the "Apple is the next MS" argument you are using here unless you plan to apply it to the other game station manufacturers as well.

    Your whole second paragraph is self contradictory. Apple is suing Pystar for selling hardware with a "Hacked version of Apples OS" they are not suing Pystar for the computers they've sold with windows or linux installed, only those with OS X. If you want to go take the open source compnents of Apple's OS and recreate the closed source code yourself, and then sell computers with it you are free to do so. However, you'll quickly find that even with mooching Apple contributions to open source you won't be able to maintain profitability sell this OS for the same price Apple does their updates. They are a way to generate some income off of major OS updates from people that have already purchased Apple hardware. They are not sold at a profit by themselves, so Apple is free to restrict the sales to whomever they want in the EULA.

    Would I like cheeper Mac's, of course, but that doesn't mean I advocate hamstringing their ability to decide the direction of their own products.

    --
    Bureaucracy expands to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy.-Oscar Wilde
    1. Re:I'm glad they lost by Beyond_GoodandEvil · · Score: 0

      Windows is lisenced to anyone and everyone for an exorbinant fee, while the Xbox OS is not lisenced to anyone and used only for running hardware assembled and sold by Microsoft.
      I haven't been to a big box retailer recently so perhaps you can purchase the XBox OS on an installable media, but I sure as hell know you can purchase a copy of Mac OSX on physical media for installation. So therefore your MS Xbox analogy fails.
        Apple doesn't have any obligation to market it's computer OS the same way that MS does, and unless you have a problem with MS, Sony, or Nintendo marketing their OS the same way Apple does I fail to see validity of the "Apple is the next MS" argument you are using here unless you plan to apply it to the other game station manufacturers as well.
      Again please provide linx to where I can purchase on seperate physical media any of those operating systems. Oh wait, you can't. Here's a bad car analogy, imagine if Bridgestone decided that you could only put Potenzas on Ferraris and some clever chap allowed you to put Potenzas on a hyundai. Now recognize that is what apple is trying to do with leopard or whichever version of the OS they're selling.

      --
      I laughed at the weak who considered themselves good because they lacked claws.
    2. Re:I'm glad they lost by blincoln · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Except that Microsoft does say that with the Xbox and Xbox 360. They have 2 different platforms with 2 different lisencing strategies for their hardware. Windows is lisenced to anyone and everyone for an exorbinant fee, while the Xbox OS is not lisenced to anyone and used only for running hardware assembled and sold by Microsoft.

      Microsoft doesn't sell the "Xbox OS" as a separate product. Apple does sell OS X independently of their hardware.

      --
      "...always new atoms but always doing the same dance, remembering what the dance was yesterday." -Richard Feynman
    3. Re:I'm glad they lost by crmarvin42 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      your MS Xbox analogy fails.

      No it doesn't. they are both Operating Systems for running specific hardware designs. Their is only one Xbox 360 design, but if I were to go out and purchase all of the parts necessary, assemble the system, and get my hands on a copy of the OS from some hacker I could conceivably install the Xbox 360 OS on reference hardware and do the equivalent of what Pystar is doing. It would be no less illegal based on the EULA and copywrite law as it is written and enforced at the moment. That it would be more difficult to procure a copy of the installable OS doesn't invalidate my analogy.

      If anything your "Bad Car Analogy" is worse than the one I used because tires are sold and not licensed as software is. I don't particularly like that software is licensed instead of sold but that's the state of things at the moment.

      --
      Bureaucracy expands to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy.-Oscar Wilde
    4. Re:I'm glad they lost by crmarvin42 · · Score: 1

      Microsoft doesn't sell the "Xbox OS" as a separate product.

      Neither does Apple. Neither company "Sells" any software. Instead, they both license software to users, and both sell at least some hardware which comes with the licensed software pre-installed. Apple arguably has more a more restrictive license for their computer OS, but that in and of itself isn't an indefensible legal position.

      If you consider my point to be unnecessarily pedantic how about this. Apple doesn't sell boxed licenses of the Mac OS as a separate product either. What they sell are boxed licenses for Mac OS updates which by definition require the OS to have been installed on that hardware previously.

      I don't particularly like that software is licensed instead of sold, but that's the way things are at the moment. Breaking the law is not a suitable substitute for changing the law.

      --
      Bureaucracy expands to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy.-Oscar Wilde
    5. Re:I'm glad they lost by gad_zuki! · · Score: 2

      +3 insightful to defend hostile EULAs and lawyering shenanigans? Wow. Is this slashdot?

      Psystar isnt selling you a hacked product (and even if they did it wouldnt be wrong). They are selling hardware/EFI that works with the OS X installer.

      Its no wonder we have no consumer rights and no hacker rights when people support abusive companies and support their right to keep us locked out of the products we own.

      The countries that are producing kids who have opportunities to hack and make stuff have already started to take over. The west is obsessed with defending all manner of silly IP. Its really time to rethink IP laws. Just because you like Apple products doesnt mean theyre on your side.

    6. Re:I'm glad they lost by paroneayea · · Score: 1

      Would I like cheeper Mac's, of course, but that doesn't mean I advocate hamstringing their ability to decide the direction of their own products.

      It's not just an issue of them deciding what to do with their products. It's a matter of them deciding what you can do with the products you've bought from them.

      Apple's monopoly is worse than Microsoft's. They have a monopoly on both software and hardware.

      I'm sorry, but if my motherboard breaks on my machine, I should be allowed to replace it with whatever motherboard I want. If I bought software, I should be able to install it wherever I want.

      This isn't about them controlling their stuff. It's about them controlling yours.

      --
      http://mediagoblin.org/
    7. Re:I'm glad they lost by crmarvin42 · · Score: 1

      Psystar isnt selling you a hacked product

      Yes they are!

      (and even if they did it shouldn't be wrong).

      Fixed that for you.

      They are selling hardware/EFI that works with the OS X installer.

      No, that's what the other cloning company was doing that closed up shop almost before they opened (I believe they were based in Australia).

      I agree that software should be sold and not licensed, but that is not the way things are done at the moment, and violating EULA's will not make them go away. As I said in a different response to this post, it would be better for everyone if the energy being put into violating EULA's went into changing the laws instead.

      I'm not defending the use of restrictive EULA's, but instead explaining why, in a world where EULA's are legally enforceable, Pystars arguments are asinine.

      --
      Bureaucracy expands to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy.-Oscar Wilde
    8. Re:I'm glad they lost by crmarvin42 · · Score: 1

      You can do what ever you want with the hardware you purchased from them. However, you are limited in what you can do with the software you license from them.

      If your motherboard does break you are allowed to replace it with whichever motherboard you want, but Apple isn't obligated to support it.

      You are the 4th or 5th person to respond to my post with statements to the effect of "I bought the software so I should be able to do what I want". However, you DON'T BUY SOFTWARE. You License it. I think the law should be changed so that software is purchased instead of licensed, but until that happens the view of the situation that you are espousing is fundamentally out of sync with reality.

      --
      Bureaucracy expands to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy.-Oscar Wilde
    9. Re:I'm glad they lost by DinDaddy · · Score: 1

      In addition to that. MS does provide updates to its Xbox OS, they are just "given away" by download.

      Could I build my own Xbox and then install one of those updates onto it instead of my original machine (pretend it stopped working. I know, unlikely scenario)? Could I then complain if MS disabled my Live account?

    10. Re:I'm glad they lost by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I fail to see validity of the "Apple is the next MS" argument you are using here

      And I fail to see why one would bother making that argument. Apple doesn't need to be the next Microsoft. Apple is already the current Apple, and has been for years. They are quite capable of treating their customers with general contempt all on their own, thank you!

    11. Re:I'm glad they lost by Belial6 · · Score: 1

      Well now, that's kind of a problem. Every time someone goes into a store and buys software, they are given a sales recipt and told that they BOUGHT the software. I would be able to take the 'license' line a bit better if the software companies were ever successfully sued for the massive fraud that you claim they are committing.

    12. Re:I'm glad they lost by crmarvin42 · · Score: 2, Informative

      They aren't committing fraud. If you actually read the box and the EULA they force you to click through, you learn that you paid for a license and a copy of the physical media necessary to install the software.

      If the minimum wage employees at Best Buy tell you they are selling you software then they are wrong. It has become a common convention to refer to software license sales as software sales because in the vast majority of cases the result is the same.

      The legal distinction exists for those who try to use the software in a way other than intended by running it on unapproved hardware or installing the software on more machines than the license allows. Many users routinely install software on multiple machines despite only having purchased a single user license and they don't normally get prosecuted because of the bad blood this would cause between the vendor and the user. That doesn't mean they don't have the right to do so, just that they realize it's better not to.

      --
      Bureaucracy expands to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy.-Oscar Wilde
    13. Re:I'm glad they lost by Sancho · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Don't buy into the copyright cartel's bullshit. You bought a copy of the OS, just like you buy a copy of a book or a copy of a CD. Copyright law is founded on the idea that you sell copies of your work.

      Put another way, if everything is licensed, there's no need for copyright at all, yet I'm sure that these companies would fight to the death any measure which ended copyright in favor of contracts.

      You bought a copy. End of story.

    14. Re:I'm glad they lost by crmarvin42 · · Score: 1

      No one has mentioned copyright, we are talking about software licensing. They both relate to the rights of authors to control the use of their IP, but copyright isn't relevant within the scope of this discussion.

      I didn't express support for software licensing. I actually expressed my belief that they aren't the best system available. However, there is a world of difference between what you want to be the truth and what actually is the truth, and that is the difference between my post and yours.

      --
      Bureaucracy expands to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy.-Oscar Wilde
    15. Re:I'm glad they lost by Belial6 · · Score: 1

      Absolute BS. It is not a confusion by minimum wage Best Buy employees. The entire "IP" industry uses the term buy instead of license. It isn't the minimum wage employees that write the ads and approve the cash registers. Even that doesn't matter. If you you know that your minimum wage employees are selling a product that they only have the rights to sell a license to, then you are responsible.

    16. Re:I'm glad they lost by crmarvin42 · · Score: 2, Insightful
      try reading the rest of the paragraph before responding

      It has become a common convention to refer to software license sales as software sales because in the vast majority of cases the result is the same.

