The guys over at Profit42 have posted instructions for installing OSX 10.5 (Leopard) on non-apple hardware. They claim it is for informational use only and of course they do not tell you where you can download that needed files.

This brings up an interesting question. When will hardware vendors take action and claim anti-competitive behavior. When Microsoft decided to include Internet Explorer with their operating system there was an outrage from the geek community. Law suits were filed and the Department of Justice took action. Now that the shoe is on the other foot where is the action? Apple does everything it can to lock you into their products. If you want to use an iPod you have to use iTunes. If you want to use OX legally you have to use an Apple computer.

These allegations are nothing new. People have been complaining about Apple’s business practices for years. But much like the Microsoft case some thing has changed. Microsoft claimed that Internet Explorer was part of the operating system and could not be separated. It wasn’t until someone demonstrated that it was possible to remove it from Windows 95 that Microsoft’s case started to crumble. Much like the situation with Microsoft “hackers” have demonstrated that OSX can run on non-apple hardware. There are even reports of uses running it on AMD processors.

I don’t understand why there is such hypocrisy when it comes to Apple. Let me know what you think.

Link Summary

Tags: Microsoft, Apple by Jeff Smith
No Comments »

Beware world, widgets have started creating widgets. After viewing the Digg Widget over at Yoshi’s Island I decided to create my own. Not my own Digg widget but a widget that automates the creation process. No copying of javascript into your WordPress theme only to have it blown away when you switch or upgrade your theme. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Link Summary

Tags: Widget, WordPress, Digg by Jeff Smith
No Comments »

Recent a friend told me he discovered a variable star. In my humble opinion this is a pretty big deal. This lead into a more philosophical discussion about the need for the space programs. We both agreed that the space program is important.

It seems like every time you turn around you here about how NASA has messed up. How we spent millions of dollars on a faulty satellite or how they lost contact with a Martian probe. What you don’t here about are the successes. Many of which cannot be measured by conventional means. Some of which can. Recently the mar rover spirit surpassed the Viking I lander in service days. The Spirit rover was designed for a mere 90 day mission. What was supposed to be a small glimpse of our neighboring plant has turned into a 1281 sol (Martian day) mission of exploration and discovery.

How many of today’s pleasantries are born of the space program? How many children first learn the wonders of science by viewing pictures of and from space? With a budget over 18 billion dollars it may seen like NASA would be flush with cash. Yet it contrast to the over all national budget they receive less then 1 cent out of every dollar.

This does not mean we should ignore the problems of the world. We should continue to work towards a cure for cancer. Great authors should continue to work on the next great novel. Much like great authors and painters of the past we may not realize the value of the space program until it is gone.

Link Summary

Tags: space, NASA by Jeff Smith
No Comments »

When asked by an audience member what Web 3.0 will be Eric Schmidt describes what he see the future of software deployment to be.He mentioned several interesting points like a smaller, sleeker modular design. He also mentioned that software will be shared in a more viral manner.

Tags: Google, Web 3.0, Web 2.0 by Jeff Smith
No Comments »

One of the biggest complaints people have with the iPhone is the lack of software. Apple does not have any official support for 3rd party software. In fact they go out of their way to stop it from happening.

Like every other locked down proprietary device the hacker community worked their magic and unlocked the iPhone. It started off with the standard hello world and has moved up to a NES emulator. From the youtube video you can see there is still plenty of work to be done.

It is such a same I still have my old school smartphone. I want to have a smartphone NEW emulator. Unfortunately the iPhone has the market on innovation.  It is good to see that even with Apple trying to stifle the homebrew community they are still moving forward.

Link Summary

Tags: NES, iPhone, hacks by Jeff Smith
No Comments »

First there was CSS (Content Scramble System) the copy protection put on DVD. Then there was AACS (Advanced Access Content System) which was supposed to protect high definition content from being copied. DRM (Digital Rights Management) system are failing left and right. The latest scheme to falter is the one deployed by NetFlix.

NetFlix allows subscribers to rent DVD off their website. The DVD are mailed to the subscribers. When the subscriber is done they just mail the DVD back and NetFlix send the next one in their list. Sounds easy enough, but it wasn’t. NetFlix extended their service to allow subscribe to watch movies on thier computers. This enabled users to get their movies instantly. Granted NetFlix did put on some restrictions. You can only watch 19 hours of dowloadable content. You cannot save the video to watch it later.

Like most things in life someone was looking for a way to “extend” the system. This time around it was DIzzIE from the Rorta forums. DIzzIE posted a thread giving detailed instruction to bypass the limitations imposed by NetFlix. I leave it it up to you to read the exact details.

Link Summary

Tags: NetFlix, hacks, DRM by Jeff Smith
No Comments »

So I was purusing a friends site and noticed he had a new toy on his site. This little widget dispays the article he has recently digged (is that the right term?) on the community news site digg.com. I usually don’t vote at digg but thought it would be a nice addition to the site. Let me know what you think.

Link Summary

Tags: Digg, Site by Jeff Smith
No Comments »

PAX is quickly approaching and I am getting very excited. This year I will be serving the geek community as an “Enforcer” in “The Black”. Enforcers are a dedicated workforce who volunteer their time so other gamers can enjoy the expo. This year looks to be bigger and better than previous years.

Tags: PAX by Jeff Smith
No Comments »

So after the untimely demise of my other site. I thought I would start anew and try out a new site. Welcome to Geek-Online.com. I will try and post general geek news and events in addition to my normal ranting and raving.  I decided to stay with WordPress as my back end software and over the next couple weeks I will be working on the layout.  So pardon the dust the site in still under construction.

Tags: Site by Jeff Smith
No Comments »