7 ms·

Took a little while to find the magic words in there: https://github.com/wimpysworld/quickemu/blob/af26f41440d63a069045660fad860c797011310a/quickemu#L351 https:

Took a little while to find the magic words in there: https://github.com/wimpysworld/quickemu/blob/af26f41440d63a069045660fad860c797011310a/quickemu#L351 https://github.com/wimpysworld/quickemu/blob/af26f41440d63a0...

sydthrowaway 5y ago
What is this?
- lelanthran 5y ago
  ourhardworkbythesewordsguardedpleasedontsteal(c)AppleComputerInc
  - alfiedotwtf 5y ago
    Bonus points if you also know these ones (without searching for them): K4HVD... 09 F9 11 02 9D...
    - latortuga 5y ago
      I don't know them but I'm going to venture a guess that at least 1 of them is the DVD decryption key.
    - hunter2_ 5y ago
      The first looks like a Windows VLK (maybe XP?)
      - sydthrowaway 5y ago
        No thats FCKGW I can't believe I remembered that.
        WesleyJohnson 5y ago
        It's odd the things we remember. I memorized a 25-digit Windows 98 Key because of how many times I reinstalled it. I don't remember why I had to reinstall it so many times, but I sure remember the key!
        alfiedotwtf 5y ago
        Ha! Internet high five :)
    - mc32 5y ago
      I guess you're just missing the Adobe CS Keys that didn't need the license server after they shut them down.
  - Y_Y 5y ago
    Won't someone take pity on Apple Computer? In fact the company changed its name to just "Apple" back in 2007. So maybe this doesn't even count.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- sodality2 5y ago
  It's a Rot13-encoded string: "ourhardworkbythesewordsguardedpleasedontsteal(c)AppleComputerInc". It seems to be the string that is supposed to make MacOS only run on certified systems, but it's obviously been reverse engineered and now it needs to be added to any Mac emulators to work.
  - londons_explore 5y ago
    Can't the emulator just patch out the code that checks for that string?
    - simcop2387 5y ago
      That would likely need to be built for every version of MacOS that's ever been made, it's easier to emulate the hardware and provide the key it's looking for. That part alone shouldn't violate any ToS or laws on it's own, as long as the key isn't provided by the emulator/vendor. That will still allow you to still virtualize MacOS on the actual hardware (as is required by the license of the OS) without having a hacky patch in place that could lead to crashes or failures to boot whenever an update is applied to the guest. disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, this is not legal advice, etc.
      - bitwize 5y ago
        It is illegal under the DMCA to circumvent an effective copy protection measure, or to traffic in devices intended primarily for such circumvention. The law sets a very, very low bar for what counts as "effective". Basically, if you get around any obstacle to unauthorized copying or use, or show others how to get around it, you have committed a felony. Everyone who has repeated the device key here has committed a felony.
  - skissane 5y ago