      If you have a problem with the fact that common convention gives a slanted view of reality, welcome to the club, but that doesn't mean anyone is doing anything illegal.

      Case in point, but in the other direction. The Xerox company tried to sue a bunch of companies for using their trademarked word "Xerox", but they were slapped down by the court because they hadn't enforced their IP early enough. Consequently, they lost some of the protection normally applied to trademarked terms, because it had become a common convention for people to use the word Xerox to imply any photocopy or mimeograph machine.

      You can't legislate the way speech patterns develop unless you live in France.

      --
      Bureaucracy expands to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy.-Oscar Wilde
    17. Re:I'm glad they lost by Belial6 · · Score: 1

      You are confused. Xerox lost the trademark lawsuit because trademark is specifically for the purpose of identifying a brand. You cannot have a trademark on terms already in use because it doesn't identify a brand. This is specific to Trademark.

      The same does not apply to fraud. The argument that the fraud is so common that it is now legal is absurd.

    18. Re:I'm glad they lost by crmarvin42 · · Score: 1

      The company Xerox predates the the definition of the word Xerox meaning to copy something. It's not exactly the same, but it relates to your tirade on the "IP industry".

      common misconceptions are not fraud.

      --
      Bureaucracy expands to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy.-Oscar Wilde
    19. Re:I'm glad they lost by zarthrag · · Score: 1

      To avoid replying to the coward, I'll comment here - EULAs are largely untested legally. If such one-sided licensing is allowed to stand - it won't stop at hardware platforms. If Apple's argument is correct, then that means that not only are hardware clones illegal. But so is emulation. It only takes another line in the EULA to stipulate that you're only licensed to read Slashdot on Apple-approved monitors, and-so-and-so-and-so-forth.

      --
      Why can't all fpga/microcontroller manufacturers just release free optimizing compilers???
    20. Re:I'm glad they lost by StikyPad · · Score: 1

      You're both confused.. Xerox was successful in preventing the genericization of their trademark. See:

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_generic_and_genericized_trademarks
      http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/2008/02/you-cant-xerox-change.php

      And xerography is the term from which the company took its name.

    21. Re:I'm glad they lost by rtechie · · Score: 1

      Apple is suing Pystar for selling hardware with a "Hacked version of Apples OS"

      This is not accurate and is why the lawsuit raises interesting questions.

      Psystar is NOT illegally reselling Apple software or hardware, which is what YOU (and Apple) claimed.

      What Psystar is selling is hardware that has the ABILITY to install MacOS (or Linux, or Windows) because they have disabled the security features Apple has implemented in THEIR hardware. They still purchase and install MacOS. Repeat: Psystar IS NOT pirating Apple hardware or software in any sense of the word "pirate".

      The closest analogy is probably console "mod chips". Mod chips allow you to play "backed up" (read: duplicate or pirated) game discs and foreign game discs (Japanese vs. North America vs. Europe) on game consoles. IOW, it's a hardware modification that allows you to bypass SOFTWARE restrictions.

      They are in pretty clear violation of Apple's trademark by calling their product "Mac". Other than that, the legal issues are murky. Apple isn't arguing under DMCA "circumvention", but that is almost certainly their only legal avenue here.

      It is worth noting that Apple is NOT arguing based on the EULA. EULAa are almost certainly not valid in US courts, and Apple isn't going to have their EULA invalidated by trying to defend it.

    22. Re:I'm glad they lost by crmarvin42 · · Score: 1

      Psystar is NOT illegally reselling Apple software or hardware, which is what YOU (and Apple) claimed.

      Yes they are. They are selling computers with the Mac OS preinstalled in direct violation of the license on the box. That they include the purchase of an OS Update with each computer doesn't change the fact that they are violating the license each time the install the OS. Apple doesn't sell ANYONE the Mac OS. They sell licenses for the OS to purchasers of Apple hardware, and they sell licenses to Updates which Pystar is buying. No one knows what dollar value Apple places on the OS itself, only the price they put on updates. That you can do a fresh install of the OS using the media used to distribute the updates is convenient and possibly pedantic, but it's the way Apple views the situation.

      Also, Pystar has to hack the installer in order to get it to run. The Installer does hardware checks to verify that the OS can be installed on the hardware.

      I ran into the problem trying to install Leopard on my 800mhz G4. Early builds of Leopard had a minimum clock speed of 800mhz, but just prior to official release the minimum was bumped to 867mhz. If you copy the installer to a hard disk, edit one of the files, and run the installer from the HD you can change the installation conditions. While fairly simple, it's still a Hack and what Pystar is doing to get the OS installed.

      Also, I didn't used the word "Pirate" so I don't know why you brought it up.

      --
      Bureaucracy expands to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy.-Oscar Wilde
    23. Re:I'm glad they lost by rtechie · · Score: 1

      They are selling computers with the Mac OS preinstalled in direct violation of the license on the box.

      That's a "pack-in license". "Pack-in licenses" are only valid to the extent they are consistent with existing law. Any novel provisions are generally invalid. So, at best, most pack-in licenses are simply a restatement of applicable law.

      Also, Pystar has to hack the installer in order to get it to run. ... While fairly simple, it's still a Hack and what Pystar is doing to get the OS installed.

      Are you arguing this counts as "circumventing copy protection" i.e. a DMCA violation? Because that's the only applicable law here. I think Apple has a (weak) DMCA case here, but that's all they've really got.

      Also, I didn't used the word "Pirate" so I don't know why you brought it up.

      I brought it up because violating imaginary laws isn't "illegal". Pirating software is illegal. Companies do not get to create new law just by writing it down in the license. I'm sure they really wish this was true, and corporate lawyers often argue it's true because they'd argue the sky was green if it made them money.

    24. Re:I'm glad they lost by crmarvin42 · · Score: 1

      That's a "pack-in license". "Pack-in licenses" are only valid to the extent they are consistent with existing law. Any novel provisions are generally invalid. So, at best, most pack-in licenses are simply a restatement of applicable law.

      You've apparently payed more attention to the law than I or the legal departments at the software companies have, because I only know of 1 case where a provision of an EULA was rendered invalid. Personally, I think the system sucks, but I'm pretty sure the alternative would end up being worse in the long run. No major software company is ok with the idea of developing software that other can purchase instead of license. Consequently, if EULA's are struck down they will either start devoting a large portion of their time to code obfuscation to prevent hacking, and/or come up with a more onerous way of licensing their software that takes more time but would still give them the control they feel they need. The licensing of software is not invalid, It's the "non-negotiated contract" nature of EULA's that are of questionable validity

      Are you arguing this counts as "circumventing copy protection" i.e. a DMCA violation?

      No, not really. What I'm saying is that it is illegal to take someone else code, modify it and then redistribute it for a profit. If I hack the installer, Apple probably won't care because I'm not selling the resulting product, but that is a result of Apple exercising discretion or being unaware, not an inability on their part to prosecute. The key is that they are doing this for profit. Apple still hasn't gone after the Hackintosh market, because no one is trying to use Apple work to make a profit w/o paying licensing.

      And let me stop you before you go saying that Pystar is paying for a license by purchasing a copy of Leopard for each of their computers. No one knows what the price of a full license to the Mac OS costs. We only know what Apple charges for an update to their OS license costs. Since Apple limits their license to computers already running a version of the Mac OS all OS in a box purchases are necessarily "Updates." That is the reason I'm glad it looks like Pystar is going to loose. If they were to win, Apple would change the cost of Update purchases to reflect the full value of the OS for people not purchasing Apple hardware and the cost of my OS updates would jump to the ridiculous level of Windows updates.

      Whether you like it or not, because software has a long history of being licensed and not sold, Apple gets a say in to what uses that software can legally be put.

      --
      Bureaucracy expands to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy.-Oscar Wilde
  10. Re:it's a blow to us all. by stormguard2099 · · Score: 1

    I just moved from OSX to Ubuntu a couple of weeks ago.

    Benefits:

    • multiple desktops, with nice shiny 3D desktop switching

    Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't multiple desktops exactly what spaces is for?

    --
    http://greenobyl.com/ please.... think of the children!!
  11. Re:it's a blow to us all. by somersault · · Score: 1

    Possibly, but I feel the need to pay to find out. My laptop came with OS 10.4

    --
    which is totally what she said
  12. Re:what for????, its just x86 now anyway by sogoodsofarsowhat · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Your an idiot.

    --
    . I love the sound of burning women and screaming rubber....
  13. What no one seems to see... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Psystar is not modifying the OS. Check the details! They are not running a cracked or modified version of OSX on their systems. What they have done is created the EFI backbone so that will allow the OS will install run nativly on it. This is no different from when IBM made their machines, and people reverse-engineered the bios to make clones.

    All apple has to get them on is that the OSX license stipulates that it MUST BE INSTALLED ON APPLE HARDWARE. This is EXACTLY the same if Microsoft turned around and said that windows can only be used on specific intel motherboard and cpu, and that only microsoft can decree what hardware is allowed to be used with it.

    These guys are going to have a rough time of it, but I home that they succeed. Apple should not be the only hardware manufacturer allowed to run OS-X, no more than microsoft should be allowed to decree that windows is not allowed to run on AMD and Gigabyte.

    We should be allowed a choice!

    1. Re:What no one seems to see... by SimonTheSoundMan · · Score: 1

      The first Psystar machines did have a modified version of Mac OS X, for the record.

    2. Re:What no one seems to see... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you do have a choice...buy apple or not.

      There's your choice

    3. Re:What no one seems to see... by GSPride · · Score: 1

      As has been pointed out above, Microsoft does, in fact, make an OS that must be installed on Microsoft hardware, namely their XBox OS. Sony and Nintendo do the same thing, so do most (if not all) cell phone and smartphone manufacturers.

      Apple created their OS, can can license it however they choose. What give you, or any consumer, the right to unilaterally disregard the licensing agreement for OSX? If Apple is creating a good product, but are selling it with a over-restrictive license, that looses them sales, then that is certainly bad business practice, but there is nothing illegal, or immoral about it, and nothing gives you the right to decide that you don't like how Apple is selling their product, and do whatever you please with their work.

