People working with early versions of the forthcoming Intel-based MacOS X operating system have discovered that Apple’s new kernel makes use of Intel’s Trusted Computing hardware. If this “feature” appears in a commercial, shipping version of Apple’s OS, they’ll lose me as a customer — I’ve used Apple computers since 1979 and have a Mac tattooed on my right bicep, but this is a deal-breaker.
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So that means that if Apple carries on down this path, I’m going to exercise my market power and switch away, and, for the first time since 1979, I won’t use an Apple product as my main computer. I may even have my tattoo removed.
As much as I love OS X, I have to admit that having DRM baked into the OS might cause me to start looking for alternatives. However, it doesn’t appear that anyone else is making a unix notebook that’s relatively affordable and relatively hassle-free. Does anyone know of a notebook that fits that description?
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Dunno where you draw the line that defines “hassle”, but a fairly simple answer would be a Sony VAIO or Toshiba Satellite with Linux on it… SOme retailers who don’t acknowledge Linux may even knock of a few extra bucks if you refuse Windows…
I don’t want a machine where I end up spending more time messing around with the OS than getting work done. I want a distribution that “just works.” I’m not sure that there is one yet, though.
I agree Matt. This would be a really tough pill to swallow and would blur the lines a bit between the good that is (once was?) Apple and the evil coming out of Redmond.
There is one right now. It’s Apple. A new PowerPC laptop from them should last past the silliness. Of course hearing myself say that, maybe its a rumor started by Apple to keep their sales up.
Well, Mandriva (nee Mandrake) has served me well for years, and requires little farting around with its’ internals since it started to really mature somewhere around v9.1. And, if that’s still not a selling point, you’d have free technical support coming out of a certain familiar spot in Canada should you need it. ;-)
P.S. – In regards to this latest MS-ish rumor… the prophecy unfolds, as I said. Sad, but true. I really thought Apple had more sense than this…
In all honesty, don’t you think this DRM is there only to prevent the x86 version of OS X from running on your old Dell or Gateway?
If that’s the case, I personally don’t have a problem with that.
Just wait until Macs come with Windows installed… Then try and say any of this Intel business was a good thing. :-)
Mike: Sure, that will be main reason to use it. But then they’ll use it for iTunes and the DVD player. And after that? Maybe nothing. But I’d rather not have to trust that an international corporation is going to do the right thing.
Paul: I know we’ve argued about this several times already. But I just don’t see how using Intel hardware is going to lead to Macs coming with Windows. Can you please explain that one to me?
I’ve kept a copy of Yellow Dog Linux on my Mac for a while now (but hardly used it) so I know a little about a competing OS if Apple ever made a move like this. Apple have always had tendencies toward closed systems but I was hoping it would never come to this.
I’ll miss the many advantages of using Mac OS X but this is a no compromise situation for me. Maybe if a lot of former Mac users switch to Linux there’ll be more usability feedback for Linux developers to utilise? The open source software community seem to me to be constantly improving their GUI design processes. I’m guessing it’s only a matter of time before they have the systems in place that push GUI design to the forefront of priorities.
Three Linux distributions come to mind in regard to your question.
Linspire http://www.linspire.com/
Ubuntu http://www.ubuntulinux.org/ubuntu/
Xandros http://www.xandros.com/
They’ve said they won’t do anything specifically to stop Windows from running on Mac hardware, but it’ll be a cold day in hell before you see them actually ship from Apple with it preinstalled. They’ll probably have resellers on a tight leash to prevent them from doing so, too.
(Though anyone buying Mac hardware just to run Windows would be nuts anyway, just due to the price premium. It’ll mostly be people who want to dual boot since they need to cover both worlds.)
Matt: As Apple has no need to switch to Intel based on their annually rising profits and the now-infamous 90nm barrier causing all CPU advancement to stagnate, as well as noting that MS has controlling interest in the company, what other possible reason could there be to make such a decision? It’s not like they don’t have other options; all of which are far superior to Intel’s sub-par products. The eventual theft / absorbing of OSX’s better technologies into Windows will eventually happen, and OSX will fade under the MS juggernaut. Apple too, I suspect; unless they just become a subsidiary or end up as MS’ hardware designers.
Sure, it won’t happen immediately, but it will happen — if MS has any control over it. They’re a monopoly-oriented dictatorship living in fear of any competition because they know they’re the worst technology has to offer, remember? ;-)
Mr. Heide: If it’s all the same to you, I’ll keep a snowsuit handy; Hell may yet see winter, in this case. :-)
Paul, I can’t find anything that says that Microsoft has a controlling interest in Apple. Controlling interest is when an entity owns more than half of the voting stock in a company. The few useful sources I’ve managed to find say that Microsoft only owns a small fraction of Apple’s non-voting stock. If that’s the case, the only real power Microsoft has, other than its slightly-fading monopoly, is that Apple’s stock price would drop a little if it MS decided to sell its Apple stock.
Rich Wareham, developer of Virtual Desktop, thinks this DRM thing is overblown. (via a comment at O’Reilly Radar)
Matt: Yes, I know what controlling interest is… :-) MS used to have it in Apple; admittedly, I don’t follow the markets, so I guess if this has changed, I wasn’t aware of it. Doesn’t change my view, tho. With all the other options out there, as well as the lack of need for this upheaval, I still have no reason to believe MS isn’t playing this one.
Just read the following post about not getting too worked up about the Trusted Platform Module.
http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2005/08/20050804131152.shtml
Don’t know if it allays any fears or not…
I’d be disappointed if it ended up in production Macs too. Kind of flies in the face of the days when a pirate flag flew at One Infinite Loop.
After reading John Gruber’s view on the controversy, I think I may have jumped on the attack-Apple bandwagon without thinking things through.
Glad you came around to your senses Matt.
For now, anyway…
It would be a sad day for Apple to lose folks like you and I think they know that.
I dunno, Matt. I think you were right in the first place. I just read that article, and I don’t see how it makes DRM any more appealing or less of a pain…