EFI-X Mac Booter, A Scam?

Voyn1x · #1 09-10-2009, 07:01 PM

Tom's Hardware, September 8, 2009:

"There comes a time in history when dirty secrets will reveal themselves.

This happens to be the situation with a little known company called Art Studios Entertainment Media, or ASEM for short. The company is most famous for making a module called the EFI-X, which it claims to allow simplistic booting and running of Apple's Mac OS X. And that, it really did. Several media outlets, including us, last year received a batch of EFI-X modules and it certainly did what it claimed to be able to do.

Quite simply, one need only connect the EFI-X module onto a motherboard's USB header, boot the system, set the module as the default booting device, and go. Have a retail Mac OS X Leopard disc handy? Insert, and boot. Install, reboot and you're running OS X on a PC (using compatible hardware of course) almost perfectly--and this is where the problems really began.

Back last year when the modules were selling like hotcakes, people were thrilled that they didn't have to hack their own way to using OS X on their custom build PC. This was considered as the ultimate solution. At the time, the OSX86 community was already in full force with its own software solutions, namely Chameleon (based on PC EFI10) and Boot-132. While considerably much more difficult to put together, Chameleon and Boot-132 offer significantly more configuration options than EFI-X. Those who didn't know how to, or couldn't be bothered to spend time figuring out how, could cough up roughly $280 for an EFI-X module and be on their way.

When we tested our module, everything did work as claimed. However, not all users were able to get a 100-percent working system. Eventually, ASEM released a new firmware, but then things started breaking. For example, our onboard LAN no longer worked with Apple's Bonjour protocol. This meant that it couldn't see other Macs on the network (unless you directly connect), and iTunes couldn't share music. This problem, existed for a considerably long time. While there were solutions around it (like obtaining another standalone network card), it was frustrating.

As time went on, more problems were introduced while others were fixed. ASEM customers grew increasingly frustrated and voiced their concerns onto the forums. Unfortunately, many forums posts ended up being removed by the ASEM moderator team. Many users, also complained that their EFI-X 1.0 modules were dying after some time of use. Some customers were experiencing intermittent booting problems. Sometimes the module would be detected by the system BIOS, other times it wouldn't. After a while, the modules themselves would no longer be detected at all. Unfortunately, this also happened to three of our modules.

We, and everyone else, were told not to worry, as version 1.1 of the module would be able to address all these issues. Version 1.1 would include higher quality components, be gold plated, and include several other features to ensure compatibility and longevity. Why wasn't 1.0 made to higher quality standards to begin with? Some people were having dying modules. Then many. Then a whole lot. Eventually, customers were banned from voicing their concerns on ASEM's forums.

On the other side of the net, members of the OSX86 community suspected that the EFI-X module was nothing more than a repackaged Chameleon/Boot-132 bootloader placed onto a USB stick with DRM to prevent reverse engineering. Telltale signs included problems that also existed with the software bootloaders, as well as the same compatibility charts. Coincidentally, issues that were patched up in the OSX86 community became available on the EFI-X modules shortly after. Throughout all this, ASEM still denied any connection to Chameleon or Boot-132."

Continued at source

blkhockeypro19 · #2 09-10-2009, 07:35 PM

with all the news in the past few months...THIS is what you choose as front page news?

SaCleoCheater · #3 09-10-2009, 08:09 PM

*Gob smacked!* Wow, what a rip off. Thanks for sharing Voyn1x.

I'm glad I didn't buy one of them...

Taisto · #4 09-10-2009, 08:14 PM

Nice - i wonder what Apple will say, or at least think about it. Anyway, what i find disturbing in this article is that the company wants to sue the guy who opened the module ? Once again, a company which helps you violate the Apple license, wants to sue for opening the module...that's odd, to say the least.

Voyn1x · #5 09-10-2009, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blkhockeypro19

with all the news in the past few months...THIS is what you choose as front page news?

With all the valuable input from you in the past few months.... THIS is what you choose to contribute?

I can't speak for my fellow admins, but life for me has been very busy as of late. I've eventually found some time and would rather post current news than try to catch up on the old. I found this article interesting, and I hope others do too.

SaCleoCheater · #6 09-10-2009, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Taisto

Nice - i wonder what Apple will say, or at least think about it. Anyway, what i find disturbing in this article is that the company wants to sue the guy who opened the module ? Once again, a company which helps you violate the Apple license, wants to sue for opening the module...that's odd, to say the least.

Agreed.

I think it should work the other way... The guy who opened the module (and even Apple), should sue ASEM for completely lying about EFI-X, such as it apparently had a "CPU" which controlled itself, and apparently "No Apple Code" affiliating with EFI-X.

ASEM should just concede to the fact that they completely broke the law and lied about EFI-X! Suing the guy who opened the module is just unbelievable...

well, In this case.

IMO.

slackwareuser · #7 09-14-2009, 10:38 PM

i also have a v1.0 and all was well, until not to long ago a firmware was released, and it broke dual monitor support.. after waiting for the new firmware to come out, it got fixed.. then i learn that v1.0 will not support snow leopard, you will have to upgrade to v1.1.. WHAT A RIP OFF! i got tired of it.. i just completed snow leopard install with Chameleon. Although at the moment im having to use the usb i used to install to boot with.. when i install it to my harddrive it doesnt boot.. but i digress...

thanks guys!

ck

mormegil · #8 09-18-2009, 05:52 PM

No sympathy for those scammed tbh.. it's not like there's no open source alternative

PumaSpeedDrift · #9 10-15-2009, 10:50 PM

This really makes you think of the movie "Anit-Trust"...hmm... Where one person steals another's code, which is open source, and uses it to create revenue...that's a scam in itself with no regards for the people who created the original code, to whom credit should have gone, and they wanna sue the guy who opened the module, I think people who originally wrote the code should sue them for violation open source code terms, if Chameleon and Boot were licensed as such.