      And as for Psystar not modifying the OS at all, I was under the impression that, at least initially, they did need to modify the OS, and that they still take and modify the various updates and patches to work on non-Apple hardware. In fact, i'm pretty sure that one of the central thrusts of Apple's case is the modified security and other patches that Psystar provides.

      --
      Apple has never claimed not to be evil, they're just very stylish about it.
    4. Re:What no one seems to see... by DaveV1.0 · · Score: 1

      This is EXACTLY the same if Microsoft turned around and said that windows can only be used on specific intel motherboard and cpu, and that only microsoft can decree what hardware is allowed to be used with it.

      No, it is not. Microsoft does not make hardware. The only way it could be considered the same is if Microsoft bought a computer hardware manufacturer and then said "You can only run Windows on Microsoft hardware."

      All apple has to get them on is that the OSX license stipulates that it MUST BE INSTALLED ON APPLE HARDWARE.

      Apple makes no secret that the license requires the use of Apple hardware. Because Apple sells a license to use the software, Apple has a legal right to restrict that use any way it wishes. Don't want to use Apple hardware, don't use OSX.

      You can not dictate the terms of licensing. You do not have a right to use something in a way that is specifically prohibited by the license. Apple has rights too, and your rights end where Apples rights begin. Apple doesn't have to do anything just because you want it done in a certain way.

      Quit being a whiny, selfish brat and use something else.

      --
      There is no "-1 offended" or "-1 you don't agree with me" mod options for a reason.
    5. Re:What no one seems to see... by rgviza · · Score: 1

      A lot of people are forgetting that the only reason Psystar got nicked is they were openly violating the EULA.

      You, as an individual, can get OSX and do whatever the hell you want with it. What apple doesn't know won't hurt them ; )

      >and nothing gives you the right to decide that you don't like how Apple is selling their product, and do whatever you please with their work.

      I live by the philosophy that if you purchase something, you can do what you want with it as long as you don't violate copyright. **** Apple's EULA.

      A EULA is only enforceable if the company knows you are violating it.

      -Viz

      --
      Don't kid yourself. It's the size of the regexp AND how you use it that counts.
    6. Re:What no one seems to see... by Dr.D.IS.GREAT · · Score: 0

      well, if it really has to be an apple labled machine why dont they just buy them SATA HDs from apple with the little logo on it and slap that little white apple sticker on the hackintosh? an Apple SATA HD is BLESSED Apple Hardware.

      Apple should just make OSX hardware agnostic and save the pc world from dire doom. OSX86 (hardware agnostic OSX) should only be sold to individuals that are tech savy and not warranted with tech support.

      It would be nice for apple to open thier OS more and allow us all to run a pretty unix like boxen.

      Dr. D

    7. Re:What no one seems to see... by itsdapead · · Score: 4, Insightful

      This is EXACTLY the same if Microsoft turned around and said that windows can only be used on specific intel motherboard and cpu, and that only microsoft can decree what hardware is allowed to be used with it.

      So, rather like the terms under which the vast majority of Windows licenses are sold, then?

      Most new PCs come with an OEM version of Windows with a license that specifically restricts its use to the computer with which it was sold. Most "boxed" versions of Windows sold to consumers are "upgrades" which require that you have an existing copy. My employer has a Windows "site license" which entitles it to install any version of windows on its PCs but (last time I looked) only if they originally came with OEM Windows.

      The only "get out" is that Microsoft will sell you a "Full Retail" version for 2-3 times the price of the OEM/Upgrade versions which most customers buy. If Apple do lose the court case (flap, oink), one work-around might be to hike the price of OSX to, say, $500-$1000 (not without precedent for certified Unix with a full dev kit) and offer an "upgrade" to existing OS X license holders (i.e. anyone with a Mac) for $130. If someone challenges that it would set some interesting precedents for Microsoft...

      We should be allowed a choice!

      Remember that when you go to buy a netbook (like the EEE) or OLPC and find that the Borg have been round and now, somehow, the Linux versions are now (a) more expensive and (b) not in stock. Funny that. Now if Apple tried that, everybody would flame them...

      --
      In a survey of 100 programmers, 111111 thought that duck-typing was a good idea.
    8. Re:What no one seems to see... by sssssss27 · · Score: 1

      Apple makes no secret that the license requires the use of Apple hardware. Because Apple sells a license to use the software, Apple has a legal right to restrict that use any way it wishes. Don't want to use Apple hardware, don't use OSX.

      Here's hoping you are wrong. I personally feel that once I buy something I can do whatever I want with it. Apple doesn't have to give me support but Apple has no right to tell me how I can or can't use something that I now own a copy of.

      You can not dictate the terms of licensing. You do not have a right to use something in a way that is specifically prohibited by the license. Apple has rights too, and your rights end where Apples rights begin. Apple doesn't have to do anything just because you want it done in a certain way.

      Apple does have rights. You have it backwards though, Apple's rights end where mine begin. Now I'm not a lawyer but EULAs are still very much in the gray area of the law. Inkjet printer manufacturers tried to do that with their printers by saying that you could only use their ink in their printers. The Supreme Court found that even reverse-engineering to make third party ink cartridges work is not illegal.

    9. Re:What no one seems to see... by Budenny · · Score: 1

      You are partly right, but surely the issue is, they have no right to restrict what A RETAIL COPY OF OSX is installed on. They do not have to sell retail copies, but having sold them they cannot restrict what you then do with them. The anti trust suit was not central to the issue at all. It was worth trying. But the central issue is and has always been whether a seller of goods and services can

      (a) turn a sale into a license not by changing any of the aspects of the product or the supply of it, but simply by imposing conditions on purchase.

      (b) impose post sales restraints on use.

      Take for instance the case of a drill manufacturer. He makes two kinds of drill, which are labelled professional and diy. They are both sold in Home Depot on the same shelves and via the same checkout counter. One of them has a shrink wrapped eula in it. It says this is not a sale but a license, and by buying it you agree not to use it in way of trade. The other physically identical drill sells for double the price, and says that this too is not a sale but a license, and this you may use in way of trade.

      Does anyone really believe that a lawsuit against a buyer who has used the diy drill in way of trade will actually result in enforcement? Does anyone really believe that the sale will be held to be not a sale but a license?

      The law is not an ass.

    10. Re:What no one seems to see... by gnasher719 · · Score: 1

      Instead of taking the case of a drill manufacturer, let's take the case of Apple vs. Psystar. Psystar claimed in its counterclaims that Apple has monopolies in two markets: The market of the MacOS X operating system software, and the market of computers capable of running MacOS X. The second market, it claimed, was kept an Apple monopoly because of Apple's license that only allows you to install MacOS X on an Apple labeled computer. Clearly if such a license term was not valid then Apple would not have a monopoly in the market of MacOS X compatible computers (Dell, HP, Acer and so on would have been selling MacOS X compatible computers for ages, just nobody took much notice of it). So by its own counterclaims, Psystar admits that Apple's EULA is valid.

    11. Re:What no one seems to see... by GaryPatterson · · Score: 1

      You have a choice. Pick one:
      [ ] Windows Vista
      [ ] Windows XP
      [ ] OS X
      [ ] Linux (write variant here _____________________ )

      The right thing to do if you disagree with the product in some manner (features, terms of use, etc) is to choose something else.

      Crying and whining that the product you want doesn't have terms you can accept is just that - crying and whining.

      Choose something else.

    12. Re:What no one seems to see... by roc97007 · · Score: 1

      > Psystar is not modifying the OS. Check the details! They are not running a cracked or modified version of OSX on their systems. What they have done is created the EFI backbone so that will allow the OS will install run nativly on it. This is no different from when IBM made their machines, and people reverse-engineered the bios to make clones.

      Evil thought: As their last act before going out of business, I wonder how tempted Psystar would be to release their IP to the user community.

      Has Psystar thought about selling the machines without an OS? (Or with, say, Intrepid Ibex installed?) That'd get around the license issues, I think, unless Apple could prove intent. Then it'd be the individual's responsibility that (cough) their copy of OSX was running on genuine Apple hardware.

      > All apple has to get them on is that the OSX license stipulates that it MUST BE INSTALLED ON APPLE HARDWARE. This is EXACTLY the same if Microsoft turned around and said that windows can only be used on specific intel motherboard and cpu, and that only microsoft can decree what hardware is allowed to be used with it.

      Speaking of which, why hasn't Microsoft done that yet? The great majority of the market is irrevocably locked into Windows. M$ could simply say "Windows version 8 will only run on the Xbox model 720" and corner the OS *and* hardware market in one fell swoop. Play their cards right, and -- icing on the cake -- they could have current Xbox users re-buying their gear. One wonders why it hasn't already happened.

      > Apple should not be the only hardware manufacturer allowed to run OS-X, [...]

      Allowed? It's their damned software, monkey-boy. They can decide that 10.6 is only licensed for F150 dashboard navigators (actually, that'd be kinda cool) and your choices would be to stick with leopard or work in your garage. OSX is a culture, a movement, a way of life... but it's also a product owned by Apple Inc.

      --
      Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
    13. Re:What no one seems to see... by fuocoZERO · · Score: 1

      If Microsoft decided that Windows only ran on specific hardware, does that mean it won't crash anymore? Just askin'....

    14. Re:What no one seems to see... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Apple makes the hardware AND the software...it has the right to 'control' it. You as the buyer has the choice to buy it, or another product. It's a bit like someone complaining that they can't get a Ford Motor in a GM vehicle. GM makes it's own engines for it's own products (for the most part), they could care less whether you wanted some other makers engine in their vehicles. The reason this wasn't the case with the Windows OS is because Microsoft and the hardware maker were two different commercial entities.

    15. Re:What no one seems to see... by mstone · · Score: 1

      --- You are partly right, but surely the issue is, they have no right to restrict what A RETAIL COPY OF OSX is installed on.

      Of course they do.

      Copyright law says that by default, the creator of a work has all the rights that exist in regard to the created work. By default, no one else has any rights to the work at all.

      If anyone but the creator has any rights to the work, those rights have to have been granted by the creator. Period.

      If you don't have some kind of document that says the creator has given you a specific right, you don't have that right. Period.

