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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

#41
post #35

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...

These are not the same, as these are left in production. The code names in the iOS binaries were later replaced by their real functionality as it no longer needed to be secret.

I see, so this is some kind of obfuscation. Thanks for the information.

Re: How Apple hides new functionality in iOS: isYoMamaWearsCombatBootsActive

#42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Apple just says "that's obsolete in a year" and lets everything break Carbon is now _15 years old_, you know...

As far as I've understood it, iOS apps are under constant pressure to remain compatible with the latest APIs. When Apple did the architecture shift from PowerPC it "was get over or get out". That sort of attitude is very different from the one highlighted in the linked MSDN blog where they are building compatibility bridges for illegal, abandoned APIs which were never meant to be public in the first place, to ensure…

Apple switched to Intel processors in 2006, but maintained support for running PowerPC apps on Intel processors up until OS X Lion shipped, in 2011. Apple kept compatibility with a completely different processor architecture for half a decade. When I got my first Intel Mac, I just copied over all my PowerPC binaries, and they ran fine. It was unbelievable.

And this wasn't even the first time. Recall the 68k emulator that shipped in all classic PowerPC Macs.

Both Microsoft and Apple deserve enormous credit for their compatibility work. But Apple deserves special mention for shepherding the Mac through three completely different architectures (68k->PPC->x86) while maintaining excellent compatibility at each transition. Windows has also gone through significant transitions, but within the same x86 processor family.

Re: How Apple hides new functionality in iOS: isYoMamaWearsCombatBootsActive

#43
post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 p…

I'm not sure how you came to that conclusion. From your tone I suspect you're simply biased against Macs.

Re: How Apple hides new functionality in iOS: isYoMamaWearsCombatBootsActive

#44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 p…

With OS X there's no license key you need to enter, they have a poem instead asking you not to steal it. That's a nice thing, rather than assuming you're going to steal it they have a poem to jokingly ask you otherwise.

Sure, no license key, except for the key used to decrypt protected binaries only on authorized hardware.

There is a license "key", it's the whole computer.

Re: How Apple hides new functionality in iOS: isYoMamaWearsCombatBootsActive

#45
post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 p…

What is a Maccard? I've never heard anyone say that pirating OS X was more ok than any other kind of piracy.

Re: How Apple hides new functionality in iOS: isYoMamaWearsCombatBootsActive

#47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

It means you can trash your phone. It's worthless. The iTemple will welcome you for your next iPhone purchase - if you accept not to indulge in any iBlasphemy. The 12 hours are in stand-by (no screen/wifi/bluetooth/phone usage/message usage whatsoever). And I had 3-4 days before the "upgrade". In my case I just "upgraded" the OS on my 3GS to the current state: v. 3.1.6 (after having refrained from doing so for a very…

It's called a BETA for a reason :-) The 3GS was released in 2009 which is quite a long time ago in technology terms so to expect it to be able to handle a more CPU-intensive update easily is a bit silly.

Re: How Apple hides new functionality in iOS: isYoMamaWearsCombatBootsActive

#48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Is that a recent beta? I actually had a day and a bit of battery life recently on the last beta. https://twitter.com/nicholassmith/status/369579656791732224/...

I was just talking about BETAs in general. The one I have at the moment is a bit better but I tend to charge my phone at work so I don't usually notice

Re: How Apple hides new functionality in iOS: isYoMamaWearsCombatBootsActive

#49
post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 p…

In my experience Mac users tend to be quite scrupulous about paying for their software.

Apart from their Adobe suites... (In my experience).

Note that I don't have any pirated software on my machine. Running Debian here.

Re: How Apple hides new functionality in iOS: isYoMamaWearsCombatBootsActive

#50
post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 p…

What is a Maccard? I've never heard anyone say that pirating OS X was more ok than any other kind of piracy.

I thought it was Mactard.
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