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How Apple hides new functionality in iOS: isYoMamaWearsCombatBootsActive

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Re: How Apple hides new functionality in iOS: isYoMamaWearsCombatBootsActive

#21

Post by josteink »

nwh wrote: post #17
DominikR wrote: post #13

I definitely love those kind of easter eggs. There are also similar methods in the Android SDK: UserManager.isUserAGoat() link: http://developer.android.com/reference/android/os/UserManage... Log.wtf() link: http://developer.android.com/reference/android/util/Log.html... , java.lang.Throwable) AdapterViewFlipper.fyiWillBeAdvancedByHostKThx() link: http://developer.android.com/reference/android/widget/Adapte...

There's been balmy little bits of stuff like this all the way through OSX and iOS for ages, though maybe not quite as flippant. Every Mac has the kernel extension "Dont Steal Mac OS X.kext" for example, which loads into RAM a short poem. 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,…

Every Maccard on the planet seems to think pirating OS X is an oh so terrible thing to do (to the point that parent post is bringing up poems about it like its a cute, non-weird thing). At the same time pirating everything else on the planet seemingly is OK.

I've never understood the rationale behind this.

Keep in mind I'm a software developer myself and run strictly non-pirated software, and open-source as much as possible. You could never make me replace a Linux desktop with a limited OS X experience, and I see no reason what so ever to put in the effort to pirate it.

But why is it worse to pirate a OS with bad hardware-support out of the box than pirating... say Microsoft Office? I'm just curious what's up with that.

Re: How Apple hides new functionality in iOS: isYoMamaWearsCombatBootsActive

#22

Post by simias »

Aqua_Geek wrote: post #16
simias wrote: post #12

I don't understand, what does this function do? Is it a reference to something? Or just a simple easter egg?

They’re masking new features with ”creative” variable/method names.

Oooh, I see. Thanks.

Re: How Apple hides new functionality in iOS: isYoMamaWearsCombatBootsActive

#23

Post by DominikR »

nwh wrote: post #17
DominikR wrote: post #13

I definitely love those kind of easter eggs. There are also similar methods in the Android SDK: UserManager.isUserAGoat() link: http://developer.android.com/reference/android/os/UserManage... Log.wtf() link: http://developer.android.com/reference/android/util/Log.html... , java.lang.Throwable) AdapterViewFlipper.fyiWillBeAdvancedByHostKThx() link: http://developer.android.com/reference/android/widget/Adapte...

There's been balmy little bits of stuff like this all the way through OSX and iOS for ages, though maybe not quite as flippant. Every Mac has the kernel extension "Dont Steal Mac OS X.kext" for example, which loads into RAM a short poem. 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,…

I can definitely understand that, having pulled and Android app from the store because of piracy recently. (in app purchase is really hard to circumvent by pirates, but apps where you pay upfront are pirated like crazy)

Re: How Apple hides new functionality in iOS: isYoMamaWearsCombatBootsActive

#24

Post by 0x0 »

nwh wrote: post #17
DominikR wrote: post #13

I definitely love those kind of easter eggs. There are also similar methods in the Android SDK: UserManager.isUserAGoat() link: http://developer.android.com/reference/android/os/UserManage... Log.wtf() link: http://developer.android.com/reference/android/util/Log.html... , java.lang.Throwable) AdapterViewFlipper.fyiWillBeAdvancedByHostKThx() link: http://developer.android.com/reference/android/widget/Adapte...

There's been balmy little bits of stuff like this all the way through OSX and iOS for ages, though maybe not quite as flippant. Every Mac has the kernel extension "Dont Steal Mac OS X.kext" for example, which loads into RAM a short poem. 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 .kext is also responsible for verifying some sort of signature in a hardware chip only present on genuine macs. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple%E2%80%93Intel_architectur...

Re: How Apple hides new functionality in iOS: isYoMamaWearsCombatBootsActive

#25

Post by DominikR »

dermatthias wrote: post #14
DominikR wrote: post #13

I definitely love those kind of easter eggs. There are also similar methods in the Android SDK: UserManager.isUserAGoat() link: http://developer.android.com/reference/android/os/UserManage... Log.wtf() link: http://developer.android.com/reference/android/util/Log.html... , java.lang.Throwable) AdapterViewFlipper.fyiWillBeAdvancedByHostKThx() link: http://developer.android.com/reference/android/widget/Adapte...

Not to forget the gravity constants of the Death Star and The Island, defined by the SensorMananger. http://developer.android.com/reference/android/hardware/Sens... http://developer.android.com/reference/android/hardware/Sens...

I wonder if they seriously discussed internally that gravity constants for other planets were needed in case Android devices would be used in space travel.

Re: How Apple hides new functionality in iOS: isYoMamaWearsCombatBootsActive

#26

Post by josteink »

fruchtose wrote: post #7
[deleted] wrote: post #4

[deleted]

Why? Sometimes functionality has to be exposed, even when a company would prefer an alternative. Microsoft has named functions similarly on occasion [1]. [1] http://blogs.msdn.com/b/oldnewthing/archive/2003/10/15/55296...

Reading posts like this, you really can't deny that Microsoft is sometimes seriously underappreciated for their technical efforts at keeping everything running as smoothly as they can:

Things got even worse in Windows 95, when all our window procedures were converted to 32-bit versions. The problem is that the old window procedures were only 16-bit. So we couldn't even simply export the 32-bit window procedure under the name BOZOSLIVEHERE. We had to write a conversion function that took an illegal 16-bit function call and converted it to the corresponding illegal 32-bit function call.

Apple just says "that's obsolete in a year" and lets everything break (or have it removed from its marked).

Granted, you can clearly see what approach gives you the best long-term agility, but still: there are few companies which has historically supported applications and ensuring compatibility like Microsoft did.

That does deserve a bit of respect.

Re: How Apple hides new functionality in iOS: isYoMamaWearsCombatBootsActive

#29

Post by andyhmltn »

frank_boyd wrote: post #27

I'd be interested to see the "easter eggs" that drain the battery within 12 hours.

12 hours is a good battery life is it not? Admittedly, the iOS7 BETAs have cut my own down to the point where I have to make sure my phone is on 100% before a 4-5 hour night out so I know I'll have battery to use it by the end of the night.

Although I suspect that'll be fixed post-beta

Re: How Apple hides new functionality in iOS: isYoMamaWearsCombatBootsActive

#30

Post by rsynnott »

josteink wrote: post #26
fruchtose wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why? Sometimes functionality has to be exposed, even when a company would prefer an alternative. Microsoft has named functions similarly on occasion [1]. [1] http://blogs.msdn.com/b/oldnewthing/archive/2003/10/15/55296...

Reading posts like this, you really can't deny that Microsoft is sometimes seriously underappreciated for their technical efforts at keeping everything running as smoothly as they can: Things got even worse in Windows 95, when all our window procedures were converted to 32-bit versions. The problem is that the old window procedures were only 16-bit. So we couldn't even simply export the 32-bit window procedure under…

> Apple just says "that's obsolete in a year" and lets everything break

Carbon is now _15 years old_, you know...

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