      The rights that the creator gives you are called a 'license', and the creator can put any terms into the license he wants, as long as those terms don't break some other law. There's nothing in the law that says those terms have to be fair, or to your liking. 'Fair' is too hard for the law to define, and if you don't like the creator's terms, you have the options of negotiating other terms, or not buying the license and accepting the fact that you have no rights to the work at all.

      License terms that tell you what you can do with a product after you've bought it are called 'performance restrictions', and performance restrictions are utterly legal.

      The GPL and most OSS licenses are nothing but a big bundle of performance restrictions. You can't take a piece of GPL'd code and use it in a closed-source product by saying, "hey, I bought A RETAIL COPY OF LINUX. You have no right to tell me what I can do with the code after I've bought it."

    16. Re:What no one seems to see... by GiMP · · Score: 1

      The license is a contract, but not all aspects of contracts are enforceable. It is possible that the the provision indicating the requirement to run on "Apple labeled hardware" could be illegal or ruled unenforceable.

      I should note that the OS X license does indicate that if any part of the contract is deemed unenforceable, that the contract otherwise stays in effect. Thus, if it was ruled that the phrase "Apple labeled hardware" was not legitimate, the rest of the license would still apply -- the user would be able to use the license on non-Apple hardware.

    17. Re:What no one seems to see... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You have a choice, Buy a Mac with MacOS X or Buy a PC with Linux or Windows.

      You can't go to a Ford dealer and say you want to buy a Ford with a BMW Computer system in it...

  14. Re:it's a blow to us all. by somersault · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Security updates are free, but if I wanted fancy multiple desktops I'd have to pay to update to 10.5, and that doesn't sound very free to me. I was living okay without multiple desktops sure, but with Ubuntu I got them for free, and I am now in fact using them.

    The OSX security updates also were usually quite tardy as Mr AC points out just above me. Took them months to get a patch out for that big DNS bug a few months ago for example.

    Ubuntu has become a fairly polished OS. If I had an nVidia graphics card then it would be almost perfect on this laptop. Canonical have done an awesome job. Linux is pretty much ready for any n00b to come along and use it for everything but the latest commercial games (which is often the main problem with OSX too).

    --
    which is totally what she said
  15. Re:what for????, its just x86 now anyway by SimonTheSoundMan · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Apple's hardware is fairly priced, so even if you want to install Linux, you are no worse off than buying x other brand.

    Go match a Dell to a Mac Pro, or a Sony Vaio laptop to a MacBook, you will see they are all competitive.

  16. Mac OS Forge by krischik · · Score: 2, Informative

    Well you can get all the sources here:

    http://www.macosforge.org/

    And especially zfs and launchd could be interesting to Linux and BSD. But then the Linux community suffers heavily from Not-Invented-Here syndrome.

    1. Re:Mac OS Forge by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Incorrect. They suffer from "The License Isn't GPL Compatible" syndrome. Do some research before you post something so close to a flame, will you ?

    2. Re:Mac OS Forge by aetherworld · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Correct me if I'm wrong, but I always thought that the only thing that makes the Apple Public License incompatible to the GPL is the fact, that you have to redistribute modified code under the Apple Public License and not the GPL.

      Why exactly would that be a problem for Linux?

    3. Re:Mac OS Forge by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In the case of zfs, the Linux community suffers from Not-GPL-Compliant-License syndrome.

    4. Re:Mac OS Forge by Ian+Alexander · · Score: 1

      That only matters to projects who care about GPL compatibility, and not all of them do.

    5. Re:Mac OS Forge by jo_ham · · Score: 1

      I could say the same about your post, Anon.

    6. Re:Mac OS Forge by Hairy+Heron · · Score: 1

      Correct me if I'm wrong, but I always thought that the only thing that makes the Apple Public License incompatible to the GPL is the fact, that you have to redistribute modified code under the Apple Public License and not the GPL.

      You are wrong. If that were the case three-clause BSD code would be incompatible with the GPL as you have to redistribute modified code under the same BSD license and not the GPL.

    7. Re:Mac OS Forge by aetherworld · · Score: 1

      Thanks! My original post wasn't meant to provocate, I simply didn't know. What exactly makes the Apple License incompatible with the GPL? A (very quick) websearch didn't give me any useful information.

    8. Re:Mac OS Forge by krischik · · Score: 1

      True - I should have specified that my ranting was about ignoring launchd which is a user land application licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0.

    9. Re:Mac OS Forge by v1 · · Score: 1

      correct me if I'm wrong here, but the idea is you can take a piece of GPL'd software, modify it, and add your own non GPL ("closed source") software to create a package, and sell the package, so long as you properly cite all GPL'd software in your package, and offer source code to any of the GPL'd software you've modified?

      afaik, Apple has followed all these rules? This is the basis of how GPL'd software is compatible with business.

      It's annoying to see all the people getting their panties in a bunch because Apple isn't open-sourcing their entire package. You can't expect that from a business. The only time you'll get that is when they've found some other way to make money besides selling their package. (like selling support, or selling hardware... which Apple probably could make money selling only their hardware, but why should they, when people are willing to buy their OS also?)

      --
      I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
  17. Apple and GPL by krischik · · Score: 4, Informative

    There is quite a bit of GPL licensed software in Mac OS X. Your can download the sources for that part of OS X here:

    http://www.macosforge.org/

    The sources to the BSD part of Mac OS X is there as well. And some of Apples own developments on top (launchd - Apples answer to init, cron and inetd - for example). launchd is pretty cool btw.

    1. Re:Apple and GPL by jo_ham · · Score: 1

      launchd seemingly shaved about 8 weeks* off boot time of my already fast-booting mac. For that alone it is cool.

      *actual time may be less than stated.

  18. As long as we're being intellectually consistent. by morgan_greywolf · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Though I disagree with Apple profitting off OSS which they did not initially create. They might as well be Linspire, in that regard.

    Well, if you're being intellectually consistent in your ethics, then you should be disgreeing with Red Hat, Canonical, TiVo, LinkSys, Microsoft (yes, Microsoft), Sun Microsystems, IBM, HP, and a bunch of other big-name industry companies.

    All these companies -- and more -- have profitted (well, okay, Canonical hasn't made a dime, technically ;) from OSS which they did not initially create.

  19. Re:what for????, its just x86 now anyway by NekSnappa · · Score: 1

    Man you are gonna get so hammered by the haters!

    --
    I want to shoot the messenger!
  20. Re:what for????, its just x86 now anyway by pyrophoric · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    No, you're an idiot.

  21. Re:it's a blow to us all. by Talchas · · Score: 1

    Just as a note, assuming your touchpad is a synaptics one, you should be able to get two-finger right click. I'm not sure exactly what the package name would be on ubuntu, but look for gsynaptics - it can change the settings for the touchpad w/o having to touch xorg.conf or restart X.

    --
    As the Americans learned so painfully in Earth's final century,free flow of information is the only safeguard against...
  22. Re:what for????, its just x86 now anyway by falcon5768 · · Score: 2, Informative

    doesnt negate the fact that its true. The only product Apple puts out right now thats not really that competitive is the Mini, but otherwise the rest of the line is very competitive. The difference is in buying a Mac you buy things that for some people they dont need or want. But then thats the Apple difference, you know your machine is going to be supported for years (Still running Tiger on 10 year old systems) when some Vista "Capable" models where barely that out of the gate.

    --

    "Slashdot, where telling the truth is overrated but lying is insightful."

  23. Re:what for????, its just x86 now anyway by IBBoard · · Score: 1

    I already did a quick comparison for a "Mac Tax" article and it didn't come out well for the Apple. It was more on the Mac Mini because integrated monitors are something I would avoid like the plague, but it was still "Apple versus other brands".

    Not that I've got anything specific against Apple - my wife's old iBook would be quite a nice laptop to work on, just as soon as I fix the backlight - but given the choice then I'd rather spec what I want at what ends up being a more reasonable price.

  24. Re:what for????, its just x86 now anyway by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Whoa buddy, watch out - that is NOT what the Slashdot community needs to hear, and they will react negatively to your comments with unproven arguments.

    I'll start them off:

    Apple's Hardware fairly priced??? WHoa, I bought an Apple Mac LC and it cost me $2000 for a LOW END machine. Then I was always doing CMD-. to try to quit a frozen app. And that LC didn't even come with a 5.25 inch floppy drive!!!

    I just built a PC with a $32 motherboard and a few other parts I had around the house... and it cost me $32! And that isn't including the mail-in rebate that I just submitted 27 weeks ago.

    Plus, you have to be rich to own a Mac, like a BMW owner. And then there is Steve Jobs - I hate his sickly self all dressed in black. Give me Steve Balmer any day!

  25. Tying Arrangement by Weeksauce · · Score: 1

    What everyone seems to be missing here is that it's not about whether Apple profits from FOSS or does good in the community, but it's using an illegal tying arragement on OSX. Does Apple have the right to tell me for what purpose I can and cannot use software that I purchase? What I got to the store and buy Clorox bleach, that bleach is mine and what I do with it is my business. It would have been nice to see a Dell or Eee out in time for the holidays running OSX.

    --
    An inventor is a man who asks 'Why?' of the universe and lets nothing stand between the answer and his mind.
    1. Re:Tying Arrangement by db32 · · Score: 1

      It is most certainly not using an illegal tying arrangement. They get to dictate the terms of usage for their creation. The price that they sell it for is a direct reflection of their hardware restrictions. If you don't like their terms, don't buy their stuff. They make no secret that it requires Apple hardware. They are up front, this is simple contract law. You do not get to just scream and cry "illegal" because you don't like the terms. It just means you don't enter the contract. That simple. Noone is holding a gun to your head saying "You have to use OSX, and you have to buy Apple gear to do it!". I am so sick of this modern whiney bullshit like everyone owes you something. Don't like their terms? Tell them to screw off by not purchasing their stuff.

      I suspect you would bitch and moan if they sold an OS X install box for $2000 that said "Because you insist on using this on unsupported hardware you will be paying out the ass for our risk to reputation by your crybaby crap when it doesn't work as advertised ON OUR HARDWARE. Please do not call support because you are not eligble. We are a hardware company that has built software to help sell that hardware. We are not interested in supporting your use of our software on hardware that wasn't built by us. Have a nice day".

