Filed under: Hacks, Mods, Developer, Apple TV
Apple TV BackRow SDK
We've noted many of the hacks out there for the Apple TV. Now Alan Quatermain has released a full-fledged Software Development Kit for BackRow, the pared down version of OS X that runs on the Apple TV. It includes several frameworks, an Xcode project template, and perhaps most importantly a BackRow test application, "which simulates the basics of the Apple TV software system." This should, in principle, make future software plugins even easier to produce for standard Mac developers.The BackRow Developer's Kit is a free download from Alan's site.
[via MacUser]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Nick said 12:21PM on 5-29-2007
That is a great icon.
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YodaMac said 1:49PM on 5-29-2007
So... I know there's been a flurry of AppleTV hacks out there since it shipped, but what I'm still unclear on is whether or not ANY of these hacks are able to be installed without tearing your AppleTV physically apart? Are there any hacks that can be installed "easily" (by regular folk), or is it still all basement hacker territory?
Just a happy AppleTV owner who wouldn't mind some cool new mods, but loves his AppleTV enough not to practice weekend brain surgery on it. :)
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JeffDM said 2:13PM on 5-29-2007
I've never tried it, but supposedly PatchStick doesn't require opening the AppleTV.
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wififun said 3:34PM on 5-29-2007
YodaMac, there are several ways of doing this, but they require booting the AppleTV from an external USB device. Very easy, but in order to do this, you need to have the kernel files, which I don't believe are completely on the up-and-up. So, you tare it apart, or you hit the goolge for the tools you need.
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Maraklov said 4:41PM on 5-29-2007
JeffDM, Patchstick (or using a USB stick to install ssh, for those that don't know) is not ready for distribution because the only route to making the Patchstick currently requires an encrypted boot.efi file from the AppleTV. Work is ongoing to create a workaround that would result in a perfectly legal and distributable Patchstick so that anyone can simply pop in a USB stick and go on to adding programs.
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YodaMac said 12:36PM on 5-30-2007
Ah, thanks for the info. Glad to hear work is ongoing to bring all the coolness to the rest of us. We appreciate it! :)
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