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New MacOS 10.4.4 hacked for non-Apple x86 PCs

Tom Krazit Former Staff writer, CNET News
Tom Krazit writes about the ever-expanding world of Google, as the most prominent company on the Internet defends its search juggernaut while expanding into nearly anything it thinks possible. He has previously written about Apple, the traditional PC industry, and chip companies. E-mail Tom.
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Tom Krazit

PC users might well remember how a bite of the forbidden apple cheated humanity out of paradise forever, but those who wish to tempt fate will find a hacked version of Mac OS 10.4.4 available Wednesday to run on Intel-based PCs other than the ones approved by Cupertino.

The Mac OS x86 forums contained new details about how to download patches that would allow the latest version of the Mac OS to a non-Apple PC running a chip with the x86 instruction set. Apple has expressly forbidden anyone from running its operating system on hardware that it has not specified, but that hasn't stopped people from trying--and at times succeeding--to find something other than Windows or Linux to run on their Intel or AMD systems.

If you're willing to download illegal software and know your way around a kernel, you can find links to the modified patches in the Mac OS X86 forums.

The hacker who claimed to have developed the patches said that it was still a "work-in-progress." But "Maxxuss" also passed along this humorous limerick said to be found inside the OS.

"Your karma check for today:
There once was was a user that whined
his existing OS was so blind,
he'd do better to pirate
an OS that ran great
but found his hardware declined.
Please don't steal Mac OS!
Really, that's way uncool.
(C) Apple Computer, Inc."