      Their hardware. Their Software. Their Rules. Don't like them? Don't give them YOUR money. But just becaues you don't like how they do business does not give you some inherent right to steal their shit. And in fact...you are wrong about your Clorox. Go look at the labels for those household chemicals. Almost ALL of them state very clearly that your ass can be held liable for not using them in ways consistent with the labeling.

      --
      The only change I can believe in is what I find in my couch cushions.
    2. Re:Tying Arrangement by argent · · Score: 1

      Why is it illegal? It may be undesirable, from the point of view of the consumer, but how exactly is it illegal?

    3. Re:Tying Arrangement by Weeksauce · · Score: 1

      If they want to sell their software for $2000, than that's fine, people have the right to chose purchase or not. Once they buy it though, THEY OWN THE PRODUCT and are free to do with it as they wish. Pystar purchased legal copies of OSX, after that purchase it is their discretion. Apple could have just as easily sold OSX for $2000 and priced them out of the market, but they didn't.

      --
      An inventor is a man who asks 'Why?' of the universe and lets nothing stand between the answer and his mind.
    4. Re:Tying Arrangement by Weeksauce · · Score: 1

      If you buy a Ford Mustang engine it is illegal for Ford to say you are ONLY allowed to install this in Ford Mustangs. If I want to put a lot of work into fitting that Mustang engine into my Accord, than so be, it's my engine.

      --
      An inventor is a man who asks 'Why?' of the universe and lets nothing stand between the answer and his mind.
    5. Re:Tying Arrangement by crmarvin42 · · Score: 2, Informative

      Once they buy it though, THEY OWN THE PRODUCT...

      No, they don't because they never bought the software. They licensed the software with the license being null and void if they violate their end of the contract.

      ...and are free to do with it as they wish.

      Just as long as they are willing to live with the potential consequences of their actions. Namely, the potential to be sued by the other party in the contract for violating that contract. No one is forced to enter into the contract with Apple, but if they want to use Apple's software they will be legally obligated to abide by that contract.

      Now, I don't believe that software should be licensed instead of sold, but that's the way the cookie crumbles. I'm free to use any other OS on their hardware, or to use completely different hardware if I so choose, just not with their software. Companies are under no obligation to give you as many choices in configuration as you feel entitled to. If you don't like the options provided by Apple, use a different vendor. Whining about it is just juvenile.

      --
      Bureaucracy expands to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy.-Oscar Wilde
    6. Re:Tying Arrangement by Weeksauce · · Score: 1

      What about the precedence set during the resale of AutoCAD on Ebay? In that case the ruling favored the ebay client stating that they "owned" a licensed product because they purchased it.

      --
      An inventor is a man who asks 'Why?' of the universe and lets nothing stand between the answer and his mind.
    7. Re:Tying Arrangement by crmarvin42 · · Score: 2, Informative

      If I'm not mistaken, the person was allowed to sell the AutoCAD on ebay because they were transferring the License to the purchaser along with the installation disks. That meant that the seller was not going to retain an installed copy of the software so no violation of the EULA was taking place.

      I don't know if the AutoCAD EULA contained prohibitions against re-selling the license. If they did, then that portion of the EULA would have been invalidated by the decision. However, that doesn't mean that the rest of the EULA was invalidated as well.

      --
      Bureaucracy expands to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy.-Oscar Wilde
    8. Re:Tying Arrangement by Weeksauce · · Score: 1

      I completely understand your, and apparently the courts understanding, of licensing. I still feel a strong argument could be made that Apple's EULA is in violation of the Clayton Act, specifically with regards to CONTRACTUAL tying arragements (i.e. EULA).

      --
      An inventor is a man who asks 'Why?' of the universe and lets nothing stand between the answer and his mind.
    9. Re:Tying Arrangement by crmarvin42 · · Score: 2, Informative

      It is my understanding that the contractual tying arrangements would only be a problem if Pystar were successful in convincing the judge that "Computers running the Mac OS" are a separate market from that of computers running windows/linux/other flavors of unix.

      Since the judge hasn't bought their argument, the Clayton Act doesn't apply, no matter how much any of us may want it to.

      --
      Bureaucracy expands to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy.-Oscar Wilde
    10. Re:Tying Arrangement by db32 · · Score: 1

      Go read the Clayton Act. The tying stuff is not illegal. It is only a problem when it lessens competition. If anything, Apple tying their OS to their Hardware increases competition because it limits the number of places OSX can actually compete and their hardware is nothing terribly unique in terms of capabilities. They don't have anywhere near enough of a market share to be have anyone but a zealot convinced that their tying is hurting competition. Tying also typically only comes into play with unrelated goods. Them saying that you have to use their hardware to run their OS is quite a stretch to consider that a tying arrangement as far as legal problems go. If anything the non Apple market is more guilty of that because in most cases I am forced to purchase the undesired Windows install if I want to purchase a PC.

      Now...again, the licensing thing is a bit different. When you purchase a book you are effectively licensing the material of that book. Sure, you have a physical book that you can loan, sell, rent, share, whatever. Without getting into stupid exceptions like reading over shoulders, only one person can make use of said book at any given time. This all works perfectly naturally with software as well and is ultimately what that First Sale business with AutoCAD was about. The original owner can indeed transfer those rights to a new owner. Big deal. However, when you purchase a book you do not own the contents of that book. That is where copyright comes in. You cannot sell tapes of you reading the book. You cannot reproduce the book and distribute copies. So again no, you can't do whatever you want with anything you purchase. Now I agree that many businesses try to abuse that and wind up treating their customers like criminals, but it is a bunch of self absorbed consumers that believe the whole "I do what I want" crap. Consumers need to be protected for a market to work, but so do businesses. A market can't function when noone is willing to sell to a bunch of shit head consumers out to screw them.

      --
      The only change I can believe in is what I find in my couch cushions.
    11. Re:Tying Arrangement by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      "What I got to the store and buy Clorox bleach, that bleach is mine and what I do with it is my business."

      Actually, it is a violation of federal law to use that bleach in a manner inconsistent with its labelling.

      We are watching.

    12. Re:Tying Arrangement by Weeksauce · · Score: 1

      I citied the wrong act, the Sherman Act 15 U.S.C. 1 states: Every contract, combination in the form of trust or otherwise, or conspiracy, in restraint of trade or commerce among the several States, or with foreign nations, is declared to be illegal. Most tying arragements are not illegal, as you mentioned, becasue they are not contractual. Size nor market share also have no precdence in the limiting of competition in tying aragments (see Harvey Siegel v. Chicken Delight). I agree with the rest of your comments espcially the current state of PC's being tied to Vista. My PERSONAL gripe is with the differentiation of hardware and software.

      --
      An inventor is a man who asks 'Why?' of the universe and lets nothing stand between the answer and his mind.
    13. Re:Tying Arrangement by argent · · Score: 1

      If you buy a Ford Mustang engine it is illegal for Ford to say you are ONLY allowed to install this in Ford Mustangs.

      First, physical objects are not treated, legally, the same way as software.

      Second, are you absolutely sure of that? Can you cite actual law, or are you just repeating "conventional wisdom"?

    14. Re:Tying Arrangement by Red+Flayer · · Score: 2, Interesting

      There is no problem with Apple tying its hardware to its OS sales.

      The court has ruled that Apple does not dominate the market; therefore it has no monopoly position to abuse by means of a tying arrangement.

      The point of prohibiting tying arrangements is that companies in dominating market position could not force sale of an undesirable good by tying it to a desirable good for which there is no meaningful competition.

      So before you run around saying that no one is catching te tying arrangement, perhaps you should RTFA and learn that the judge has ruled that Apple's market is not the 'market for Apple's OS' but instead, the 'market for all OS's'.

      No monopoly == no abuse of monopoly via tying arrangement

      --
      "Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
    15. Re:Tying Arrangement by DinDaddy · · Score: 1

      AutoDesk tried to claim the software was leased, which failed when it was pointed out that they also did in fact offer software leases at a different price than the sale of licenses.

    16. Re:Tying Arrangement by DinDaddy · · Score: 1

      It is not illegal for them to say it, but them trying to stop you would meet with limited success.

      Now to make the analogy accurate, what do you think would happen if a company started buying Ford Mustang engines, building cheaper Mustang-like cares to put them in (ignoring the copyright issues that would arise from this. Assume they were styled differently enough to get around that), and selling them as Mustang clones?

      Think Ford would ignore it?

    17. Re:Tying Arrangement by DrgnDancer · · Score: 1

      Look, I'm really sorry to have to the 17 thousandth person to have to say this, but the courts treat copyrighted works on media differently than they do physical objects. Like it or dislike it, right or wrong, when you purchase a copy writed work on media you "purchase" a) a media (CD, DVD, book, Whatever) and b) a license to use the copy writed work in the manner contractually agreed to by you and the copy write holder. You can do whatever you want with the media (oh, look, a Frisbee!), but you can only do with the copy writed work what you've been given the right to do by the copy write holder or by the law (fair use, resale via the first sale doctrine, etc). You don't "own it". This is the way the law works. It might be right, it might be wrong, but if you want to change it you have to change the law, not just declare yourself the owner of every copy writed work you buy.

      The Ford engine analogy, while lovely, is legally useless. Please stop using it unless or until copy write law is rewritten to make it in any way valid.

      --
      I don't need a million points of light, just two points of multi-mode fiber and a 10 Gig-E router.
    18. Re:Tying Arrangement by db32 · · Score: 1

      Clayton act is indeed the act that was meant to deal with the tying issue. It just is very specific about the situations where it applies and this is certainly not one of them. The contracts refered to in the Sherman Act deal specifically with "trusts". Not contracts deailing with sales like this. In fact, it isn't even meant to stop monopolies. Only monopolies that use their position to artificially maintain their position through anticompetitive behavior. Again...absolutely no application to Apples behavior here.

