A couple of years ago, a professor at my university had a very interesting thought exchange with the class I was in. We were a small group, and I knew most of them, they were my friends. Anyway, we had a talk about language purism - not an unimportant subject if you study English in The Netherlands.
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Member since:2005-06-29
This IS marked as an editorial, in two ways actually. But maybe you couldn't see it through the foam accumulating around your mouth
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Member since:2006-06-21
Then you need to mark it better, because yes, I haven't seen it. In spite of my eyes being located well above my mouth and all the foam. Wait, there's a lightbulb icon. Which clearly means "editorial". If only I'd have inferred that earlier I wouldn't have made such a fool out of myself.
Not to mention that I appear to be touched by the rabies. Apparently the fact that I just took apart your rants is a clear sign of madness. Whereas leveraging a non-personal website to push your personal beliefs against any common sense, and then failing to address the criticism, is the epitome of sanity and good sense. I stand corrected.
Edited 2009-10-25 17:32 UTC
Member since:2005-06-29
Member since:2005-10-17
But hey, it's Sunday and Thom couldn't be bothered to write anything but a dreamy opinion piece on a subject that's BOUND to polarize the audience (and then hide behind the 'editorial' tag, so smart).
And polarized audiences generate more comments and page views. Thom is smart, and must have learned this trick...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAWDYaWAVQQ
...from John C. Dvorak.
Member since:2005-10-12
Smart and decent people don't go for straight out breaking the law every time they don't like it
No. But when they find a company imposing conditions on the use of stuff they have bought from that company that they consider unfair, anti competitive, probably contrary to consumer protection legislation, they...hold up two fingers, and get on with doing what they want with what they have bought.
Good on them!
Member since:2005-07-06
Member since:2006-06-21
Member since:2008-09-11
I only raised one finger when I installed os x on my PC. Which even if it has better cpu, ram, video etc than apple alternatives and even if I found drivers for all the harware is a piece of crap because it wasn't Apple branded. 
I won't tell which finger I used.
I raised two fingers when I wiped os x from my poor PC who from that moment happily dual boots Linux and Windows. Well, I must be insane, you may think, if I dared to erase such a good os. Not the case, since even if I have better hardware, the only thing I miss is the "integration". I'm heading right now to an apple dealer to pay 1500€ for that nice "integration".
Member since:2008-06-02
How nice of you to reply to a post without actually responding to most of the points raised in it.
Oh, and breaking copyright law and undermining another company's business is ok because it's "freeing OS X". Rules be damned, the masses want their OS X! Hail Psystar, the champion of the people!
Careful, you'll make yourself dizzy by putting that much spin on a strawman argument.
And you could say the same thing about microwave dinners or Miley Cyrus albums.
I'm sure that Stephen King and Madonna would be happy to hear you say so.
There's an established law stating that an OS vendor can legitimately use an EULA to enforce post-sale restrictions on the brand of computer that can be used to run their OS?
Don't look now, but Psystar doesn't seem to be having much problem dealing with the consequences.
Member since:2006-06-21
No and please don't try to twist things around. Apple is not placing restrictions on the "brand of computer used to run their OS". They're placing restrictions on WHO can bundle OS X with ANY computer and WHAT they can and cannot do with it. And for that yes, there is legal precedent. Look up MDY vs Blizzard.
Has the lawsuit ended? We'll talk when it does. But I suggest in the meantime you look at how well troll lawsuits worked out for SCO. They're currently bankrupt and the pieces are being taken apart by a judge-appointed overseer.
Member since:2006-06-20
I really think this is a nice "editorial". I for one would want to install OSX on a non-apple computer. I love OSX but a mac is always too expensive. I love my PC but I really don't like windows as much. I also use Linux but my wife, kids, and I use some apps for work/school that are only available in mac or win (Microsoft Office, Photoshop, etc). OSX on (cheap) PC hardware is really a no-brainer. I would definitely buy a Psystar if it proves to be LEGAL. Why pay double for THE SAME hardware specs? Psystar is offering what a lot of us (*Nix users) are obviously hoping that Apple would take into consideration: RELEASE THEIR GREAT OS FOR USE ON CHEAP HARDWARE. I think this would make a huge impact in the operating system scene (increased competition, lower prices).
On the language purism thing, in my opinion Thom has a point. I also speak Japanese as a third language (English is my second language) and it is really liberating to be able to communicate with someone in his/her native tongue. I think operating systems should also be constructed in this manner. A good operating system should be able to communicate with a lot of different hardware (as possible). What Apple is doing (hardware purism, if you like) is greatly limiting its otherwise graceful operating system. It's always been a joy using OSX.
Member since:2007-09-06
Maybe you could point to the case law which shows that Psystar is in fact committing criminal acts through the breaking of copyright law... cause.. I'm not seeing any definitive ruling out of that case yet nor am I seeing any past case law that strongly indicates it. Last I checked, courts where still deciding if Psystar is in fact an illegal business. Maybe we should wait until that claim is made by law before we make that claim; be if fact or opinion.
One may not agree with Psystar is doing and that's fine but claiming a legal ruling where non has been made does not help the opinion.
Official Apple statement on PRISM and privacy: "Regardless of the circumstances, our Legal team conducts an evaluation of each request and, only if appropriate, we retrieve and deliver the narrowest possible set of information to the authorities. In fact, from time to time when we see inconsistencies or inaccuracies in a request, we will refuse to fulfill it." This is basically Apple re-publishing their earlier statement in a more official manner. You either believe it, or you don't.
