If the link is obsolete (it happens sometimes), the file is also available on MegaUpload.

So this tip is clearly in opposition to the Mac OS X license : it consists in modifying a classic version of Mac OS X to make the virtualization software believe it is a server version.

Une version française ici.

First thing to do, find a DVD of Mac OS X 10.5 or 10.6 and make an picture. If it is a grey version  provided with a machine, you will first have to modify it so that it could be installed on any Mac. It also works with Tiger, even if it’s more complicated to find a DVD with a x86 system, as Apple never retailed any.

A thing to know is that trying to make a disk image with the disk utility is useless : it will not work. We’ll have to go through a slightly different method. In fact, the disk utility does not copy the EFI partition, which is indispensable here.

The first thing to do, therefore, is to obtain a correct image, using the line command and the Terminal. « /Dev/disk1 » is the name of your optical drive, obtained with the command « diskutil list ». By default, the image is placed on the desktop.

dd if = /dev/disk1 of=~/Desktop/osx-installer.iso bs=1m

Once the image is on the disk – it can take a long time – you have to convert it into a DMG image with the following command.

hdiutil convert ~/Desktop/osx-installer.iso UDRW -format -o ~/Desktop/osx-install

Once the image is on the Finder, you must type a line command. Your DVD must, of course, be called « Mac OS X Install DVD », which is a priori true.

sudo touch "/Volumes/Mac OS X Install DVD/System/Library/CoreServices/ServerVersion.plist"

Then start VMWare Fusion, click on New…, « Without a disk », « Use the disk or disk image to install the operating system ». In the menu, just select the disk image previously amended. A selection of the system appears, you have to choose the right system, depending on the OS.

The installation should start.

Warning: at the end of the installation, the system will indicate that it will restart in 30 seconds. So you have 30 seconds to click on the Tool menu and choose Terminal. If you do not do it in 30 seconds, the virtual machine will not be able to reboot and you will have to start over.

Then type a command: it creates the file that will allow VMWare Fusion to believe that the system is a server version. Without this file, the system will not start.

touch "/Volumes/Macintosh HD/System/Library/CoreServices/ServerVersion.plist"

Then just leave the terminal and wait for the system to reboot.

There, you have a virtualized and fully functional Leopard or Snow Leopard version. The only drawback: the system is outdated.

The next step is to install the VMWare tools, to make the virtual machine pleasant. It’s pretty simple I will not explain this point.

Now there is one thing to know: the updates do not like the hack that modifies Mac OS X.

If you want to update the system, you will first have to delete the ServerVersion.plist file, located in /System/Library/CoreServices/. Normally, the password will be required.

Once it is done, you must update the system, by clicking on the  and choosing « Software Update… ». Wait for the updates do be downloaded, then restart the system when asked. Afterwards, and this is absolutely normal, the virtual machine will not want to start.

We now need the image used to install the system. It must be mounted, as in the early steps.

Then, in VMware Fusion, click on the CD icon and choose as the source the image in question, and be careful to connect the optical drive correctly.

Now it is going to be a little complicated. You must look for the file containing the virtual machine, which is on your hard drive. Once found, you need to right click on the file and choose Show Package Contents. Then you have to look for a file named after the virtual machine and whose extension is .VMX.

Edit this file with TextEdit (for example) and add a line to the end.

bios.forceSetupOnce = “TRUE”

Then close the file and start the virtual machine.

Normally, a menu should appear. Choose Boot Manager and then select EFI VMWare Virtual SCSI CDROM Drive.

The virtual machine will boot from the virtual DVD, and then the language shall be defined. Once done, click on the Tool menu and launch the Terminal. Then type a command.

touch "/Volumes/Macintosh HD/System/Library/CoreServices/ServerVersion.plist"

Once the order is entered, just restart the virtual machine.

If you followed the instructions, the virtual machine should work with an updated system.

The (last) points:

-VMWare does not emulate a GPU, so Quartz Extreme is not enabled, which can cause problems for some applications. iMovie, for example, does not start.

-For updated applications such as iLife, no problem: it will work.

-VMWare does not emulate a sound card for Mac OS X, so there is no sound in the virtual machine. The easiest solution is to dedicate USB speakers or a USB sound card to the virtual machine if it is really necessary.

-IWork ’09 does not work properly in the virtual machine, softwares will launch but it will be impossible to type anything.

-If Spotlight does not work, which happens sometimes, type the following line command .

mdutil sudo-i on / && sudo-E mdutil /

-One last tip: keep the modified boot image safe somewhere, it can be useful if you get in trouble.

I let you try…

Apple proposes adapters for this specific case, but the compatibility is quite low.

Une version française est disponible.