      Personally I am not thrilled that Apple has chosen this route. However, in light of the constant bashing MS gets for their shitty OS I can see why. Most Windows problems are related to shitty device drivers. So...by saying "You can only use our hardware" they largely skip the whole problem of shitty 3rd party bullshit drivers causing your OS to flake out. This makes their OS look WAY better in terms of stability because it doesn't have so many driver issues. So the loss in sales they suffer by not allowing it to run on cheap PC hardware is probably made up in their image of reliability. Apple is not doing anything even remotely illegal by saying you can only use their hardware. If they really wanted to be anal retentive assholes they could make it a royal pain in the ass to purchase their software by proving you own their hardware. Cisco is under no obligation to give me copies of their IOS unless I own their hardware. Apple is just kind enough to put the disk in a box and slap a sticker on it and put it on a shelf so their customers can get their upgrades easily. But people like Psystar insisting that they can trample on the rights of Apple because they want to make a quick buck force Apple to either defend their rights in court, or retract and make getting your OS upgrades as much of a pain in the dick as MS does with keys and authentications and activations and all of that other silly bullshit. In case you aren't aware OSX doesn't ask for silly bullshit key codes and activations and all that. They would be well within their right to force activation to prove that it is running on Apple hardware, but they don't.

      Go buy a Cisco switch...take the copy of IOS and make it run on a cheap HP Procurve device. Then sell that Procurve for a fraction of the cost of a real Cisco device while advertising that it is running Cisco software. You let me know how fast the Cisco lawyers show up and how far they manage to stretch your entrails out when they pull your spine out of your ass in the court room. Hey, after all, all you have to do is get your hands on a Cisco support contract that authorizes you IOS upgrades right?

      Part of the OSX cost is rolled into the Apple hardware you purchased to run it, so when you are buying an upgrade that is all you are buying, an upgrade to the OS that you purchased with your hardware. What Psystar is doing isn't much different than purchasing Windows Upgrade disks and selling them as full OSs and then screaming about how its their right to steal from Apple to make a quick buck. Again...this is all masked by Apple not being complete douches to their customers and forcing you to store and enter a half dozen product activation codes and other such bullshit. Look at what you are actually purchasing when you buy an OS X package. You aren't buyin a full OS, but that is what Psystar is claiming. Go compare the price between the Single User and Family Pack OS X upgrades. You can't honestly tell me that you believe that they would sell a full rights OS for $110 and then let you buy 4 more copies for $70 more. It is nothing more than a license to upgrade your OS that you got with your Apple hardware and a nice disk without activation bullshit to make your life easy. So either buy a Mac so you can have OSX or buy a PC with the understanding that Apple does not sell an OS for your hardware.

      Either way, no anti-trust laws even begin to apply to what Apple is doing. They aren't a monopoly. They aren't doing things to artificially maintain their position. If they want to do business that way then they can. The anti-trust laws even explicitely state that monopolies that arise because they were the best are perfectly legit.

      --
      The only change I can believe in is what I find in my couch cushions.
    19. Re:Tying Arrangement by gnasher719 · · Score: 1

      If you look at the court ruling (go to www.groklaw.net), here is a direct quote from the ruling:

      As stated, Psystar asserted three federal claims: a tying claim under Section 1 of the Sherman Act, a monopoly-maintenance claim under Section 2 of the Sherman act, and an exclusive-dealing claim under Section 3 of the Clayton Act.2 Each of these claims requires plaintiff to establish market power in a "relevant market."

    20. Re:Tying Arrangement by rtechie · · Score: 1

      No one is forced to enter into the contract with Apple, but if they want to use Apple's software they will be legally obligated to abide by that contract.

      No, they're not. EULAs and pack-in licenses are generally invalid. Once you're bought it, you can do what you want with it within the restrictions of VALID law:

      You can't sell or give away copies, only the original (copyright).

      You can't remove the copy-protection features (DMCA, huge gray area).

      You can't use the branding of the software in other products (trademark).

      Other than that, you can do whatever the hell you want.

      You might notice there's nothing in there about contract law. That's because EULAs really aren't valid contracts. Every EULA that has been substantially legislated has had ALL of it's novel provisions tossed out. IOW, a EULA is only valid if it's provisions are completely redundant with existing law which makes the EULA itself completely redundant and meaningless.

      The only reason they exist at all is because stupid American judges refuse to follow the law and instead of invalidating the entirety of contracts when some terms are found to be illegal, they only invalidate those specific terms, even if those terms make up the ENTIRETY of the contract. In fact, the ONLY purpose of EULAs is to try to sneak in these illegal terms.

      This is hideously annoying because it means plaintiffs have to legislate the same terms over and over again instead of the courts just invalidating EULAs as the scam that they are.

    21. Re:Tying Arrangement by crmarvin42 · · Score: 1

      No, they're not. EULAs and pack-in licenses are generally invalid.

      Why? Because you want them to be? I know that in certain states, they are largely unenforceable when it comes to individual end users. However, it has yet to be tested when companies are trying to profit off of the work of other companies.

      ...instead of invalidating the entirety of contracts when some terms are found to be illegal, they only invalidate those specific terms...

      This is just silly, no contract is required to be invalidated just because one paragraph is invalid.

      --
      Bureaucracy expands to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy.-Oscar Wilde
    22. Re:Tying Arrangement by rtechie · · Score: 1

      I know that in certain states, they are largely unenforceable when it comes to individual end users.

      Virtually every novel provision of every EULA that has been legislated has been tossed out. Corporations do not get to create new law at a whim in EULAs.

      This is just silly, no contract is required to be invalidated just because one paragraph is invalid.

      I'm arguing that the INSTRUMENT of "pack-in licenses" exists solely for fraudulent purposes and should be banned outright. All "pack-in licenses" should be banned and all proper contracts should require written informed consent.

      I'd also argue it represents an unreasonable burden on consumers to have to individually legislate complex legal contracts for every purchase. The purpose of the government (in part) is to moderate the transactions between consumers and business using common regulations and pack-in licenses are an attempted end-run around that.

      And you're wrong. If certain provisions of a contract are found to be illegal and the terms of the contract cannot be met without those provisions than then entire contract is void. Pack-in licenses are written as seas of sub-claims, paragraphs are written in such a way as they don't refer to other paragraphs, specifically to make them resistant to the court rulings that invalidate individual provisions.

    23. Re:Tying Arrangement by crmarvin42 · · Score: 1
      Ok, I agree with you that EULA's are a major PITA. I also question the appropriateness of their use and the validity of everything they contain. However, you said it yourself

      ...paragraphs are written in such a way as they don't refer to other paragraphs, specifically to make them resistant to the court rulings that invalidate individual provisions.

      --
      Bureaucracy expands to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy.-Oscar Wilde
  26. actually, yes it does by Reality+Master+201 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    These could be considered as a form of echo question. Consider the example:

    "I ate an entire bowl of thumbtacks."
    "You ate an entire bowl of thumbtacks?"
    "Yes."

    Here the repair that's typically assumed to be part of echo questions is the entire sentence (which would likely be seen a semantically aberrant). There's no structural change to the sentence with the question mark (modulo some theory about hidden movement which I don't feel like working out). You'd probably hear an intonational change in speech.

    1. Re:actually, yes it does by value_added · · Score: 1

      These could be considered as a form of echo question.

      They could.

      Instead, they should be considered a form of rhetoric, hence the term "rhetorical question".

      As for those who invoke such intonations in speech uncessarily, the term would be "caricature". Once upon a time it used to be called Valley Girl speech, but that was before it found widespread adoption. That it's accepted as anything other than an indication of immaturity, illiteracy, a propensity to socialising in mall environments, or a behavioural defect generally, is beyond me.

    2. Re:actually, yes it does by Reality+Master+201 · · Score: 1

      Yes, in the original (great-grandparent, I think) post, the question was rhetorical.

      But the post I was responding to was asking (perhaps rhetorically) :

      Adding a question mark to any sentence makes it a question?

      and I was giving an answer with applicability over a domain of sentences broader than the initial post.

      Rhetorical questions are questions that are formulated as "normal" questions - in English we see common "proper" question features present in rhetorical questions (do-support, wh- raising, etc.). Those aren't simple instances of sticking a question mark at the end of a statement, as they involve (visible) syntactic changes (in English). I was treating instances where there is no surface syntax change.

      As for your analysis of this kind of pragmatic structure and associated intonational patterns as belonging to the "valley girl" sociolinguistic speech community, I'd say you're mistaken, but you're probably just looking for an excuse to pick on people.

    3. Re:actually, yes it does by Arterion · · Score: 1

      You'd probably hear an intonational change in speech.

      That's what I take the question mark to mean. The intonation of the sentence. The same for the exclamation point! I'm probably wrong, but I feel like you can use it pretty arbitrarily! Anywhere you want!

      --
      "That which does not kill us makes us stranger." -Trevor Goodchild
  27. Re:it's a blow to us all. by blincoln · · Score: 1

    Linux is pretty much ready for any n00b to come along and use it for everything but the latest commercial games

    Linux has made a *lot* of strides in the last few years, but it's still got a ways to go.

    I've been running Kubuntu on a couple of machines, and am amazed at how usable it is. I'm planning on setting up my next workstation to dual-boot, because I will be able to do all of my non-specialized work on it and then boot into XP for things I can't run on Linux.

    However, even running it on some spare machines has revealed that there is still often the need to do things like edit xorg.conf and manually specify what my monitor is capable of. Otherwise my choice is "slow open-source NVidia driver" versus "fast proprietary NVidia driver at 640x480 only". End users should *never* have to look up monitor specs to get a normal resolution. Especially on hardware like a GeForce 5200-based card connected to a ViewSonic CRT, both of which are hardly bleeding-edge.

    --
    "...always new atoms but always doing the same dance, remembering what the dance was yesterday." -Richard Feynman
  28. Re:it's a blow to us all. by somersault · · Score: 1

    Well, I just tried that package, did have to change xorg to even get the gsynaptics application to start unfortunately. Didn't see any options for the 2 finger right click, and it broke the 2 finger scroll functionality. Ubuntu has moved to some other configuration files for configuring input devices these days, and I do have the 2 finger click option in one of those, but it doesn't have any effect (while the scrolling option does, and I just use the keyboard for right clicking).

    They'll probably get it right eventually. I'd still want to be able to use 2 finger click even if I no longer had a mac. My next machine is going to be back to nVidia graphics so if the Macs at the time I'm buying don't have nVidia graphics I'll probably just get a Dell again.