The open source Contiki operating system and its commercial Thingsquare distribution are making strides towards the connected home. According to a Computerworld article, a new LED light bulb manufacturer is putting small computers into their light bulbs. Each computer runs the Contiki OS, which gives each bulb an IP address and allows them to be controlled with a smartphone application. To connect the bulbs to the application, the bulbs use both Wi-Fi and the much lower power IEEE 802.15.4 mesh technology.
"Google asked the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court on Tuesday to ease long-standing gag orders over data requests it makes, arguing that the company has a constitutional right to speak about information it's forced to give the government. The legal filing, which cites the First Amendment's guarantee of free speech, is the latest move by the California-based tech giant to protect its reputation in the aftermath of news reports about sweeping National Security Agency surveillance of Internet traffic." Draining the ditch after the cow has drowned in it."I can't find one person who has been using the Nexus 7 for an extended period of time, and hasn't seen a massive downgrade in performance. Just what kind of downgrade are we talking here? I cannot pick up my Nexus 7 without experiencing problems like a lag of ten seconds, or more, just to rotate the display; touches refusing to acknowledged; stuttering notification panel actions; and unresponsive apps." Fully and utterly agreed. My Nexus 7 was blazing-fast and awesome for a few months, and at some point, it just started sucking. Just like that. I've tried loads of ROMs, and nothing helps.A new release of the hobby operating system MenuetOS! The release notes are a bit non-descript, but you'll have to take what you can get: "updates and improvements (picview, httpc, ehci, ...)"."The Internet is one of the most transformative technologies of our lifetimes. But for 2 out of every 3 people on earth, a fast, affordable Internet connection is still out of reach. And this is far from being a solved problem. There are many terrestrial challenges to Internet connectivity - jungles, archipelagos, mountains. There are also major cost challenges. Right now, for example, in most of the countries in the southern hemisphere, the cost of an Internet connection is more than a month's income. Solving these problems isn't simply a question of time: it requires looking at the problem of access from new angles. So today we're unveiling our latest moonshot from Google[x]: balloon-powered Internet access." Insane.
"MineAssemble is a tiny bootable Minecraft clone written partly in x86 assembly. I made it first and foremost because a university assignment required me to implement a game in assembly for a computer systems course. Because I had never implemented anything more complex than a 'Hello World' bootloader before, I decided I wanted to learn about writing my own kernel code at the same time. Note that the goal of this project was not to write highly efficient hand-optimized assembly code, but rather to have fun and write code that balances readability and speed. This is primarily accomplished by proper commenting and consistent code structuring." Just cool.
Jon Rubinstein, former CEO of Palm: "Well, I'm not sure I would have sold the company to HP. That's for sure. Talk about a waste. Not that I had any choice because when you sell a company you don't get to decide that. Obviously, the board and shareholders decide that. If we had known they were just going to shut it down and never really give it a chance to flourish, what would have been the point of selling the company? I think the deal we had with Verizon really hurt us, but who knew that at the time? These things are all hindsight.""And so it is with Dell's Alienware X51 R2, a small form factor gaming PC in console digs. It's shaped similar to Microsoft's Xbox 360 Slim, and though it's slightly larger than either a 360 or PlayStation 3, the X51 R2 would be right at home in a living room setting nestled next to a large screen TV. Indeed, it's adept at running Steam's Big Picture mode, and if your primary objective is to play games in the living room, go ahead and consider the X51 R2 a hybrid game console." This is obviously not the only machine like this - still, these are very valid console alternatives even for those that don't like being hunched over with a cramped WASD-claw. Also, PC gamers among us: could you get away with the $699 model for gaming?
From Bloomberg: "Microsoft, the world's largest software company, provides intelligence agencies with information about bugs in its popular software before it publicly releases a fix, according to two people familiar with the process. That information can be used to protect government computers and to access the computers of terrorists or military foes." The lid has officially been blown off.
Member since:
2006-06-21
How nice of you to repeat Thom's "arguments" for him.
So let me sum it up: Apple, a company that keeps pricing their stuff high on a very competitive market is actually cowering in fear, and the people who keep buying their expensive stuff are not actually enjoying the higher quality, they're just brainwashed idiots.
Oh, and breaking copyright law and undermining another company's business is ok because it's "freeing OS X". Rules be damned, the masses want their OS X! Hail Psystar, the champion of the people!
That's an opinion. You're entitled to yours, but that doesn't mean it holds any water just 'cause you say so.
I happen to believe otherwise. Common sense dictates that Apple products have at least some quality to them that makes people buy it. Other than straight out brain-controlling waves, that is. Common sense dictates that if Apple's products were just trendy hype they would have gone under a long time ago. Because trends come and go, but quality endures. Finally, common sense also says that if you go head-to-head with established law you should be prepared to assume the consequences. "Don't do the crime if you can't do the time", remember?
Smart and decent people don't go for straight out breaking the law every time they don't like it. They don't break copyright for OS X or Windows, they pay or they use an alternative. They don't break copyright for music or movies, they pay or they find stores that sell cheaper or find music/movies when/that are cheaper. They don't throw rocks at Adobe's HQ windows, they create alternative technology. Yeah I think we need free software and open standards and a completely different approach to showbiz publishing, but going against the law like a dumb ox is just that, dumb. You're free to do it, but no definition of freedom is complete without the part that says "assuming consequences".
As for Thom, publishing this as a normal OSNews piece has no excuse. Opinions belong in editorials and should be marked as such, with disclaimers. I don't fault Thom either for stating his opinion, in comments. But doing it from a position that implies it is endorsed by OSNews is not nice.
Edited 2009-10-25 17:00 UTC