Four solutions:

DVI to video (composite and S-VIDEO) to € 20. Reference: M9267G.
Micro-DVI to video (composite and S-VIDEO) to € 20. Reference: MB202G.
Mini-VGA to video (composite and S-VIDEO) to € 20. Reference: M9109G.
Mini-DVI to video (composite and S-VIDEO). Reference: M9319G.

Let’s start with compatibility. If you have a Mini DisplayPort computer : there are no simple solutions.

For the DVI model, it is usable on the Mac mini, the MacBook Pro 15 inches with DVI on, the MacBook Pro 17 inches with DVI on, some Mac Pro and Power Mac G5.

For Mac Pro, only two cards are compatible: the Radeon HD X1900 XT and Radeon HD 2600 XT HD. In both cases, the adapter is to be plugged into the second DVI connector.

On Power Mac G5, only the GeForce 6600-equipped with two DVI connectors is compatible.

For other computers (Power Mac G4, PowerBook, etc..) and the various adapters (Mini-DVI to DVI, Mini DisplayPort to DVI, etc.), it is incompatible.

For the Micro-DVI model, it is only compatible with the original MacBook Air (the only computer with this type of connector).

For the Mini-VGA, it is compatible with computers that have this connector such as the iBook G4, some of the iBooks G3 - from the models “16 VRAM” – the first 12-inches PowerBook, all eMacs but not the first model, the iMac G4 and iMac G5.

For the Mini-DVI model, it is not fully compatible.

On the MacBook, only the  Intel graphics (GMA X3100 or 950)-equipped versions are compatible. The few models equipped with a GeForce 9400M are not compatible.

The (few) Mac mini Mini-DVI are not compatible.

iMacs have a mini-DVI output are all compatible.

Let’s do a small test.
I connected a MacBook to a LCD TV via its composite input (it has no S-VIDEO output). As expected, the quality is terrible. It was impossible to get a good full-size image : either there were black bars around the image or the image was larger than the screen, there was obviously a problem with the overscan.

In the proposed definitions, one finds the 480i60 (720 x 480 at 60 frames / s, NTSC), the 720 x 576 at 50 Hz and three definitions of PAL 4:3 640 x 480, 800 x 600 and 1024 x 768, in all three cases interlaced. With a CRT TV, the 1024 x 768 may not appear (this is due to my test with an LCD).

Funny little point: while the HD video available on iTunes can’t be read in VGA, it works in composite. The HDCP protection is clearly deactivated.

In fact, it is especially useful with devices that do not work in digital (DVI or HDMI) and it is to be avoided in other cases.

I intended to propose a test on this feature in a few weeks, but without the support, it will be a bit complicated. Hopefully Apple will propose a new solution in the future for the management of smart cards, even if it is not likely to happen.

On the iPhone 4S, it is possible to choose the camera (iPhone 4S) but not to differentiate the photos: the aperture is the same on the front and rear cameras.

It was also possible to receive and send faxes, storing them on the computer, and even to transform the Mac into an answering machine. A system allowed the user to link the address book from Mac OS to the device.

Apple Djinn Pro

Une version française est disponible ici.

Then Apple and France Telecom proposed a Bi-Bop-compatible laptop, the PowerBop.
It was essentially a PowerBook 180 (68030 at 33 MHz, 68882 FPU) on which the floppy drive was replaced by a Bi-Bop modem. Apparently, few copies of this machine were sold, and some were presented as regular PowerBooks. The Bi-Bop part allowed the user to surf and send faxes, like a classical modem. It can be admitted that the Bi-Bop is a predecessor of AirPort, although the Bi-Bop is closer to the DECT than to the WiFi.

The machine is not really a prototype, since it was proposed to the public, but cannot be considered as a finished product either, as the sales were weak.

The idea is to ensure that the card reader is recognized as an Apple model.

Une version française est disponible ici.

It’s pretty easy to do, but I advise to save your files first, as we will modify the drivers and it would be stupid to do something wrong.

Step 1: Get a card reader recognized by the system, in USB. We’ll have to get two pieces of information: the manufacturer ID and  the product ID.

We must go to the System Report, in the USB section. These are two values ​​in hexadecimals, indicated as « identifiable provider » and « product ID ».

For my card reader, it is 0x054c for the supplier (Sony) and 0×0281 for the product… Values that we will have to convert to decimal. As I assume you are not familiar with any of hexadecimal conversions, we will go through the Mac OS X calculator. We must switch to “Programmer” in the menus, click on the icon “16″, enter the value and then click on the little “10″. 641 then becomes 0×0281 and 0x054c becomes 1356.

Step 2: let’s modify the files. You must go to « /System/Library/Extensions » and copy the AppleStorageDrivers.kext in a safe place (like a backup copy).