    VirtualBox supports two methods of operation: (1) You supply this value in the "DeviceKey" config parameter (2) Ensure the "GetKeyFromRealSMC" boolean config parameter is enabled (not sure if it is turned on by default or not). When enabled, VirtualBox retrieves the value from the SMC of your Mac. Obviously method (2) only works if your host is a Mac. Apple doesn't supply a public API to retrieve this value, so VirtualBox has some code which runs inside a macOS kernel extension, and directly uses the SMC hardware registers to request it. [EDIT: Actually, turns out macOS does have an undocumented API for this – talk to AppleSMC using IOServiceGetMatchingService, IOConnectCallStructMethod, etc – and they use it, but they still fall back to direct hardware access if the API call fails, or if Windows/Linux/etc is the host OS and Apple hardware is detected.] VirtualBox already has a bunch of kexts needed to provide various features, and so this is just a bit more code in one of those kexts. Option (2) is a lot of extra complexity compared to option (1), but has the advantage of being legally much cleaner. Option (2) only works on Apple hardware, and so by using option (2) Apple's license condition, of only virtualising macOS on Apple hardware, is automatically enforced. Considering that VirtualBox is from Oracle, and as well as open source, they also sell it as a commercial product, you can understand why Oracle's lawyers want option (2).
- OJFord 5y ago
  I assume the `tr` is to avoid detection, there's a tiny bit more info here: https://www.nicksherlock.com/2021/06/installing-macos-12-monterey-on-proxmox/ https://www.nicksherlock.com/2021/06/installing-macos-12-mon... (grep for 'OSK') Seems people really avoid saying the value, ('don't be surprised it doesn't look like a random string') maybe there's some history of Apple requesting people cease & desist wherever they find it, I don't know.
  - tyingq 5y ago
    It's easy enough to search for "isa-applemsc": https://github.com/search?q=isa-applesmc&type=code https://github.com/search?q=isa-applesmc&type=code I'm guessing it's more of a philosophical stance rather than avoiding detection. Like "Apple isn't going to make me put the string 'dontsteal' in my repo".
    - OJFord 5y ago
      Fair enough, I just had no idea to search for that. (I searched 'OSK' because that was the variable name and it seemed not specific to quickemu.)
hdjjhhvvhga 5y ago
I always wondered how is it stealing if you (1) own a copy and, (2) Apple effectively stopped charging money for macOS.
- jeroenhd 5y ago
  It's hardly stealing if the original owners still have a copy. It's more of a breach of terms of service, or unlicensed access to intellectual property. The "theft" spin on copyright violation is the result of years of lobbying by the media industry because they foresaw a drop in sales when people didn't need to buy the same thing over and over again.
  - otterley 5y ago
    Property is about who has the right to control something, not about scarcity. Although its original application was to a physical object, it's not limited to physical objects. So, "stealing" can be considered in both a narrow context and a broader context. The narrow meaning refers to literally taking a physical object away from someone else and giving it to yourself. But the broader meaning is wresting exclusive control of the property from the lawful owner. So, in that sense, copyright infringement and license violations can be legally thought of as theft.
- amarshall 5y ago
  No one but Apple owns a copy of macOS. They own a license to use it according to the terms of that license.
  - Tomte 5y ago
    Not according to German law.
    - amarshall 5y ago
      Do tell more (genuinely curious).
  - 5y ago
m463 5y ago
apple's eula allows you to run macos on apple hardware. Just install proxmox on a mac mini or old mac pro and run macos VMs