    --
    which is totally what she said
  29. No, the XBox analogy does fail by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Because you don't buy the XBox OS but you DO buy the Apple Mac OS X OS.

    You don't need a license to install and use software when it is required for the use of said materiel. So that's not the problem.

    Apple could just not sell Mac OS X the same way as MS don't sell XBox OS. They don't. So live with the consequences.

  30. Re:what for????, its just x86 now anyway by spiffyman · · Score: 1

    They are competitive, at the beginning of their life cycle. Because of the way Apple updates its products, though, price competitiveness goes down throughout the cycle until the next refresh.

    All this means is that yes, you should wait until the next refresh to buy a shiny new MB/MBP/MP.

    --
    So you can laugh all you want to...
  31. Re:it's a blow to us all. by somersault · · Score: 1

    It seems that's one thing the ATI proprietary driver does right* - it has its own application for changing resolution and configuring internal and external displays, and recognised my Dell flatpanel correctly.

    *or wrong, as it would be much better if they could release it as a plugin for the built in Ubuntu resolution manager, rather than a separate application in the 'accessories' menu, which isn't very intuitive

    --
    which is totally what she said
  32. Re:it's a blow to us all. by gpalyu · · Score: 1

    "but if I wanted fancy multiple desktops I'd have to pay to update to 10.5, and that doesn't sound very free to me." Free multiple-desktop apps have been available for OS X for years. You are spreading BS. http://desktopmanager.berlios.de/

  33. Comparison... by Casexy · · Score: 1

    If Microsoft released Windows 7 and only allowed it to be installed and run on Microsoft branded machines, how long would that last? About ten seconds, yes? Then why the hell can Apple get away with it? Give them some competition. Maybe then we could have Macs that aren't overpriced, new hardware options, and case choices other than ugly grey and slightly rounded. Maybe then we'd have competition. You know, that thing our economy is based on.

    1. Re:Comparison... by crmarvin42 · · Score: 1

      Microsoft could do this if they wanted to. It's perfectly legal. It would hurt their market share numbers and potentially their bottom line, even if they owned the hardware manufacturing business. I believe that their software would probably improve if they did this, but they won't because Dell, HP, Acer, etc. would jump into Linux with both feet and kill MS profitability over night.

      I just can't believe you claim that Apple needs some competition. Their market share is in the low teens in the US and in single digits on the global market. How much more competition do they need if >90% of computers sold globally are manufactured by their competition?

      Ultimately your arguments operate under the false impression that software is ever sold. Licenses to use software are sold, but those are contracts that stipulate the conditions under which the software can legally be used. I don't particularly like the system, but it is what it is and whining about it won't actually change it.

      --
      Bureaucracy expands to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy.-Oscar Wilde
    2. Re:Comparison... by Xtifr · · Score: 2, Informative

      If Microsoft released Windows 7 and only allowed it to be installed and run on Microsoft branded machines, how long would that last? About ten seconds, yes?

      Yes.

      Then why the hell can Apple get away with it?

      Because Microsoft has a monopoly and is subject to anti-trust laws while Apple doesn't and isn't.

      Don't get me wrong, I'm not an Apple fanboy--in fact, I tend towards mild dislike, and own none of their products--and I'm not even quite sure who I'm rooting for in this case (which is far from done), but I still have to admit that talking about a monopoly "in OS/X" is stretching things too far. I'd rather see PyStar lose this argument and then end up winning the whole case based on the doctrine of first sale or something similar. But I also admit that it's not necessarily quite that simple, and Apple may indeed have a valid case. I hope they lose, but I can understand why they might win, and don't think it would be the end of the world, unlike the look-and-feel cases back in the eighties, where I think it might actually have been the end of the world, or at least, the end of creative freedom, if they'd won (fortunately, they lost those ones).

      Apple may be dicks (I think there's a pretty strong case to be made for that proposition), but they're not monopolists (although I tend to think they'd be even scarier than MS if they were).

    3. Re:Comparison... by darkonc · · Score: 1
      Psystar was arguing for a steep and slippery slope. Their argument was that Apple had a monopoly on Apple's Operating System. If that was the case, then we'd hear people arguing that QNX has a monopoly on QNX systems, and Canon has a monopoly on Canon cameras, etc. etc. etc.
      The predictable result would be obscene.

      As PJ said on Groklaw, 'That's legalese for "are you kidding??"'.

      --
      Sometimes boldness is in fashion. Sometimes only the brave will be bold.
    4. Re:Comparison... by Enderandrew · · Score: 1

      Except there is some precedent.

      Atari fought and lost over the rights to have a monopoly on Atari hardware, and lost.

      And if I recall, TI and IBM both lost fights on clones.

      I don't think Psystar should be able to sell Mac OS X preinstalled because it violates Apple's software license, though they could attempt to fight that license as being unfair.

      However, I think Psystar should be able to sell hardware that one could install Mac OS X on out-of-the-box. Compliant hardware is not impossible to put together, but I was under the impression that retail copies of Mac OS X won't install on hackintoshes without some form of modification.

      I'm sure someone will correct me on that.

      --
      http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
  34. your sig really works!! by toby · · Score: 1

    n/t

    --
    you had me at #!
  35. Re:it's a blow to us all. by somersault · · Score: 1

    Sure, you can hack about any OS with extra apps, you can run compiz on Windows, you can change the theme in OSX, etc. I even had nice candy textured window frames on my Amiga 10 years ago (but it ran like ass with only 16MB of RAM).

    I at least was referring to the built-in and supported OS features, not what you can do with 3rd party apps (though admittedly Linux distros are usually just a collection of 3rd party apps). OSX 10.4 does not have a built in multiple desktop system or update manager (yes, I had apt-get installed anyway, but I didn't have a repository browser)

    --
    which is totally what she said
  36. and the funniest part by toby · · Score: 1

    Is that the issue around which the 'Vista Capable' scandal revolves - 3D accelerated interface - has been part of OS X since 2002...

    --
    you had me at #!
  37. Re:it's a blow to us all. by FictionPimp · · Score: 1

    That is odd, in the last 3 versions of ubuntu I have not needed to touch my xorg. I always do a fresh install each version.

    This is an nvidia 8800GTS.

  38. Questioning sentences by Gorbag · · Score: 1

    Re: As much as I dislike Apple...?

    --
    -- I speak only for myself
  39. Re:it's a blow to us all. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Except that Spaces doesn't work very well. After some patching by Apple following initial release it works better than nothing, but not by a whole lot. For example, sometimes clicking on an app icon in the dock won't shift to the correct space, sometimes it will. Sometimes clicking on the icon in the dock will pull the app front, sometimes it won't. An alert dialog triggered by an app in a different space forces a change of space focus. Rather annoying if your are typing, especially if you have a laptop and use network volumes as OS X gradually realizes they aren't available any longer. Apple's preconfigured shortcuts don't always work (my dad's macbook for example only worked with the shortcuts to get to space 1, none of the others worked). For Apple, the company where things "just work", this is pretty crappy.

    For all the flack X Windows gets the windowing solutions seem to have solved all of these sorts of problems oh, more than ten years ago -- I've never had them on linux which I've been using for about ten years now, whether in FWM, KDE or Gnome.

  40. There's no comparison,M$ is a convicted monopolist by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    From the Holloween documents to shill trolls like you, M$ deserves to be disssolved for their illegal monopoly. M$ has hired two people to pose as casexy, macthorpe, willyhill, jwilcox154, keith russel, and many others in the troll zoo who sucks Ballmer's dick. It is M$ who also sent death threats to any who oppose M$ and Windoze rather than embrace GNU/Linux and reject non-free software. M$ also bullying others into conforming to using M$ exclusively.

    The only thing M$ deserves after their track record and their actions today is for the governments of the world to totally dissolve M$ and GPL all code and specs then arrest Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, Paul Allen, Jim Allchin, and any other executive(current and past), stock holders, and anyone else involved in the M$ monopoly.

    --
    Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.
    Friends do assist M$ addicted friends in commiting suicide.

  41. Re:it's a blow to us all. by binary+paladin · · Score: 1

    About the only thing Ubuntu (for me anyway) never seems to get right is resolution. I don't know why. My older Samsung LCD is 1600x1200 and it seems like anything over 1280x1024 is an issue. If I install the binary nVidia drivers it comes with its own set of problems. I've been editing my x.org (and XF86) configs for a long time so it doesn't bother me. But yeah... it's a problem.

  42. Re:what for????, its just x86 now anyway by binary+paladin · · Score: 1

    Thanks for fixing that. And yes, he is.

  43. Re:it's a blow to us all. by jo_ham · · Score: 1

    Does that mean that if I want to find out what airbags are like, Peugeot will come and install them in my 1995 model 306 GLX for free?

    I mean, I guess I could get an open source car and build it for free in my garage and install my own airbags, but what if I don;t have the time or I like the convenience of having someone else do it for me. Will my mechanic install these airbags into my open source car for free if I don;t want to do it?

  44. Re:As long as we're being intellectually consisten by FireXtol · · Score: 0

    I agree, but it's somewhat off-topic ... and flamebait(I HATE ALL BIG BUSINESS!! oh well!). Ethically, I think Linspire is 'slightly' worse than Apple, which is why I mentioned them(they're also smaller). And I'm not sure if it's directed at me.... But I'm well aware of what a BSD license is. I don't take issue with that alone. It's the GPL(GNU) being married with BSD/Unix to produce the average Mac OS X desktop(the selling point) that I find unethical. Apple has substantial portions of software under GPL. If they stuck with a common license, either way, I'd have no argument.
    GNU (is) NOT UNIX!

    --
    Enlightenment is the elimination of that which is unnecessary.
  45. Re:what for????, its just x86 now anyway by Firehunter · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    I just priced my new Dell Latitude E6400, 2.8 Ghz, 4GB RAM, etc. to a new MacBook Pro. Almost identical specs except for the graphics card because I couldn't tell what the Mac had in it. The Dell was cheaper by $500 and that's with a docking station to keep my dual monitors, 3 yrs. Pro-IT Support, and 3 years accidental damage coverage. I don't think that's very competitive at all.

  46. Re:it's a blow to us all. by somersault · · Score: 1

    Does that mean that if I want to find out what airbags are like, Peugeot will come and install them in my 1995 model 306 GLX for free?