Then right-click on the file, select « Show package contents » . In « Contents/Plugins », you should find AppleUSBCardReader.kext. Right click on the file, select « Show package contents » again. In « Contents », you should find Info.plist.

Now we shall modify the file. I usually use HexFiend, but any editor that does not change the format (same xCode is enough) can be used. You might have to identify yourself.

In the file, you have to look for <key>idProduct</key>
Just below, replace the value of your drive product number, <integer>641</integer> in my case.

On the following line, <key>idVendor</key>, you have to put the value identifying the manufacturer, <integer>1356</integer> in this case.

Once it is done, save the file and replace the old file by the new AppleUSBCardReader.kext.

To be sure that OS X recognizes the changes, it is necessary that the permissions are correct and you also have to rebuild the cache : the easiest way is through a dedicated software, although it is perfectly possible to do it manually. I personally use Kext Utility but there are others. The operation is simple: launch the software and it takes care of everything.

Once you have finished, just reboot and it should work.

Pay attention to a small cosmetic bug: as Apple only uses SD card readers, the default icon will be an SD card, even if your player supports other formats. In my case, the reader also reads Memory Stick, but it appears with an SD card icon. I did not find how to change the icon depending on the card, but it is possible to force a particular icon.

In the Info.plist file, you must change the value in <key>IOBundleResourceFile</key> (which contains <string>SD.icns</string>) by one of the following, depending on the type of cards : CompactFlash.icns, MemoryStick.icns, MemoryStickProDuo.icns, MiniSD.icns, SmartMedia.icns, TransFlash.icns, XD.icns.

Well, I hope this useless hack will be useful to someone…

Une version française est disponible ici.

Let’s say that you know how to run Linux (Ubuntu in my case). It is a priori possible to do it directly on the Mac, by installing Linux, but as my machine only runs a 32GB SSD, I used another computer. It is possible to use a Live CD or USB key, but it caused some troubles updating the kernel (which was an older version) so I installed Ubuntu 11.4 on the hard drive.

Warning: if the card is a BCM4322, it takes at least a 2.6.39 kernel to make it work. I went to 3.0 for the test.

I used the tutorial that you can find here, with some differences.

First, we must launch the Terminal. Once inside, you shall type “lspci” and check that the Broadcom card is recognized. A line like this should appear :

« Network Controler : Broadcom Corporation BCM4322, etc. »

Then some software has to be installed.

sudo apt-get install build-essential
sudo apt-get install curl
sudo apt-get install git-core

A few minutes in my case. Then the following command:

sudo apt-get install b43-fwcutter
sudo apt-get install firmware-b43-installer (Only with Unbuntu 11.04)
sudo modprobe b43

sudo git clone git://git.bu3sch.de/b43-tools.git
cd b43-tools/ssb_sprom
sudo make

sudo cp ssb-sprom /usr/sbin/

sudo chmod 755 /usr/sbin/ssb-sprom
sudo chown root:root /usr/sbin/ssb-sprom

SSB_SPROM=$(find /sys/devices -name ssb_sprom)

Then

echo $SSB_SPROM

If the command returns something like « /sys/device/pci/numbers/ssb_sprom », it is okay. If it is empty, then the card is not recognized by the b43 driver and you must try to fix it (if possible) to continue. With a BCM4322, as here, a 6.2.39 kernel (at least) is required.

sudo cat $SSB_SPROM > ssb_sprom_copy
sudo ssb-sprom -i ssb_sprom_copy -P

This command should give you a list of Wi-Fi card information. According to the card, you will have to change the subv values (manufacturer), subp (product), CCODE (country) and regrev (validation, 0×0001 for the United States and 0×0002 for Europe). In my case, I stated that the card was a US model instead of a DE model.

The values depend on the card used. Here are the values for standard Broadcom cards.

BCM4311 – Vendor 0x106b / Product 0×0087
BCM4321 – Vendor 0x106b / Product 0x008c
BCM4322 – Vendor 0x106b / Product 0×0093
BCM4328 – Vendor 0x106b / Product 0x008b

sudo ssb-sprom -i ssb_sprom_copy –-subv 0×106b –-subp 0×0093 –ccode FR –regrev 0×0002 -o new_ssb_sprom_copy

Type the following command to make sure that the values subv and subp have been modified.

sudo ssb-sprom -i new_ssb_sprom_copy -P

The last command will enable you to flash the card. It should take some time so connect your computer to the power supply and wait till it is finished.

sudo cp new_ssb_sprom_copy $SSB_SPROM

We have to wait a little as the system flashes the card, and then it’s okay. The last thing to do is to reinstall the card in a MacBook, and it works !