Hackintosh

[Msterbeau]

When it's on regular PC hardware...

[Slept with ghost]

when its ajar

ahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

Macs have not truly been Macs for years. At one point in time all thier hardware was mac only. Then they started using the same ram as a pc... then the same hard drives and optical drives... the same video card architecture... then the same bus architecture... and finally the same CPUs

On top of that.. the OS is actually Unix with a Mac GUI

So... the GUI is what makes it a Mac now?

[n0Mad]

Macs have not truly been Macs for years. At one point in time all thier hardware was mac only. Then they started using the same ram as a pc... then the same hard drives and optical drives... the same video card architecture... then the same bus architecture... and finally the same CPUs

On top of that.. the OS is actually Unix with a Mac GUI

So... the GUI is what makes it a Mac now?

Gooey apples? Sounds like cobbler. I suppose that's pretty accurate as a Mac PC is cobbled together.

[Msterbeau]

So... the GUI is what makes it a Mac now?

Somewhat. There are some underlying technologies that are unique to OS X. I think you underestimate the importance of the GUI. It's how a person experiences the computer regardless of what's happening under the hood. In any case, I happen to like their GUI far better then XP/Vista. Consider also that because their hardware choices are limited to just a few configurations (Except for the Mac Pro) it's a lot easier for them to create a reliable system. This is not necessarily the case when you're doing what I'm doing... I've had to reinstall it (Three different versions) because of trying to fix a problem with a screwed up screen resolution. The latest install I think fixes that... but now I have no keyboard or mouse. Doh!!

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

um...

If you could get your hands on a BIOS for your PC that tricked the OS into thinking it was a Mac.. OS10 would run on it. The hardware is all the same these days... The only difference is the GUI.

Think of it like buying a car. Your average Grocery getter has dummy lights. Anyone who really knows somethign about cars wants gauges that actually give you meaningfull information about what the car is doing.

Just like cars... OS10 is a grocery getter... it lets you see only what you absolutly need to see and you cant really do jack shit unless you have a degree. Windows PCs are more like off the shelf sports cars... You can tune them to your needs and tweak the shit out of them. True Unix based pcs are like true highend sports cars.. there is nothing you cant do with them.

The only real advantage to a Mac is the whole virus and spyware issue.. and if they ever get a large market share that advantage goes away. At that point, whats the point of having one when a PC does everything a Mac does and much more?

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

Let me just add.. in an ideal world... the underlying OS would all be the same with all the same funtionality and security. The GUI would be easy to use, easy to understand and fully custimizable for just about anyone.

Right now... Windows is the closests to that... a balance... Macs are damn easy to use but lack support for many things like Games.. Unix has kick ass security but also lacks the funtionality that home users need.

Windows is about 30% Unix. Someday, it may well be higher than that... it should be... Vista's secuirty is getting close to it...

To each his own I guesse.

but really.. you should not need to reinstall to get a mouse and keyboard to work.

[LuluVox]

when its ajar

ahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

Hehehehe.

[Msterbeau]

but really.. you should not need to reinstall to get a mouse and keyboard to work.

This is a total hack....it shouldn't work at all if Apple had their way.

After a bunch of false starts and do-overs, I've got it running reasonably smoothly. Bye bye spyware and viruses. My scroll wheel isn't working still. Other then that... I don't see any serious problems with the basic system. We'll see what happens when I load a few apps. If all goes well there, this will turn into my primary system.

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

It is only a hack because Apple wont license it. All that makes a Mac a Mac is a little bit of code (just a few kb of data) that make up the BIOS. As long as Apple still makes computer, I doubt they wille ver license it. BUT, they have done it before to a few small companys to mac Mac clones. Those companys failed after a year or two. Mac just does not have a large enough market share. Next BUT, they did recently drop the word Computers from thier Corperate name. It is within the realm of possibility that they could stop making desktop computers... that division bleeds the profits of the company. If they were to bring the focus to the iPods where they make money as fast as it is printed... and keep the OS division running but open up the OS, say in OS11, to all PC hardware... and fully embrace OpenGL programing... BAM!!! they have an OS that can directly compete with the MS market.

[Msterbeau]

Actually... I've read that their hardware (Not just iPods) is where the money is at. That's one of the main reasons they stay in it. That and the ability to control the whole hardware/software equation so they don't have to worry about the zillions of different configurations to support. They would make shit on OS-X alone in the current pricing model. I think their dropping the "computer" part of their name is about the fact that they're becoming a producer of many electronic goods, not just computers. The whole clone thing back in the late 90's got stopped because it WAS successful. It was Apple itself that was struggling. That was when Jobs came back... and he didn't like the idea and could see what it was doing to the company. I just read a book called Apple Confidential. Steve Jobs comes across as an ass. Which he can be. Pretty fascinating reading.