[NEWS] Mac OS X Secretly Cripples Non-Apple Software

[MrGuvernment]

Not really suprising, but i hope they get the same flac MS gets when they have pulled this... althought i am sure all the Apple minions will accept it with open arms as a fast way to achieve world peace or something...

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| Mac OS X Secretly Cripples Non-Apple Software |
| from the hand-in-the-cookie-jar dept. |
| posted by Soulskill on Thursday February 28, @21:17 (OS X) |
| http://apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/02/28/2339246 |
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spikedLemur writes "Vladimir Vukicevic of the Firefox team [0]stumbled upon some questionable practices from Apple while trying to improve the performance of Firefox. Apparently, Apple is using some undocumented APIs that give Safari a significant performance advantage over other browsers.
Of course, "undocumented" means that non-Apple developers have to try and reverse-engineer these interfaces to get the same level of performance.
You really have to wonder what Apple is thinking, considering the kind of retaliation Microsoft has gotten for similar practices.

Discuss this story at:
http://apple.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=08/02/28/2339246

Links:
0. http://blog.vlad1.com/2008/02/28/finding-the-os-x-turbo-button/

 

[markt435]

no wonder firefox has run like shit on macs....and prolly everything else that isn't apple software. wtg apple.

 

[Gorankar]

"Secretly cripples" is a bit strong. More like hidden optimizations for Safari. Hidden so no one else will use them, thus giving Safari an appearance of superiority. I suppose that is what Apple/Mac is all about any way, merely the appearance of superiority. If MS did something even close to similar, it would be all over the net with MS haters screaming bloody murder, and monks burning themselves to death in the streets.

If they do similar for other software as well they will prolly be sued. They prolly should be sued for just this much anyway.

 

[TechieSooner]

This is why I dislike Apple more than their actual products.

Microsoft would be fined/sued/griped at in an instant.

Should the fact Apple is an underdog mean they get less flak? I say... Hell no.

 

[Gorankar]

This is why I dislike Apple more than their actual products.

Microsoft would be fined/sued/griped at in an instant.

Should the fact Apple is an underdog mean they get less flak? I say... Hell no.

They are not really an underdog. They are just a company that has found a niche in the computer biz, and has very successfully sold to that niche audience. If you want to look at the Ipod, then they are even further away from being an underdog, in fact they are pretty much top dog. They are taking advantage of that as well by leveraging their music service to sell hardware players. Another thing that would have landed MS in court.

 

[heatlesssun]

Remember, the thing that draws the ire of a lot of folks about Microsoft is that their systems are "closed and proprietary". That’s bad for Microsoft but its apparently ok for Macs.

I admit that I do find it odd that that the best supported OS in the history of humanity is “closed and proprietary”. Why doesn’t the EU sue companies that don’t make Linux drivers for their hardware? That would do more to encourage people to use other OS’es than suing Microsoft.

At any rate, Apple encourages no interoperability or openness, that is their way. I don’t have a problem with that. It’s called freedom.

Microsoft was not sued by governments around the world for the benefit of consumers; it was for the benefit of the respective governments. That’s fine. After they fall, millions will still be using Windows.

I do not like Apple. I refuse to buy their products. If going Apple in the future will benefit me, then I’d buy Apple products plain and simple.

So Apple and many other companies should be happy that Microsoft was there to take the heat for them. Anti-trust law suits come in waves. Microsoft has take the hit for Apple and Google this time around.

 

[TechieSooner]

They are not really an underdog. They are just a company that has found a niche in the computer biz, and has very successfully sold to that niche audience. If you want to look at the Ipod, then they are even further away from being an underdog, in fact they are pretty much top dog. They are taking advantage of that as well by leveraging their music service to sell hardware players. Another thing that would have landed MS in court.

Yes, but the article is talking about the PC market.
And I wholeheartedly agree with you: Apple isn't in direct competition with Microsoft, and therefore isn't an underdog. However- it doesn't stop them from playing that card (just look at all the "Get a Mac" ads...)

That’s bad for Microsoft but its apparently ok for Macs.

Heck, I'd call Windows more open than Mac OS any day.
To top it off, even Apple's HARDWARE is closed... Yet Microsoft is always the one getting sued for these things.

Why doesn’t the EU sue companies that don’t make Linux drivers for their hardware?

