Just a Thought - TPM? Get A Grip!

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What? No ultra-cheap Dell PCs running the latest version of OS X because it has no Trusted Platform Module? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard of!!

[As Forrest Gump often lamented, "Stupid is as stupid does," and this move by Apple to prevent the loading of OS X onto a garden variety PC is far from stupid. By including this built-in chip-key, Apple makes sure that Apple's OS products run only on Apple's hardware. And that's important.]

That's it! I'm switching to OS /2!

Ummm, Wait a minute; there is no more OS/2, Big Blue is pushing Linux.

OK, then I'm gonna go with Linux whole-hog! Yeah! That'll teach those monkeys over at 1 Infinite Loop!

[Going to Linux has always been an option, Sparky. The reason most Mac users choose not to go to Linux is because OS X is so much more refined (i.e. It just works) and there is so much more software available for OS X. These reason won't change simply because the processor inside the Mac changed. So, net effect of the Apple-only-on-Macs chip-key? Next to nil.]

How dare they prohibit me from loading OS X onto a PC of my choosing! It is my God given right to install the software I paid for onto anything I damn well want to install it on!

[They dare because it is what they've been doing ever since Macs were created. There's no real reason why any of the older versions of Mac OS could not be made to run on an Intel processor, Apple decide that the OS should run exclusively on Apple products. Apple is, after all, a hardware company. And if I've said this once, I've said it a thousand times; Apple's software exists solely to sell and enhance Apple's hardware. We all remember the failed 'Clone Experiment' where Apple almost lost its shirt, pants and was removing its skivvies because clones running Mac OS were cheaper, though not necessarily batter than the hardware Apple offered. Apple can't afford to give away the keys to its kingdom; it is still too small to make a go of it on software alone.

Another point is that the reason Macs works so well is because Apple controls the whole product, from boot to shutdown: If Apple allowed OS X to run on non-Apple hardware there would be no way to guaranty what the end user will experience, and we wind up with a Microsoft Mini-Me. While Verne Troyer was cool in Austin Powers, I think we can all agree that we don't need to make Apple a computer industry equivalent, thank you very much.]

Who does Steve Jobs thinks he is? Just cuz he makes the OS does not give him the right to control where I put it. I paid my $130 bucks, or will when the Intel version of OS X comes out; that makes the software mine, if I wanna shove it on an Atari 2600 Game Console, I should be able to do it without interference from Apple.

[Steve Jobs? He thinks he runs Apple, and if the past few quarters are any indication, I say he is doing a damn fine job of it. And true enough, you can attempt to install OS X on your dad's Altair if you so desire, just don't look for help from Apple when you do. Of course, if you accomplish such a feat please let me know immediately, and provide pictures!

I guess what I'm saying is that bitching about the Trusted Platform Chip is about the same as bitching about why chicken taste like chicken, or why blackberries have seeds, or about putting Intels in Macs; that's the way it is. After all, you can't run OS X on a non-Apple box now; why would you think it'd be any different just because the processor changed? Get a grip!]