Posted by: GCRox99 In reply to: None Date:11/28/2005 8:28:12 PM Post #of 35146
Based on what I just read in the above post, it looks like someone just turned out the lights johnboy! Gee isn't it swell that Ol' Halderman loves us soooo much! JR
Some thoughts and then a couple of questions with regard to Apple "flipping the switch." Some of my research indicates that Apple users are concerned about involuntary loading of "kernel extensions" in their Mac PC's -- via Sunncomm products. As an example:
"Update: Mac users are not safe from this. Via digg comes a tidbit on MacInTouch with a reader report on a Mac equivalent of this DRM technique, developed by SunnComm, a company whose embarrassingly-designed web site claims that:
"SunnComm International’[sic] top priority has always been: '…To develop entertainment technology that guards the content ownership rights of publishers, artists and record companies without getting in the way of the listening experience.'
"I’m not sure why they are quoting themselves here, it being their very own website, but the false claim (emphasis mine) is very telling.
"They are indeed very much getting in the way: (from the reader report)
"I was surprised to find a 'Start.app' Mac application in addition to the expected Windows-related files. Running this app brings up a long legal agreement, clicking Continue prompts you for your username/password (uh-oh!), and then promptly exits. Digging around a bit, I find that Start.app actually installs 2 files: PhoenixNub1.kext and PhoenixNub12.kext.
"Again, emphasis mine. Admin privileges are requested, and, subsequently, two kernel extensions installed. Kernel extensions. What does Apple say about kernel extensions? Under the very clear heading 'Why to Avoid KEXTs', they say:
"Because KEXTs run in supervisor mode in the kernel’s address space, they are also harder to write and debug than user-level modules, and must conform to strict guidelines. Further, kernel resources are wired (permanently resident in memory) and are thus more costly to use than resources in a user-space task of equivalent functionality. In addition, although memory protection keeps applications from crashing the system, no such safeguards are in place inside the kernel. A badly behaved kernel extension in Mac OS X can actually cause more trouble than a badly behaved application or extension could in previous version of the Mac OS. Bugs in KEXTs can have far more severe consequences than bugs in user-level code. For example, a memory access error in a user application can, at worst, cause that application to crash. In contrast, a memory access error in a KEXT causes a system panic, crashing the operating system. Finally, for security reasons, some customers restrict or don’t permit the use of third-party KEXTs. As a result, use of KEXTs is strongly discouraged in situations where user-level solutions are feasible. The Darwin kernel guarantees that user threads are just as efficient as kernel threads, so efficiency should not be an issue. Unless your application requires low-level access to kernel interfaces or the data stream, you should use a higher level of abstraction when developing code for Mac OS X. When you are trying to determine if a piece of code should be a KEXT, the default answer is generally no."
"On Macintouch Darren Dittrich reports that Sony's DRM software targets Macs too. Digging into the 'enhanced' content on the disk, he found a Start.app that, when run, shows a license agreement, then asks you for an admin password. On entering this, it installs two kernel extensions, PhoenixNub1.kext and PhoenixNub12.kext.
"Note that these aren't the rootkits that infect Windows PCs — Sony's Mac crippleware comes from a different vendor called Sunncomm.
"Dittrich reveals that the Sony EULA that he agreed to indicates that they will be installing software, so read those agreements and question anything asking you to login as an admin. Caveat emptor.
"The good news is that this is apparently not the same technology used in the recent Windows rootkits (made by XCP), but rather a Mac-aware DRM codebase developed by SunnComm. And the second main difference between the Windows and Mac versions of Sony's Spyware is that it doesn't automatically install on Mac OS X."
----------------------------------------------------- (Back to gap): So, does this kernel extension problem make Apple a more elusive partner/less inclined to "flip the switch"? Certainly some Mac users are not happy with SunnComm right now, so one wonders why Mac mgt. would risk alienating its loyal customers. Here's yet another take on the whole thing:
"Apple will eventually license FairPlay to others, thus ensuring that Apple's DRM becomes to (sic) unquestioned standard. But, the time is not now. It's too early and there is no reason why Apple should hurt themselves for no economic benefit. Let the others try to compete with the iTunes+iPod juggernaut. After they fail, Apple can begin licensing what they've worked so hard to build wholly on their terms. If they miraculously begin to succeed, Apple would license FairPlay, too. It's a timing issue more than anything."
The two succeeding paragraphs provide more food for thought:
"To sum up, without some form of DRM, there would be no legal content online. The content providers demand it. Users should be angry with Sony for going too far and Mac users should be wondering why Microsoft can't seem to make their DRM compatible with Macs, if they and their WMA-based online music store partners want to compete so badly.
"We see Sony addressing the XCP malware-style 'root kit' issue for Windows users, but we see no mention of Sony's other SunnComm-laced CDs that can install kernel extensions on Mac OS X which is what prompted our boycott of all Sony products in the first place. This is highly troubling, to put it mildly. Therefore, MacDailyNews and iPodDailyNews are continuing to boycott all Sony products until this and other "copy-protected CD" issues are addressed appropriately by Sony and recommend that our 2.2+ million unique visitors per month from 136 countries worldwide do the same."
------------------------------------------------------- (back to gap):
I still have enough shares of this that all the events of the last few weeks have been painful enough. I was just about to buy in again at a more sizable level when all the "news" hit the fan -- perhaps the first lucky timing I've had with the market in a long time.
I have read numerous discussions of the uninstall problem being the main glitch, but my research says the kernel extension problem is significant too -- particularly in light of the long-term quest for Apple's "flipping the switch." In my observation, no switch is about to be flipped, other than a concentrated Apple-user aversion to SunnComm products. Again: "we see no mention of Sony's other SunnComm-laced CDs that can install kernel extensions on Mac OS X which is what prompted our boycott of all Sony products in the first place."
I hesitate to post this stuff, because it's not putting anything in a positive light. At the same time, I would like to see mgt. address this problem head-on, particularly in light of all the attention the Apple potential has received for quite some time now. So, my question is: How does mgt. plan to address this Apple problem -- not just with the kernel extension, but also with the Apple users themselves? As a follow-up, does Apple sincerely even want to work with us, or would they rather watch SunnComm collapse as a result of all these problems and then move in and provide its own DRM services to the labels? I would like to hear mgt.'s views on those points too.
I return to my obscurity. These are really the first things I've been moved to say in some time. Thanks and best to all.
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