sydthrowaway 5y ago

What is this?

lelanthran 5y ago
ourhardworkbythesewordsguardedpleasedontsteal(c)AppleComputerInc
- alfiedotwtf 5y ago
  Bonus points if you also know these ones (without searching for them): K4HVD... 09 F9 11 02 9D...
  - latortuga 5y ago
    I don't know them but I'm going to venture a guess that at least 1 of them is the DVD decryption key.
  - hunter2_ 5y ago
    The first looks like a Windows VLK (maybe XP?)
    - sydthrowaway 5y ago
      No thats FCKGW I can't believe I remembered that.
      - WesleyJohnson 5y ago
        It's odd the things we remember. I memorized a 25-digit Windows 98 Key because of how many times I reinstalled it. I don't remember why I had to reinstall it so many times, but I sure remember the key!
      - alfiedotwtf 5y ago
        Ha! Internet high five :)
  - mc32 5y ago
    I guess you're just missing the Adobe CS Keys that didn't need the license server after they shut them down.
- Y_Y 5y ago
  Won't someone take pity on Apple Computer? In fact the company changed its name to just "Apple" back in 2007. So maybe this doesn't even count.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
sodality2 5y ago
It's a Rot13-encoded string: "ourhardworkbythesewordsguardedpleasedontsteal(c)AppleComputerInc". It seems to be the string that is supposed to make MacOS only run on certified systems, but it's obviously been reverse engineered and now it needs to be added to any Mac emulators to work.
- londons_explore 5y ago
  Can't the emulator just patch out the code that checks for that string?
  - simcop2387 5y ago
    That would likely need to be built for every version of MacOS that's ever been made, it's easier to emulate the hardware and provide the key it's looking for. That part alone shouldn't violate any ToS or laws on it's own, as long as the key isn't provided by the emulator/vendor. That will still allow you to still virtualize MacOS on the actual hardware (as is required by the license of the OS) without having a hacky patch in place that could lead to crashes or failures to boot whenever an update is applied to the guest. disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, this is not legal advice, etc.
    - bitwize 5y ago
      It is illegal under the DMCA to circumvent an effective copy protection measure, or to traffic in devices intended primarily for such circumvention. The law sets a very, very low bar for what counts as "effective". Basically, if you get around any obstacle to unauthorized copying or use, or show others how to get around it, you have committed a felony. Everyone who has repeated the device key here has committed a felony.
- skissane 5y ago
  VirtualBox supports two methods of operation: (1) You supply this value in the "DeviceKey" config parameter (2) Ensure the "GetKeyFromRealSMC" boolean config parameter is enabled (not sure if it is turned on by default or not). When enabled, VirtualBox retrieves the value from the SMC of your Mac. Obviously method (2) only works if your host is a Mac. Apple doesn't supply a public API to retrieve this value, so VirtualBox has some code which runs inside a macOS kernel extension, and directly uses the SMC hardware registers to request it. [EDIT: Actually, turns out macOS does have an undocumented API for this – talk to AppleSMC using IOServiceGetMatchingService, IOConnectCallStructMethod, etc – and they use it, but they still fall back to direct hardware access if the API call fails, or if Windows/Linux/etc is the host OS and Apple hardware is detected.] VirtualBox already has a bunch of kexts needed to provide various features, and so this is just a bit more code in one of those kexts. Option (2) is a lot of extra complexity compared to option (1), but has the advantage of being legally much cleaner. Option (2) only works on Apple hardware, and so by using option (2) Apple's license condition, of only virtualising macOS on Apple hardware, is automatically enforced. Considering that VirtualBox is from Oracle, and as well as open source, they also sell it as a commercial product, you can understand why Oracle's lawyers want option (2).
OJFord 5y ago
I assume the `tr` is to avoid detection, there's a tiny bit more info here: https://www.nicksherlock.com/2021/06/installing-macos-12-monterey-on-proxmox/ https://www.nicksherlock.com/2021/06/installing-macos-12-mon... (grep for 'OSK') Seems people really avoid saying the value, ('don't be surprised it doesn't look like a random string') maybe there's some history of Apple requesting people cease & desist wherever they find it, I don't know.
- tyingq 5y ago
  It's easy enough to search for "isa-applemsc": https://github.com/search?q=isa-applesmc&type=code https://github.com/search?q=isa-applesmc&type=code I'm guessing it's more of a philosophical stance rather than avoiding detection. Like "Apple isn't going to make me put the string 'dontsteal' in my repo".
  - OJFord 5y ago
    Fair enough, I just had no idea to search for that. (I searched 'OSK' because that was the variable name and it seemed not specific to quickemu.)

hdjjhhvvhga 5y ago

I always wondered how is it stealing if you (1) own a copy and, (2) Apple effectively stopped charging money for macOS.

jeroenhd 5y ago
It's hardly stealing if the original owners still have a copy. It's more of a breach of terms of service, or unlicensed access to intellectual property. The "theft" spin on copyright violation is the result of years of lobbying by the media industry because they foresaw a drop in sales when people didn't need to buy the same thing over and over again.
- otterley 5y ago
  Property is about who has the right to control something, not about scarcity. Although its original application was to a physical object, it's not limited to physical objects. So, "stealing" can be considered in both a narrow context and a broader context. The narrow meaning refers to literally taking a physical object away from someone else and giving it to yourself. But the broader meaning is wresting exclusive control of the property from the lawful owner. So, in that sense, copyright infringement and license violations can be legally thought of as theft.
amarshall 5y ago
No one but Apple owns a copy of macOS. They own a license to use it according to the terms of that license.
- Tomte 5y ago
  Not according to German law.
  - amarshall 5y ago
    Do tell more (genuinely curious).
- 5y ago

m463 5y ago

apple's eula allows you to run macos on apple hardware. Just install proxmox on a mac mini or old mac pro and run macos VMs