It's difficult to discuss the issue without discussing what is and what isn't professional or illegal behaviour. I don't think we've really delved into the morality of it, beyond the usual link between law and morality.
The EULA clearly states it is only to be installed on Apple hardware. It hasn't been tested in court that anyone knows, so to that extent it's fair to say that it's not proven, but I don't think anyone doubts the intent of the wording at this point.
I don't think it's insulting to others to say that breaking the EULA is a bad business idea. We discuss business matters often enough. In particularly it would be perceived as very hypocritical for a photographer to insist on protection of their own IP whilst ignoring the rights of another IP owner. When someone makes a recommendation to try a hackintosh (as was done) I think it's entirely relevant to express concerns that may be had with regard to that path, in order to make any readers fully informed.
It's clearly not slanderous with regard to the discussion here. No one has been identified, no one has been accussed specifically. It's a discussion about what if and so on. If someone chooses to identify themselves subsequently as falling into that category, that does not make previous (or even subsequent) statements slanderous - particularly not in the US! Indeed, the more "robust" the discussion the less likely it is to be taken as actionable and the more likely it is to fall under protected speech. But that's another story, again :-)
I don't think anyone's name calling here, Steve. We (or at least I am) saying that on the evidence available it's illegal and an IP related breach which I would consider particularly hypocritical for a photographer to engage in given the reliance on IP for that profession.
Finally, I don't think you can take in isolation only users who have other Mac hardware (and you have to at least consider whether they are using that hardware at the same time as the hackinstosh). There are people here looking for alternatives to Macs so they are unlikely to wnat to buy a Mac in order to get the software, so they would be using it without following the terms of the EULA.
I have a meeting to go to - but it's a worthwhile discussion and up to and including now I ahven't seen anyone be abusive or name calling, really.
Hi - I wanted to respond and not leave you hanging before I leave for Thailand tomorrow for 30 days of workshops, wedding, and what not.. I won't have time to pursue this so I'll make a few final comments.
1. I don't think it's difficult at all to discuss this topic without calling others unprofessional or immoral.. In fact, I would challenge anyone here to tell me how judging others to be immoral or unprofessional is helpful to the discussion at all. It's all in the tone and how you direct the words. I have no issues with the way you used them, though I don't see how it was helpful to the discussion. But in the original post I responded to I feel this person directly targeted specific individuals in a (I don't want to say unprofessional though it did come to mind first) hostile and almost combative manner. Go back and read it again and I'm sure we can agree to disagree if that's where we end up.
2. It's not about intent. It's about if Apple has a right to control a product others pay money for to such an extent. Microsoft has recently paid out billions globally in judgements to anti-trust suits for far less. And without consumers challenging Microsoft they would have got away with their antics. And without the right it can be neither illegal or unprofessional, though I could see the ethics being argued from the moralists. I would agree it is black and white as to Apple's intent. I simply don't think they have a legal leg to stand on nor one iota of motivation to find out through pursing those who make hackentosh's for personal use.
But what is very clear, just because you write your wishes on a piece of paper and put it in the box with a product.. does not make it a law or "illegal" to not follow those wishes. There must be regulatory laws those wishes are in line with, and even then they can be challenged by someone who doesn't think they have the right.
3. I'd agree, I think it's actually helpful to politely remind someone they might be able to improve their business practices. But this is far different from publicly judging someone as a law breaker and immoral to boot.
4. I'd agree that expressing concerns is appropriate and helpful as well. Others did this previously in the thread and no one took offence. Yet, a heavy handed judgement decrying illegal and immoral behavior directly targeted.. well..
5. It doesn't take much of a twist to reach the slander threshold and such a statement as contained in that post could certainly do it. All it would take is for one client to google one of the professional photographers targeted by that post and cancel a job out of concern for "illegal and immortal" behavior while referencing that thread and there you are. We should support the professional lives of other forum members, not take unnecessary risks that might have a negative impact on them just because we feel strongly about something. We need to exercise more restraint and common sense than that. Words mean things and they often have consequences.
6. It's not name calling per se, it's judging. Fellow professionals were judged harshly and unfairly based on one man's opinions. You obviously feel a certain way about breaking an EULA in this manner and I feel another. I'm not going to judge you moronic or uneducated or unprofessional or anything negative at all because we don't agree. I appreciate we can have an open discussion and present our thoughts and take on the matter at hand without being negative. I want you to know why I think the way I do, and I want to know why you think the way you do.. especially when it's so different from myself. These are what's been coined "a teachable moment." Perhaps this way we'll both learn something, even if it's only the way a fellow professional feels about EULA's.
I want you to know something. My response to the post in question was done tongue in cheek. I delivered a strong judgemental response to a strong judgemental post. Somehow I thought the person making the post would see/feel the humor, do a mea culpa, and we'd have been back on track. Clearly I misjudged. The responses that followed were understandable considering the lack of a response when needed, but the thread took a sharp turn downwards.. and certain individuals are going to look at other individuals differently, and not in a good way, than they did before. It just wasn't necessary.
7. Isolation no.. but very near. I really don't know anyone who isn't an Apple user/supporter who has created an hackentosh or who even thinks OSx is worth building a machine for. I don't think we're going to find someone, or many of them, out there with a hackentosh who decided he/she wanted to use OSx based on other than experience with Apple products and at the same time had such rigid hardware requirements that they needed to build their own. I could be wrong on this one, but so far I haven't ran across such a person. These days it's hard to find anyone at all who doesn't own an Apple product..
I hope you enjoyed your meeting. I spent the last 24 hours packing and repacking and testing gear.. I'll have to hit the ground running in Bangkok in a couple days and I'm so heavily booked I'll won't have much time to enjoy my favorite forums.