Filed under: Hardware, OS, Hacks, Mods
OS X on an Asus Eee PC
Okay let me start by saying that we at TUAW don't actually condone this hack, because it does clearly break some licensing restrictions, but dang it's pretty cool nonetheless. The interwebs have been abuzz the last couple of weeks about the Asus Eee PC. It's a tiny 2lb Linux-based sub-notebook with a 7" screen and 4GB of solid state storage. The initial reviews have been overwhelmingly positive, especially considering its relatively modest price tag ($399). Now Dan over at UNEASYsilence writes in to tell us that he's successfully installed OS X on the Eee PC.He apparently initially installed Leopard, but given the rather modest hardware of the Eee PC (900 MHz Celeron, 512MB ram) he ended up downgrading to Tiger. Nonetheless, he reports it "seems rock solid on my eeePC." As I said above, this involves some serious hacking of dubious legality (e.g. even if you own a Tiger license, Apple does not allow you install it on a PC). Nonetheless, I think this is a very cool hack, and I can't but admit I'd be tempted myself.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Luigi193 said 1:10PM on 11-15-2007
Very cool, but you could also fid a 1.4 ibook with 1.25 gbs of RAM on craigs list if you look for 400$... Thats what my sister found! Buts its a cool trick non the less.
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Donald Burr said 1:23PM on 11-15-2007
This is, I think, almost exactly what people had in mind when they heard about the supposed "MacBook nano" rumor: a small, ultra-light, ultra-portable MacBook with no optical drive, and possibly even a solid state flash disk instead of a conventional hard drive. Amazing that someone was actually able to "put together" something like this. Almost makes me want to buy an Eee.
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ziggybopper said 2:08PM on 11-15-2007
Okay let me start by saying that we ... don't actually condone this..., because it does clearly break some [laws], but dang it's pretty cool nonetheless.
[On your walk home check for those credit card applications in other people's mailboxes, then send them in and intercept the cards. Charge like hell, then shred the cards. The credit card companies have to cover the bills.]
As I said above, this involves some serious [action] of dubious legality.... Nonetheless, I think this is a very cool [idea], and I can't but admit I'd be tempted myself.
[Report or promote, your choice.]
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djarch said 2:42PM on 11-15-2007
Ziggy, that is the most ridiculous comparison I've heard in a long time. Installing OSX on a non-mac does NOT equal identity theft / credit card fraud. Anyone browsing this site should see why this is a very cool trick, and probably shouldn't be illegal. Whatever, regardless, it's NOT THE SAME THING.
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Cal said 2:56PM on 11-15-2007
That is so awesome, I have been googleing to see if anyone has done this yet.
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streetstealth said 2:59PM on 11-15-2007
Whoa, settle down everyone.
There is *nothing* even "dubiously legal" about this; it's COMPLETELY LEGAL as long as you paid for the software because neither Apple, nor any other company, can WRITE LAWS.
What it does mean is that Apple is completely free to leave you out in the cold as far as support or updates for your hacked installation because you didn't hold up your end of the EULA. That's just fair play.
They could, at the extreme end of things, maybe even sue you for breaking a "contract" although it probably wouldn't hold up in court. But that's a completely different thing from breaking the law.
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plik said 3:14PM on 11-15-2007
OK, ID theft isn't the same as hacking an OS. Use whatever analogy you'd like.
But my example didn't directly affect an individual but directly affects a big corporation. Both the indirectly affected individual and the directly affected corporation have to do some clean-up and take preventive action. I know I'm certainly looking forward to OS passwords and online authentication systems.
Still, there's still a difference between reporting and promoting.
This post starts out "by saying that we at TUAW don't actually condone this hack..." then goes on to say "I think this is a very cool hack, and I can't but admit I'd be tempted myself." (wink, wink)
Take a stand. Either simply report or promote the hack. The wink, wink attitude just ticked me off today.
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MojoTheMonkey said 3:28PM on 11-15-2007
"Okay let me start by saying that we at TUAW don't actually condone this hack, because it does clearly break some licensing restrictions..."
Then why is every other story that has been posted on this website since early August about hacking the iPhone? That breaks licensing restrictions just as surely as this does!
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Robert Mohns said 3:35PM on 11-15-2007
@Luigi193: you could find a used iBook, but it wouldn't weigh 2 lbs and be tiny, either. you'd have a big, heavy, underpowered notebook instead of a tiny, lightweight underpowered notebook. :-)
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T1 said 3:39PM on 11-15-2007
[Okay let me start by saying that we at TUAW don't actually condone this hack, because it does clearly break some licensing restrictions, but dang it's pretty cool nonetheless.]
Well, well, well, now that's interesting!
And what about those articles about haking an iPhone or iPod-Touch. Does TUAW not condone these hacks as well? And, as a consequence, is TUAW going to fire Erica for this?
Don't act like a saint when you're clearly not one of them.
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Stephen Lang said 3:40PM on 11-15-2007
Does jailbreaking an iPhone actually break any licensing restrictions? I would think not, not that I care if it does. Is the licensing so restrictive that I can't go to jailbreakme.com, and then put on a couple of apps?
(unlocking is a different issue, not that I care about that either...but I own a Touch anyways.)
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Tracy said 3:42PM on 11-15-2007
I would like to echo #8 for emphasis.
Don't act all high and mighty in one story (this one, "we don't condone breaking licensing restrictions"), and concurrently post a multitude of stories about braking licensing restrings (any iPhone unlock... not sure about the jailbreaks).
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Mat Lu said 3:52PM on 11-15-2007
I swear! You're damned if you do, and damned if you don't. I'm not trying to be "all high and mighty." I was just pointing out that Dan's methods (particularly involving bittorrenting copies of OS X) were questionable. Sheesh!
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Tracy said 4:01PM on 11-15-2007
In response to #13:
And you wouldn't have gotten complaints, Mat Lu, if you had simply stated things differently or made the statement sound like your own personal beliefs instead of TUAWs
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zilly1 said 4:35PM on 11-15-2007
New wiki up for the EEE PC OS X project!
http://eeepc-osx.wikispaces.com/
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pepe said 4:40PM on 11-15-2007
Man, you guys. Go away, if you get so "ticked off" and can't deal with what you are interpreting as "high and mighty." TUAW is a simple blog and opinion place for non-pros to post stuff in regards to Apple. Let it rest.
Mat; way to go. Sorry for having to defend yourself in post 13. You TUAW guys and gals should just continue on. Each one of you is a different person working on a common fun project. Continue to do what you do. I, for my part will continue to read TUAW via the "no iPhone posts" RSS feed :-)
Greetings
Pepe
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Ted said 4:53PM on 11-15-2007
Did anyone else notice that all the "screenshots" on Eee PC website appear to be Mac OS X?
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Greg G said 5:35PM on 11-15-2007
I really wish there were more hardware options for Mac users (or wannabe mac users), so that people wouldn't have to do this
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Sean said 5:02AM on 1-18-2008
Apple gives you all of the 'options.' Everything else is a mistake. Not really, but Apple does intend to sell high quality machines. Given that most PCs under a grand are crapworthy, we see how and where Apple stands in regards to building computers.
Naren Hazareesingh said 5:59PM on 11-15-2007
Everybody breaks licensing agreements. I get so angry when people report on things, calling them "illegal" JUST because they break a license agreement. For example, "you can't install Vista Home basic/premium in a VM because it's against the EULA." I feel so sorry for those people who actually care because they think anything else is "illegal". Guess what: Those people deserve to be suckered into buying Ultimate.
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