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Why You Should Not Freak Out About TCPA in Mac OSX on Intel
So it was posted on Slashdot and a bunch of other extreme geeky news sites and blogs that Apple is going to use Intel's TCPA/TPM in processor DRM technology in their port of Mac OS X to Intel based hardware.
They have not announced plans to use this for anything other than keeping the OS on Apple hardware and that is about it. They do not want OS X to turn into yet another free UNIX like all the different types of Linux or Net BSD. I saw this coming from a mile away as soon as Apple announced they were going to use Intel chips. They have used a special Mac ROM BIOS over the years to keep their operating system on the computers that they make or license to other manufactures back when they had Mac Clones in the early 90s.
They have not had bad DRM on their system in the past and their only real DRM they use now is the FairPlay DRM that they use in the Apple iTunes Music Store but that is pretty weak and is not that annoying. I mean anyone with a CD-R can get iTunes DRMed music into open MP3s just by burning an audio CD and then re-rip it with the MP3 encoder. I guess that Apple realizes that they have a unique market position in being an Anti-Microsoft alternative. As long as they don't build a file level DRM system I have no problem with them tying their OS to their hardware. They have been doing that for years. They just better not be evil.
Apple makes their money off selling software and hardware combo and they can not survive if they just sold software. If you could install OSX on any Intel based hardware or a "gray box PC" it would kill their business model. For 99.999% of all Mac users they should never run into this. For those L337 HaX0RZ that planned on installing Mac OS X on their microwave and toasters then you better stick with Linux. Go yell for a moment then have some deep breaths. I really don't think this is going to be bad at all. It is probably just to keep the OS on Apple hardware. This is not Palladium. If Apple did NOT do this it would be suicidal to port OSX to Intel hardware that could run on any "gray box" PC. It would kill apple and cannibalize their hardware sales if the OS was free to install on cheap non Apple hardware.
Note: In overtly geeky postings I will have lots of links to Da Wikipedia 4 N00bz.
Jake at August 1, 2005 
Nerd
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Comments
as I said... the real reason behind the Macintel deal was that Hollywood's movie industrie (read: the IP mafia) has only a single hardware platform for chip-level DRM.
The Apple got poisoned...
Posted by: Jim at August 2, 2005 2:29 PM
Actually I am talking to a lady from Digital Domain as I type this.
I am not sure that I believe in a MPAA conspiracy at this point. Apple has not anounced any plans about a DRM file control system. if you think about it I still think it is about keeping the Mac OS on Apple made hardware.
Posted by: Jake of 8bitjoystick.com at August 2, 2005 3:39 PM