For one, there are so many distros and flavors (granted they can all use similar, but still...) There would be even more people out there going out and trying to create their own OS as well, if they knew the EU would sue for them since their brand new OS they just wrote doesn't have any drivers yet.

And so- it's just left like it is now: The hardware manufacturers can write for the biggest OS. They can compare costs, decide whether or not it's worth the money and effort to write for *nix.

 

[Mithent]

Apple wants to promote Microsoft as being the big evil monopolistic corporation while they're the friendly cuddly alternative, but they're both companies trying to increase their profits.. Apple would, no doubt, be considered just as evil as Microsoft if Mac OS was dominant, maybe even more so considering their secrecy and tight grip on their ecosystem. They've had adverts about how great it is that their systems come bundled with so much software - something Microsoft actually can't do without getting attacked by some other vendor, but Apple can get away with.

Microsoft are generally pretty open and will fully discuss their plans and document and explain nearly everything; that's not to say they're squeaky-clean either, but large companies rarely are. I'd rather have Microsoft dominant than Apple, though.

 

[Finn]

Safari needs all the crutches it can. FF still beats it hands down.

 

[jimmyb]

Remember, the thing that draws the ire of a lot of folks about Microsoft is that there systems are "closed and proprietary".

That's correct, and for good reason.

Apple is under a lot less scrutiny for anti-competitive behaviour since they don't have a monopoly on the desktop OS market.

This is all covered in the Sherman Act by the way.

 

[Gorankar]

Why doesn’t the EU sue companies that don’t make Linux drivers for their hardware? That would do more to encourage people to use other OS’es than suing Microsoft.

If they did that many smaller hardware vendors would just not bother with Europe. They all don't have the money, expertise, or will to jump through hoops like the larger companies do. It would reduce hardware choice there, and manage to make the EU governing body look even more stupid than they already do.

Also.
Do not misunderstand the EU's intentions with their lawsuits towards MS. The lawsuits are not aimed at changing MS's behavior. Their intentions are to milk the MS cash cow, while giving the appearance of fixing the behavior. If MS does fix their behavior too much, the EU would have no legitimate reason to sue, and then, the money would stop flowing.

 

[TechieSooner]

They've had adverts about how great it is that their systems come bundled with so much software - something Microsoft actually can't do without getting attacked by some other vendor, but Apple can get away with.

Heck, not only that... Apple fans cheer for extra software. When Microsoft does it, people hate it because it adds extra stuff that they don't need

Apple is under a lot less scrutiny for anti-competitive behaviour since they don't have a monopoly on the desktop OS market.

You could consider it a monopoly (it really isn't) only on the fact that other than *nix, Windows is the only thing out there for the market they are in. Apple is in a completely different market (actually- their own market).

*nix is the only thing in competition with Windows, and it's really just behind due to the fact lack of support, lack of designers, etc... Could be possible they turn around and whip Microsoft (hooray for free OS!!!), but I really don't see it happening anytime soon. The alternative is paying people to work on an improved, more complete *nix OS, but then you are charging for an OS, which we've already got with Windows... To me, it seems would just go round and round in circles.

Their intentions are to milk the MS cash cow, while giving the appearance of fixing the behavior.

This is exactly right...

Shockingly, 1.3B isn't a huge number for Microsoft (it hurts anyone, obviously...), but Microsoft has the cash reserves, it's more of a big slap on the wrist... The EU simply took advantage of it.

If Microsoft wanted, they could drop Europe all together, leave them dried up and crawling back (and making all of Europe against the EU), but it's obvious that even with the fine, they are still making money.

 

[exabyte]

Sounds like FUD to me

 

[eeyrjmr]

Sounds like FUD to me

yer. Unless there is proof its just scaremungering a.k.a. FUD
I wouldn't of put it passed Apple but bitchen that Apple has done this without proof is bad mmmkay

 

[Gorankar]

Unfortunately, this is the internet. FUD must be disproved, not proven. Sad ain't it.

It is certainly not anything that I would put past any large corporation. Apple makes it easy to believe anything foul said about them. I would think that something like this would get more buzz. But then again, if you look at what is actually being said by Vukicevic, it is not sabotage of other apps, but rather undocumented API's for Apple's own software that improves performance. Things they don't what other software devs to use for whatever reasons you might wish to come up with.