[A83] Re: Color Calculators

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[A83] Re: Color Calculators

Its ok for you to do it, but it might not be legal to distribute information
about how to reverse engineer the product and bypass protections or worse,
distribute program to do it for you.  I don't mean to paint TI as a big evil
corporation, they are simply trying to ensure the quality of their product
but... Even if all this were legal, keep in mind a large corporation may not
win a lawsuit but one could still make your life hell.

Think about it...if students started walking into class with TI-linux or
something instead of TIOS then teaching using ti calculators would be that
much more difficult.  Sure the smart students would know how to use it but
surely it would trickle down to others eventually.  Students and teachers
would both freak out... teachers always a little weary of the unknown...
students crying because they can't do what they need to do on a test or
theres a bug(oh crap!) in a math routine.  This would of course be the fault
of the stupid student not teachers, not TI, not the programmers but it would
cause much hassle that wasn't necessary with other calculator brands.
Patching an OS could lead to horrible possibilities... looks and feels like
the tios to the unsuspecting student but who knows what code might be
lurking on rompage 9.  Once teacher support of TI falls, their sales fall.
Its pretty nice having one dominant platform, isn't it?  I think it makes
life simpler in class and out.

brandon sterner

----- Original Message -----
From: "Gavin Olson" <gtolson@comcast.net>
To: <assembly-83@lists.ticalc.org>
Sent: Thursday, December 05, 2002 12:00 PM
Subject: [A83] Re: Color Calculators


> Why would loading your own software on your own calc be illegal?   If I
put
> linux on my computer, is M$ going to hunt me down b ecause the machine
came
> with Windows?  Or if I flash my system BIOS with an image not released  by
> ASUS/Tyan/etc, will they hunt me down for that?  When I use a clock unlock
> on my Athlon, will AMD have hissy fit?  Wh en we  buy TI calcs, we are
> purchasing a piece of hardware and a license to some software that happens
> to  run very well on it.  If I choose to discard said license, what's the
> problem?  What if  I do the patching on a  boat 12 miles from  the
> coast?  Or is possession of a patched calc like drugs?  Come on!
>
> At 02:24 PM 12/5/2002 +0100, you wrote:
> > >
> > > speaking of discoveries, how's the calcos hack progressing?
> > >
> >
> >You could read the DS forum (slightly over 200 posts) at
>
>http://www.detachedsolutions.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=240&postdays=0&posto
rder=asc&start=0.
> >The
> >alternative
> >is reading the short version, two lines down ;)
> >
> >Basically, the calc should only accept a new OS after the
> >verification of a digital signature, but Michael found a way
> >to make it load any OS.
> >
> >There were two projects, one an entirely new OS, written
> >from scratch by Michael Vincent, the other was a hack, a
> >modified version of the real TI-OS. Somehow TI found out
> >about the latter and got a bit angry; their legal department
> >sent Michael a mail telling him to forget about it.
> >
> >If Michael would release his OS, he'd have to tell the world
> >how to load it. After that, loading a "patched" OS would be
> >relatively easy. Even if Michael's "OS from scratch"-project
> >isn't illegal, patching an official (copyrighted) rom *is*. TI
> >won't let Michael release his (legal) OS, afraid that it would
> >trigger the release of illegal roms.
> >
> >Long story even shorter: it's discontinued, probably forever.
> >
> >Hope this shed some light,
> >Rob van Wijk
> >
> >--
> >+++ GMX - Mail, Messaging & more  http://www.gmx.net +++
> >NEU: Mit GMX ins Internet. Rund um die Uhr für 1 ct/ Min. surfen!
>
>
>
>
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