Intel Mac tweakers having trouble, kill iMacs in process
An interesting thread has popped up over at the Nakfull Propaganda blog regarding
getting Linux or Windoze to boot on the new Intel iMac Core Duo's. Since the new Intel Macs don't have Open
Firmware and instead have EFI (Extensible Firmware
Interface), some enterprising people have been trying to munge around in EFI to get other OSes installed.So far, no one has managed to get Linux or Winblows to run on the iMac Core Duo, but some people have managed to irreversible kill a few iMacs (and are returning them to Apple without mentioning how they butchered the machines). The entire thread makes for fascinating reading, vacillating between the religious:
"THIS IS A CHALLENGE. WE SHALL NOT REST UNTIL ALL 3 OSs HAVE BEEN INSTALLED SUCCESSFULLY ON THE NEW MACS."
and extremely poetic geek-speak:
"And this is with the entire contents of the Vista 5270 32-bit EFI installation DVD copied over to either its own Mac OS Extended partition or a FAT32 partition on a GPT volume."
[via Slashdot]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
LD said 5:51PM on 1-23-2006
Fairly unethical to break your machine and return it. If they say what they did and Apple gives them a new one, that's fine. But to cover up the truth for something they broke is entirely unethical.
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DerekJ said 5:53PM on 1-23-2006
I don't know about any of you, but I wouldn't be willing to 'brick' my iMac just to try to run windows on it, even if they do replace it.
Of course, I'm sure they didn't think this would happen.
But one thing I, for one, wouldn't want to happen to my iMac is windows.
Am I alone?
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fisher said 5:57PM on 1-23-2006
While I agree with #1... I REALLY do wish Apple would have included the CSM module in EFI that would allow people to install any OS they want... I mean, it is a very simple software module, and people have the right to run What ever OS they want on the expensive Apple systems... I kidna feel like Apple has done a dis-service to us early adopters.
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JD said 6:00PM on 1-23-2006
Whats the point in trying to get Winblows on these machines, do these people really love games this much. To that I say buy a darn console. It's people like these that make me sick.
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Dalton Marks said 6:09PM on 1-23-2006
"And this is with the entire contents of the Vista 5270 32-bit EFI installation DVD copied over to either its own Mac OS Extended partition or a FAT32 partition on a GPT volume."
I'm offically quitting the internet. I understood that completely.
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Ryan Heise said 6:10PM on 1-23-2006
I have always misunderstood a lot that the hacking community does.
I don't mean to by cynical in these regards and I accept that Windows has a place, and will probably always have a place, in the world. It is simply entrenched. But why, would you buy a Mac and then proceed to attempt to install Windows? I know it is some holy grail to hackers, yet it is wholly counterintuitive me.
It is akin to giving yourself cancer with the hope that you will find a cure.
Oops. You died.
Ok, maybe I was being a LITTLE cynical.
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Fabienne Serriere said 6:11PM on 1-23-2006
It's interesting to note that it's not just Winblows they are trying to install, also Linux. Just an FYI.
cheers,
fbz
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Josh S. said 6:41PM on 1-23-2006
There is a very simple reason people want to install Windows, and this is because the majority of programs made today are made for Windows and only Windows.
I have an iMac and I like it quite a bit, but that doesn't mean Windows has no use. It is not as bad as people make it out to be. That is not to say it doesn't have tons of problems, but windows has some smart things built in to (a few, but they are there) and Mac OS X has some bothersome things in it also.
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dashiel said 6:44PM on 1-23-2006
#3 - apple hasn't done a dis-service. i understand your frustration because i want a dual-boot, or reasonable virtualization technology as i have to use windows on a far too frequent basis. by abusing the return policy these people, while certainly pioneering, are doing the mac community a dis-service. each defective unit adds to the cost of your next mac and should apple get wind of this they might take steps to specifically prevent windows from being installed to minimize their chance of being bilked out of money.
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justin said 6:50PM on 1-23-2006
"It's people like these that make me sick."
Wow, really? That's heavy. They're just hacking hardware. So like, a parent murdering their child is no biggie then, as you've wasted your disgust on computer users?
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Randy said 6:52PM on 1-23-2006
The point, which is being completely missed by this comment thread, is that the "holy grail" mentioned is that you can have *one* computer to run the three most useful (or in the case of MacOSX and perhaps Linux, desireable) OS's on the market.
If all you ever do is Windows, you buy a box with Windows pre-installed. If all you ever use is MacOSX, you buy a Mac. Here's the supposed opportunity to buy one PC, then be able to have both Windows (for gaming/Windows app programming/MS Office/etc.) and MacOS (for personal apps/Photoshop/Automator/etc.) that they can choose between, without having two computers at their desks (which is, in fact, my exact situation).
Without speaking to the morality/ethics of returning a purposely trashed computer (though with Apple Care, I think it *might* be covered), I honestly hope they accomplish this.
Now, ducking from the flamewar over "most useful OS"...
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Jay said 6:52PM on 1-23-2006
Well...I actually have a need for Windows. I was planning on building a small Intel box to run Windows for the few apps I need. The idea of buying an iMac Core Duo and setting it up to dual-boot Mac OS and Linux (wherein I could run VMWare when I need Windows) would give me the most flexibility.
What I don't get is why dual-booting with Linux isn't possible. Grub supports this so I'm not certain why EFI is a barrier.
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fisher said 7:01PM on 1-23-2006
Well said #9 Thats why I have bought my new iMac... I hope what you have said will be true!
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Wheels said 7:21PM on 1-23-2006
This is just stoopid all the way around.
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Jarrod Turner said 7:30PM on 1-23-2006
According to slashdot comments, its not a perma-brick. It's a brick that can be fixed at the warehouse or whatever magical land they're taken to for fixing. It's a matter of flashing a chip. Bricks still aren't nice, but when they're fixed they're sold refurbished. Hoorah!
http://apple.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=174845
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brick said 7:34PM on 1-23-2006
One man's brick is another man's refurbished macbook!
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Jack Sprat said 7:39PM on 1-23-2006
Please don't use the terms "Windoze", "Winblows" or "M$", it makes you sound like an idiot and very unprofessional.
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Mark Studdock said 9:22PM on 1-23-2006
#14 that slashdot article is pure speculation.
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jonathan Wilson Jr. said 9:54PM on 1-23-2006
16. Please don't use the terms "Windoze", "Winblows" or "M$", it makes you sound like an idiot and very unprofessional.
totally agree.
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Virtuous said 10:29PM on 1-23-2006
If you really want to run Windows just buy or build a PC. Apple should void the warranties of these Macs.
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