    It doesn't. It means that if you don't want airbags, don't pay for them. I didn't say that it is morally reprehensible for Apple to charge for upgrades. I just pointed out that since there is a free, legal and just as good alternative available (ie one that comes with airbags included, and will most likely give me free safety upgrades for at least the next couple of years) I have chosen that instead.

    In this case the airbags are freely available on street corners to install yourself, at your own risk. I was going to stick with the same vehicle without upgrades until I bought a whole new vehicle, but I'm not going to say no to free products if they enhance the safety of my vehicle and are easily installed ;)

    Yes, you can of course pay to have a mechanic install the airbags for you if you don't feel you have either the time or skills to do it yourself. Hell, I'd do it for you if you paid me enough, but I cba supporting them long term (again unless you paid me a lot, or you rent a car from my company and I can support you as part of my day job). Luckily for you there are other people who feel they need more money or who already do freelance airbag installation and support for a living.

    Any more silly questions you would like me to answer, or perhaps some more metaphors you would like me to overextend?

    --
    which is totally what she said
  47. Re:it's a blow to us all. by jo_ham · · Score: 1

    No that works just fine, since your reasoning is well explained. The usual conclusion of "I don't want to pay for that" is "I should get it for free because I do not deem it to be worth paying for", which is obviously not the case for you.

    (And in the case of Spaces, it's not worth paying for, for me, since I don't use it. I got 10.5 for other reasons).

  48. Other source by Midnight+Thunder · · Score: 2, Interesting

    There is also this web site:

    http://developer.apple.com/opensource/

    Apple may not always be timely, but they do eventually get it out. Remember Although there is GPL stuff in there, there is also BSD stuff in there. With a BSD license they aren't required to give back, but Apple does. If you complain about Apple being late with the source, remember that in this regards their first priority is being a profitable business and the being a good open source citizen.

    --
    Jumpstart the tartan drive.
    1. Re:Other source by krischik · · Score: 1

      Ups forgot aobut that site...

  49. Pystar IS cracking... by ThrowAwaySociety · · Score: 1

    Psystar is not modifying the OS. Check the details! They are not running a cracked or modified version of OSX on their systems.

    SOURCE: http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Psystar-Xserve-Apple,5734.html

    Basically, it's a piece of software which downloads Apple's official update, applies a patch to break Apple's fix and then upgrades a user's Leopard installation.

  50. Oh so nearly right, but you still fail. by CountBrass · · Score: 1

    There are no retail full versions of OSX. None. None at all.

    You get a full version of OSX when you buy a Mac. And you can then buy an upgrade version at retail when a new version comes out. Upgrade. The only version available in a retail box. The only one.

    The retail version is an upgrade only.

    Clear now?

    It's not as if this hasn't been pointed out countless times before on /.

    --
    Bad analogies are like waxing a monkey with a rainbow.
  51. launchd or zsf by krischik · · Score: 1

    Uhh my first flamebait. And I did not even meat to.

    As I can see from other posts zfs has indeed an incompatible licence. But that is not Apples fault.

    Only my little rant was about launchd - a replacement for init, cron and inetd which is
    a 100% Apple development and lincenced under the Apache License, Version 2.0.

    Beside: launchd is a user land application so it does not matter. So my little rant holds true.

    Note that I have used Linux and configured three: init, cron and inetd and they are a pain to use compared with launchd. And in the case of init & /etc/init.d bloody slow.

    Martin

  52. user land by krischik · · Score: 1

    For a user land application it makes not difference at all.

    But everybody things I have started a zfs flame - which is file system driver and has indeed an incompatible license.

    But then: the zfs license has been set by Sun.

  53. OEM version of Windows by maz2331 · · Score: 1

    My question on the OEM version restriction is:

    What is the definition of the "computer with which it was sold"? Is it the case which the original electronics were mounted in and the sticker is attached to? Is it the mainboard? The HDD? Some other combination?

    The reason why I wonder about this is that it may make upgrading your machine a EULA violation - say your mobo dies and is no longer produced and must be replaced. Does this end your license?

    PCs are modular units, not monolithic (except maybe for laptops). Components can be swapped in and out over time, either to upgrade or simply to repair the hardware.

    1. Re:OEM version of Windows by itsdapead · · Score: 1

      What is the definition of the "computer with which it was sold"? Is it the case which the original electronics were mounted in and the sticker is attached to? Is it the mainboard? The HDD? Some other combination?

      Practical answer is "when Windows product activation tells you to phone Microsoft and they refuse". If you're interested in your actual legal rights rather than the rights begrudged to you by DRM, go ask a lawyer - but I suspect that the "this is my great grandfather's broom, even though its had six new heads and three new handles" isn't going to wash. Realistically, I doubt that this would ever be actively enforced against DIY users, any more than Apple is going after DIY hackintosh builders. If you're running a business (e.g.) re-cycling old PCs, then its lawyer time.

      --
      In a survey of 100 programmers, 111111 thought that duck-typing was a good idea.
    2. Re:OEM version of Windows by Weedlekin · · Score: 1

      "What is the definition of the "computer with which it was sold"? Is it the case which the original electronics were mounted in and the sticker is attached to? Is it the mainboard? The HDD? Some other combination?"

      MS say it's the first motherboard that was present when the OS was installed. If you change that motherboard, then you're supposed to buy a new OEM license.

      "The reason why I wonder about this is that it may make upgrading your machine a EULA violation - say your mobo dies and is no longer produced and must be replaced. Does this end your license?"

      Yes, it does indeed end your license.

      "PCs are modular units, not monolithic (except maybe for laptops). Components can be swapped in and out over time, either to upgrade or simply to repair the hardware."

      This is why MS specifically state that for EULA purposes, they consider the first motherboard that was present to be what defines "the computer" that OEM Windows versions are tied to. You can change ever other module, including putting that motherboard in a different case, but swapping the motherboard for another makes it a different computer from Microsoft's POV, even if that motherboard is an identical model from the same manufacturer.

      NB: the above is only true if you or another unauthorised (by the OEM) person changes a motherboard. Repair by authorised service personnel who swap a faulty motherboard for a working one doesn't void the OEM license, although it can sometimes result in you having to reactivate your version of Windows via Microsoft.

      --
      I'm not going to change your sheets again, Mr. Hastings.
  54. Apple Branded is the interesting part by techess · · Score: 1

    Technically the legalese stated you could only run it on Apple-branded computers.

    I would love to see a company get into this and argue the definition of Apple Branded as opposed to the legality of the EULA. If you buy a bunch of cases of old mac's that died and put your own hardware in them does that count as Apple branded. Or even better if you went to http://missingbite.com/ and purchased official Apple stickers and slapped them on the box would that count as branded.

    That's the lawsuit I'd like to see.

    --
    Don't anthropomorphize computers. They *hate* that.
    1. Re:Apple Branded is the interesting part by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You might like to see it, but it is a settled issue in trademark law.

      The only person who may brand an item with a registered trademark is the owner of that trademark. Here "person" is Apple or someone authorized in writing to act on its behalf.

      It is only "Apple branded" if Apple does the actual branding.

      If you acquire an Apple sticker and affix it to *anything* you have not created an Apple branded anything. You have merely used an Apple branded sticker.

      The only way around this is authorization in writing from the owner of the registered trademark.

    2. Re:Apple Branded is the interesting part by techess · · Score: 1

      That is a good point. I wasn't thinking of the branding in that way.

      --
      Don't anthropomorphize computers. They *hate* that.
    3. Re:Apple Branded is the interesting part by Mister+Whirly · · Score: 1

      Me neither. I guess the old iron rod I formed into the shape of the Apple logo can be pulled out of the fire now. And it was just starting to get white-hot....

      --
      "But this one goes to 11!"
  55. Re:what for????, its just x86 now anyway by mjwx · · Score: 1

    I already did a quick comparison for a "Mac Tax" article and it didn't come out well for the Apple. It was more on the Mac Mini because integrated monitors are something I would avoid like the plague, but it was still "Apple versus other brands".

    Still rings true, a Macbook 13" is A$2500 while a competing Asus with twice the amount of Ram, a newer Processor and better video card is A$2275. Add to that that the Mac is in Sydney (store pays less freight) and the Asus is in Perth (store pays more for freight) and the gap widens. Comparing the cheapest Macbook to the most expensive Dell Vostro, the Mac is A$1619 and the Vostro is A$1299 and the Vostro has a larger HDD, 3x the amount of RAM, dedicated video while the mac has a slightly faster processor (.1 GHz).

    Now moving up to the Mac book Pro, the MBP is A$3150 for the cheapest model while an Asus is A$2199 with a larger HDD and twice the RAM. meanwhile the Dell Vostro with similar spec's comes out to A$1400 with an older graphics card or even the Dell Latitude comes to A$2900, that's with a NVidia Quadro card and 3 year warranty (the only laptop i've mentioned to have either of these two components).

    So realistically there is a Minimum saving of A$250 no matter which way you put it. Personally I don't consider the Macbook Pro and Dell Latitude series to be in the same league as the MBP is a consumer machine and the Latitudes are aimed at businesses.

    Now to the manufacturing, I find it ironic that Apple and Dell use the same off the shelf components and the same manufacturer Foxconn, which are renown for their crappy construction. But I'm sure a fanboy will find a way to twist this into apples favour or just flat out complain about the lack of aesthetics (which will be trumped by price for the overwhelming majority of people) but I believe in giving credit where credit is due, the Apple fanboys are nothing if not creative and Apple itself boasts the worlds greatest marketing/hype machine.

    --
    Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
  56. Repeat after me.... by CountBrass · · Score: 1

    Copyright, copyright, copyright, copyright.

    It's the RIGHT to make COPIES.

    --
    Bad analogies are like waxing a monkey with a rainbow.
    1. Re:Repeat after me.... by DrgnDancer · · Score: 1

      So that's why my spell checker hated that whole post. Doh. Thanks

      --
      I don't need a million points of light, just two points of multi-mode fiber and a 10 Gig-E router.
  57. Adding a question mark makes it a question? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Adding a question mark to any sentence makes it a question?

    Answering a question with a question makes it an answer?