iMac Sales Not Sluggish; Bounty for Windows XP on Intel Macs

Linked by Thom Holwerda on Thu 26th Jan 2006 18:04 UTC, submitted by Nehemoth

Some more news on Apple's Intel Macs. First off, contrary to what OSNews reported on yesterday, a research and investment firm says that sales of the Intel iMac and MacBook Pro are good. Secondly, a contest has been set up to get Windows XP to boot on the Intel Macs.

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XP contest

by TomB7 on Thu 26th Jan 2006 18:29 UTC

Member since:
2006-01-03

If you succeed, you get $100 and you are booted into Windows XP. Hmmm--get me more incentive to offset the pain of seeing Windows on my Mac.

Reply Permalink Score: 3

RE: XP contest

by GrapeGraphics on Thu 26th Jan 2006 18:39 UTC in reply to "XP contest"

Member since:
2005-07-07

If you succeed you get the full amount that people have donated... it's up to $7115.00

I guess that's a bit more incentive than $100.00

Reply Permalink Score: 2

RE[2]: XP contest

by chmeee on Thu 26th Jan 2006 18:42 UTC in reply to "RE: XP contest"

Member since:
2006-01-10

That'd give me enough to buy a quad G5 (Yes, I want a G5)

Reply Permalink Score: 1

RE[3]: XP contest

by Jedd on Fri 27th Jan 2006 13:11 UTC in reply to "RE[2]: XP contest"

Member since:
2005-07-06

Quad G5.... drooooooooooooool....

=)

Reply Permalink Score: 1

....

by helf on Thu 26th Jan 2006 18:43 UTC

Member since:
2005-07-06

a. install xp on a pc
b. change IDE contrller drivers to generic ones
C. install grub on mac.
d. put xp containing hdd in mac along with the drive running grub. tell grub to boot second hdd, first partition.

voila...

Reply Permalink Score: 1

RE: ....

by Kroc on Thu 26th Jan 2006 18:47 UTC in reply to "...."

Member since:
2005-11-10

Now try actually doing it. Provide us with photos and claim the money.

Not quite as "Voila" as you put it, eh.

Reply Permalink Score: 1

RE[2]: ....

by helf on Thu 26th Jan 2006 19:15 UTC in reply to "RE: ...."

Member since:
2005-07-06

I can't but that seems like a workable plan.

Reply Permalink Score: 1

RE: ....

by Adam S on Thu 26th Jan 2006 19:45 UTC in reply to "...."

Member since:
2005-04-01

Um, once you execute this step: "put xp containing hdd in mac", you're no longer really booting a Mac.

Macs use EFI, not BIOS. THAT'S the contest. To get XP to boot on EFI. Swapping hard drives won't fix it, nor is it really the desired outcome.

Reply Permalink Score: 5

RE[2]: ....

by helf on Thu 26th Jan 2006 21:07 UTC in reply to "RE: ...."

Member since:
2005-07-06

no duh. what do you think grub is there for?

Reply Permalink Score: 1

RE[3]: ....

by werfu on Thu 26th Jan 2006 21:41 UTC in reply to "RE[2]: ...."

Member since:
2005-09-15

Grub won't help out WinXP to recognise EFI... Windows surely still use some real mode BIOS call during the boot process. I guess you'll have more chance by writting a plugin for the EFI that emulate a BIOS.

EFI is greatly extensible, but still I would have like it to create a revolution and to permit low-level driver, so we could have wrote code like used to do in real mode but directly in protected mode...

A question? Are the Mactel booting in protected mode? This would be awesome. If so I want one

Reply Permalink Score: 1

by Kroc on Thu 26th Jan 2006 18:46 UTC

Member since:
2005-11-10

I suppose this thread will be dedicated to the "Why would you want to boot Windows on a Mac when you can build your own machine for $3". Some people *have* to work on Windows, no alternative, no use linux, no choice.

Being able to use OSX for day to day things and Windows for work where it's needed, far exceeds the want to run two machines.

Anybody who can't understand this needs to get a job and realise that they are not the majority.

Reply Permalink Score: 1

by jziegler on Thu 26th Jan 2006 18:54 UTC in reply to "RE"

Member since:
2005-07-14

I liked your post, until the last sequence.
I've got an IT related job and do not need Windows to perform it. Not all jobs require Windows.

Reply Permalink Score: 2

by Kroc on Thu 26th Jan 2006 19:48 UTC in reply to "RE"

Member since:
2005-11-10

"I've got an IT related job and do not need Windows to perform it."

Consider yourself lucky then, this is not the case everywhere.

Reply Permalink Score: 1

by Sphinx on Thu 26th Jan 2006 21:20 UTC in reply to "RE"

Member since:
2005-07-09

Yes, you are very fortunate indeed.

