Panther anti-piracy - where is it?

habilis · #1 November 5th, 2003, 02:56 PM

I've already bought Panther but I was on ebay this afternoon and for the heck of it I wanted to see how much people are getting for it. The odd thing is that a few of the descriptions said "Box opened" and these copies were selling for cheaper. I figure these people have already installed.

Is there any anti-piracy in Panther at all. I bought mine and it never asked for a serial number. So, besides the end user agreement, what's to stop me if I decided to make copies of all the Panther install disks and then sell the original in the box?

Windows XP holds a database of installed copies with the serial number, it won't allow you to install XP if it's already been entered for another machine. It's pretty simple and effective.

The other thing I was wondering, is there spyware in Panther that sends out hardware profiles with the install?

This isn't a thread on how to pirate Panther, I was just suprised that there was no serial number and no apparent anti-piracy measures whatsoever. What could be behind it.

**Captain Code** · #2 November 5th, 2003, 03:09 PM

No, there's nothing in it that stops you from installing it more times than you are allowed. Apple expects people to follow the licenses, and some do, some don't.

I welcome this with open arms because I hate "activating" software. If people are going to pirate it, that's not going to stop them, so why bother legitimate users with all that BS?

Cat · #3 November 5th, 2003, 03:36 PM

BTW, you can install windoze on any computer whatsoever, but it is really hard to install Panther on somethign else than an Apple Macintosh ... so if you already have a Mac, you're already a paying customer anyway. Apple is a harware vendor, M$ a software developer. Apple makes you pay a lot for their machines (which are worth the price IMHO) and M$ makes you pay a lot for their OS (which is not worth the price IMHO). Small profit on OS X methinks, they use the OS to get you hooked on the machine, just like iTunes entices you to the iPod.

ElDiabloConCaca · #4 November 5th, 2003, 06:00 PM

Just agreeing with everyone else on this thread -- Panther has absolutely no spyware, phoning home capabilities or anti-piracy mechanisms whatsoever. No serial number, no internet connection needed to install, no nothing.

You can install Panther on as many machines as you would like without it complaining that it's being run on more than one machine, but it's blatantly illegal and in violation of the licensing agreement you agreed to when you installed it.

Reality · #5 November 5th, 2003, 06:51 PM

So if I wanted to make a legal installment of panther on more then one Mac I have to buy more then one copy?

adambyte · #6 November 5th, 2003, 07:02 PM

At the right of this page ( http://www.apple.com/macosx/ ) they show you that you can either buy a single-computer liscence for $129, or a five-computer liscence for $199 (called a family pack). You could just get the family pack if you want to legally install it on 5 macs

Reality · #7 November 5th, 2003, 07:10 PM

Ah! Thank you again adambyte. You'll have to excuse my ignorance. I'm new to Computers all together you see. Well not so much to as in using them but new as in understand them and how their world works.

adambyte · #8 November 5th, 2003, 07:55 PM

Well, welcome to the wonderful world of computers. you'll spend much more time behind the keyboard than you probably should.

lol