[atomicbartbeans]

According to this on Engadget, you can already run OS X on a peecee using VMware. The screenshots could be faked, though...

[morningstarrising]

Photos..Photoshop...till someoen has running video of them doing this it's all BS hacker fluff.

Since the machines been shipped there has been a story every week that the OS X has been leaked to the net and is running on a DELL...

[kscherer]

That's a pretty crappy PC if it only has a 100Mhz bus.

[DeathChill]

I already know it's real. blex0r has been working on it for quite some time http://www.putfile.com/media.php?n=osx86

It's slow because of VMWare recording video. He said it's much faster when it's not recording video.

Anyway blex0r has been working on it for weeks and posted EXACTLY how to get to that point.

[atomicbartbeans]

Gee, DeathChill... sounds like you have some first-hand experience.

Do the developers have to sign an NDA? I would assume so, since this blex0r hasn't identified himself.

Oh well, it's more interesting that way. Although deep down inside, I'm still hoping that this will prove to be more trouble than it's worth...

[DMBand0026]

It's fake.

[HezMah19]

DM, how do you know? I'm sure it would be very difficult, but not impossible 2 do...

[DeathChill]

Originally Posted by DMBand0026 It's fake.

IT certainly is NOT fake. blex0r has been working on cracking it for a long time. He even patched CoreGraphics to NOT require SSE3. All the information is at www.research.gwgaming.net~

[Baron Munchausen]

I wonder if the machine booted off a HDD that had OSX already installed when it was connected to a PowerMac x86.

This gets around all the DVD install issues, and "only"* requires bluffing in VMWare.

If this is possible, then Apple is in trouble, as much of its image is the excellent hardware. It will become in direct competition with SONY pretty sharpish.

However, I do believe all the hacking will be for nowt, as Apple will release OSX for Intel on EFI motherboards only and that will blow away 99% of all the hackers and script-kiddies who openly pan OSX/Apple but secretly covet it (and oh how that burns them!) :-)

*non trivial step

[rasmits]

I don't think they should bother trying to block OS X from being installed on a generic x86 computer. I would think the lack of hardware drivers would make it difficult for any regular consumer, and Apple doesn't need to give out support for anyone who installed the OS on unsupported hardware. People who go through that much trouble to get it working are not in the market for a Mac anyway, and all they're doing is giving OS X a larger instal base.

I think the benefits of actually buying a Mac with OS X pre-installed outweigh the trouble of upgrading your Windows computer to OS X. If you buy the Mac, you get iLife, a warranty, support, hardware optimization, etc...

[Legodude522]

What about all these Mac OS X on Intel x86 torrents? Are they worth a try to download and run on our PCs?

[rasmits]

Aside from the fact that it's stealing, I've heard that it just doesn't work.

[Alexia]

Originally Posted by rasmits Aside from the fact that it's stealing, I've heard that it just doesn't work.

Think of it like Windows 3.11. First you had to install DOS, then you had to install Windows 3.11 and hoped it worked.

With the most succesful method, you install the Darwin kernel, then copy the extra files from a x86 installation.

Both methods are hacking an OS together and it might work.

[rasmits]

No, I don't think it will. I heard Aqua isn't ported to x86, and runs under Rosetta, which would make the entire GUI unusable on a generic PC as Rosetta is what's blocked to only run on a Mactel.

[Baron Munchausen]

Aqua under Rosetta? OSX has been on Intel since X.PB1 in 2000...

[Barto]

Do you hear that, Mr Anderson?

That is the sound of inevitability.

[staph]

Originally Posted by rasmits No, I don't think it will. I heard Aqua isn't ported to x86, and runs under Rosetta, which would make the entire GUI unusable on a generic PC as Rosetta is what's blocked to only run on a Mactel.

Actually, apparently it's the type services daemon.

That's kind of integral to the whole GUI experience, of course.

[Dave]

Originally Posted by staph Actually, apparently it's the type services daemon. That's kind of integral to the whole GUI experience, of course.

What's that do again? I used to know, but it's before noon so I can't think straight.

[DeathChill]

Rosetta is cracked to work. All the TPM checking by it (also the only thing that checks the TPM) has been hexed out of it and Aqua now runs perfectly (as only the Font Server, ATSServer, required it). It runs PERFECTLY on SSE3 machines but they are hacking it to work just as well on SSE2 machines. Also, it seems to get everything working out of the box (e.g. networking).

[staph]

Originally Posted by Dave What's that do again? I used to know, but it's before noon so I can't think straight.

At a guess, it deals with font rendering/caching etc. I can't imagine it actually renders text, as that is done by Quartz.

[Brad]

"ATSServer: The Apple Type Solution Server; responsible for managing the available fonts and making them available to applications." Yes, it does work with font caches.

In any case, I don't think a cracked Mac OS X will seriously affect Apple's bottom line. Who is going to install it? Hackers and super-leet kiddies. Where is it going to be available? Only in underground sites that will probably move around and disappear and reappear if/when Apple targets them. No regular home user or business user is going to install a "cracked" version of any operating system. Pirating serial numbers is one thing; it's a whole new ball game, though, when you have to custom modify/install a subset of files in order for the system to even run.

[staph]

Ah well, there you go then.

[Baron Munchausen]

Brad: Spot on!

"Check out the big brain on BRAD!"

[Gargoyle]

Yeah, don't bother downloading it. 2.4 Gigs will take you an age to download and it won't work, not even if you have an intel mobo in the same family as the dev boxes and a recent P4 capable of SSE3 - like mine!

Sure, there will always be cracks and hacks, but these people only do it 'cos thats what they get their kicks from. It's like running linux on your iPod - you can do it, but really, how useful is it going to be?

[naren]

Well, with Linux on the iPod, you can play Doom on it! Yeah, perhaps not so useful but...

[Robo]

Originally Posted by naren Well, with Linux on the iPod, you can play Doom on it! Yeah, perhaps not so useful but...

And a Game Boy emulator. There's your usefulness, right there.

[DMBand0026]

Brad is exactly right, and those were my thoughts exactly. If it's cracked, it's cracked. But when people start calling Apple support asking for help when their stolen software doesn't work...SOL. So even if it is cracked, which I'm still doubting, it's not going to matter.

[DeathChill]

It is 100% cracked. Hell even the install DVD is cracked to the point where you can just drop it in and reboot and you'll get the OS X installer which will install OS X.

[DMBand0026]

Color me unimpressed. Although its truth is still debatable, it's just going to be a handful of wannabe 1337 h@x03rs!1 who try and run a buggy and unfinished version of OS X for intel on their boxes. If it works out, that's great, if it doesn't, that's funny. They shouldn't be stealing the software anyway. Personally, I think you'd have to be pretty stupid to try it. OS X for generic Intel boxes will never be supported, and therefore this will never be a good idea, and it will never really take off outside of the 12 year old kiddies who think they're 1337!1one! Of course, you wouldn't know anything about that, would you DeathChill?

[Unbeliever]

I doubt it was hacked.

If that was the case, i`m sure the net would be buzzing and honestly, i haven`t heard anything except for few 1337 h4x0rz kiddies who can`t even tie their own shoes, let alone crack OSX.