Reply Permalink Score: 1

by Kick The Donkey on Sat 28th Jan 2006 01:50 UTC in reply to "RE"

Member since:
2005-07-06

"Anybody who can't understand this needs to get a job and realise that they are not the majority."

I've got a job. I work in Windows all day, except for a Linux server that I use for ad-hoc tasks. And I'll be damned if I'm going to shell out $$$ for a computer to use for work when they provide me with one. Most people's employers supply them with a PC (probably a Wintel box), so I find the argument that "oh, I've got to do work stuff in windows, but I want to live in OSX" to be a bit... What's the word? Stupid? yeah. That's it.

You sir, are not in the majority either. Most people will simply use the computer that their company provides them, which is a wintel box. Not run out an buy a computer themselves to use for work.

Reply Permalink Score: 1

Its not gonna happen...

by Mr. Dee on Thu 26th Jan 2006 19:05 UTC

Hah ha

by Sphinx on Thu 26th Jan 2006 19:05 UTC

RE: Hah ha

by Sphinx on Thu 26th Jan 2006 21:20 UTC in reply to "Hah ha"

Member since:
2005-07-09

$7k is a litt;e more like it, but I still wouldn't waste over 5 days on it.

Reply Permalink Score: 1

Here's hoping...

by Jimmy on Thu 26th Jan 2006 20:18 UTC

Member since:
2005-07-06

Wow it's over $7K!

Maybe, just maybe the pot will continue to grow to several hundred thousand dollars, and Steve Jobs will take the bounty and release the code

Okay, maybe not but it's still awesome that the pot is already upto $7K.. wonder how high it will get to?

Reply Permalink Score: 1

iMac Sales

by BigZaphod on Thu 26th Jan 2006 20:31 UTC

Member since:
2005-07-06

Well they must be pretty good because I just ordered one for my aunt last week which shipped within a day - but the one I ordered on tuesday for my fiancee hasn't shipped yet. My guess is they hit some kind of demand spike or just ran out of inventory or something. It's cool to see Apple selling well, but it sucks that she's going to have to wait until next month before she gets her new computer.

Reply Permalink Score: 1

Waste of time

by n4cer on Thu 26th Jan 2006 20:51 UTC

Member since:
2005-07-06

The only way I see this working is by replacing the EFI code on the Mac with code that enables legacy BIOS compatibility. Assuming you can't just flash the Mac with Intel code that supports this (and even if you could), how many people would use this method, probably voiding their warranty/support options, and being subject to possible problems if Apple decides to verify the EFI code MacOS runs on (assuming they don't already)?

Since the contest ends in March, why not just wait for Vista (though the initial Beta 2 release may not run on Macs for various reasons).

Reply Permalink Score: 1

gimp

by sp29 on Thu 26th Jan 2006 23:57 UTC

Member since:
2006-01-04

I want a native Univeral Bineray of Gimp that doesn't need X11.

Please...

Reply Permalink Score: 0

RE: gimp

by Tom K on Fri 27th Jan 2006 02:35 UTC in reply to "gimp"

Member since:
2005-07-06

Keep dreaming. :-P

Reply Permalink Score: 0

RE[2]: gimp

by kfet on Fri 27th Jan 2006 16:43 UTC in reply to "RE: gimp"

Member since:
2005-07-06

A collaborative effort to bring the gimp toolkit (GTK) and the GIMP to Mac OS X
http://www.macgimp.org/

Immendio's effort to port Gtk+ to Mac OS X natively
http://developer.imendio.com/wiki/Gtk_Mac_OS_X

Reply Permalink Score: 1

RE[3]: gimp

by Tom K on Fri 27th Jan 2006 22:59 UTC in reply to "RE[2]: gimp"

Member since:
2005-07-06

Wonder when it'll go final.

Reply Permalink Score: 1

perhaps I'm mistaken

by thebackwash on Fri 27th Jan 2006 02:43 UTC

Member since:
2005-07-06

Couldn't GRUB emulate a bios interface, and have windows THINK it's talking to real metal? When booting, Windows switches modes several times, eventually reaching a point where communication with the bios is minimal. Would it be possible to emulate the bios in GRUB for booting, and write (a) driver(s) for the windows kernel such that it could work with the apple hardware whenever it has to make a bios call? Or would an EFI module be easier?

Just speculation, someone with more knowledge on the subject please reply.

Reply Permalink Score: 1

Why bother

by dusanyu on Fri 27th Jan 2006 05:31 UTC

Member since:
2006-01-21

once darwine http://darwine.opendarwin.org/ is ready you can run windows apps without windows in your intel mac.

Reply Permalink Score: 1

um..wow

by helf on Fri 27th Jan 2006 14:26 UTC

Member since:
2005-07-06

sorry. completely forgot about it needing the bios on bootup.. lol..

*feels dumb*

Reply Permalink Score: 1