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The Mac OS X EULA says something like "thou shalt not install OS X on non-Apple-labeled hardware". Does this make home built Macs or PCs running OS X illegal?

Or is that "-labeled" bit the key?


I got to wondering about this after reading about Psystar.

It is probably not authorized but illegal would be pushing it a bit far. Once you purchase the software (or as they like to say in most case purchase a license to run the software) you could still get away with using it outside the authorized scope.

The situation with Psystar is different. For one they're using code from Apple & modifying it to run on non-Apple hardware (in exchange for money which makes it even worse). Another problem is that it can be seen as dilution of the brand. If the existence of Psystar (& its advertising) can bring confusion to what is an Apple computer that's once again a no-no.

Basically if you purchase MacOSX Leopard & run it on a Hakintosh, good for you. Don't go after support in any shape or form, and sooner or later a system update will probably screw everything up. If you start a business of selling machines running MacOSX, that's where you're in troubled waters.

You can do what you want on your own hardware for your own use. You cannot sell or distribute it

Good to hear. Apple's software is great, but their proprietary hardware leaves something to be desired. It's just all built so cheaply!

I have yet to find a Mac user (me included) who found it to be cheaply built & believe me, when people pay a financial premium, they tend to be very finicky when it comes to build quality.

If you absolutely refuse to buy Apple hardware to run OS X, maybe you could try Open Tech.

It isn't that I refuse to buy Apple hardware.

Let me be more specific: The MacBook seems to have a dismal reputation online. Everyone I've read says they constantly need repairs and that they're all soooo glad they bought the AppleCare. Many of them contrasted the MacBook with past iBooks and PowerBooks which worked fine for years and years.

I think it is foolish to buy any laptop/notebook computer without a warranty. Of the 3 people I know with modern Apple notebooks none of them have had any Apple hardware related problems. One has had 2 hard drives die (in a MacBook) but that is just bad luck, Apple doesn't have anything to do with that other than they bought them from Samsung or whoever. The MacBooks are incredibly easy to replace the HD or RAM yourself though (I think the Pro's are a little more involved).

My most modern Mac is a 1.83Ghz CoreDuo Mini, haven't had any problems with it.

I agree it's wise to get a good warranty with a notebook. Maybe I've been misinformed about Apple's hardware's reliability. And come to think of it, none of the six people I know who own MacBooks have ever complained.

The Mac Books are extremely well built, but they are not as well built as you pay for. You pay a premium for any well built notebook - laptop whether it is an Apple Macintosh or an IBM Lenovo Thinkpad... are there any others?

But I have had most of my Macs and Thinkpads a lot longer than most laptop owners.

You could try virtualization, Im not sure about the legal issue on that, or you could create some sort of live cd that would basically be OS X on a cd and try it out. Id go for it if you know what youre getting

My MacBook Pro is awesome. I got it last summer, and so far it and Apple has been great. I've dropped the laptop from 3 and 3.5 feet onto carpeted concrete, while open and on. It did get bent on the side of the screen, but everything has worked for the 7 months since it happened and it still shuts and latches, with no noticeable data corruption. Before that, I did have to get my keyboard and trackpad replaced at the Apple store (mysteriously stopped working...). The "Geniuses" were easy to work with, even though I didn't do what I was supposed to (back up my info and make an appointment). I had my computer back in 26 hours. Outside of Firefox crashing now and then (Safari hasn't crashed yet), I have no complaints about hardware being anything but fast and quality or any software issues.

iMacs these days are down to $1200 too.

Refers to "Windows Only" or some such labelling on an OEM registered PC/Notebook

i couldnt agree less with the aspersions about getting a warranty with a notebook.

the manufacturers ought to be making the bloody things up to scratch in the first place instead of putting profit before reliability; bar-stewards.

a one year statutory warranty for all, yes. but i think there should be banded statutory warranties tied to how much you paid for your machine. if you paid less than a G, well you'd expect to get at least a year out of it.. if you paid 5g, they should be covering you for a bit more automatically.

but back to the point of this thread!

i love trick stuff. mini with 7ltr V8 and so on.. so i think putting OSX on something other than a mac is pretty cool, and a big finger to those proprietary legal numbskulls at the big two!

they ought to remember the computing community is a resource and instead of trying to annihilate everyone who does something trick with their gear, embrace progress and move forward.

If you are paying several thousand for a laptop, then that extra $300 for an extended warranty isn't going to hurt you much. So while I agree that they should be designed to last for long periods of time, I also imagine the manufacturers are trying. Most do not make their own parts, so it isn't the Dells, HP, Sony, Lenovo, Apples that are soley responsible for the components, its who they buy from as well.

So to that I disagree that they put profit above reliability. I don't think they structure it that way at all. Sure they are out to make a profit, but they also want to make a reliable product. It isn't as simple as just ranking quality below profit, there is much more that goes into a buisness model.

Of course it is legal to install it on your own... but probably not legal to sell it as a store package.... still there are no laws about how you can install software as long as it is licensed... Unless it has a written... license not valid on...