sony Library software - does it work OK on a Mac?

[ScalyFreak]

Originally Posted by mwheinz

I thought about that, but the cost of buying a copy of Windows just to test the problem seems a bit much...

I'm fairly sure the good hosts and owners of MR will not appreciate my pointing out the obvious solution to that. So I will be quiet.

Originally Posted by mwheinz

I suspect Parallels or VMWare wouldn't work, since they depend on OS X to interface with devices.

Oh, good point. My bad for not knowing enough about Parallels, I wasn't aware that it's actually a virtual environment.

Originally Posted by gianfri

I do not have Bootcamp, but I do have Parallels installed on the same iMac with Lion. I tried to connect the reader to a Windows XP VM in Parallels, but the Reader would not be recognized. In fact, Parallels, like Lion, was not even aware that the reader was connected. That would make sense, I suppose, because Parallels can only "pass on" to the VM whatever the Mas OS (and, therefore, Parallels) can detect.

That does make perfect sense. Again, my bad.

[gianfri]

Originally Posted by gianfri

I do not have Bootcamp, but I do have Parallels installed on the same iMac with Lion. I tried to connect the reader to a Windows XP VM in Parallels, but the Reader would not be recognized. In fact, Parallels, like Lion, was not even aware that the reader was connected. That would make sense, I suppose, because Parallels can only "pass on" to the VM whatever the Mas OS (and, therefore, Parallels) can detect.

However, I have not tried the same experiment after I managed to have the Mac detect the reader. I will try tonight.

As expected, if the Reader is mounted on the Mac, it is recognized by parallels. Furthermore, Reader Library installed in the Parallels VM will detect the Reader properly (but not Reader Library installed on the Lion Mac).

[EatingPie]

Originally Posted by mwheinz

You know, I'm a computer engineer. I write device drivers for a living.

I could cite my credentials, but no need. You quoted me so wildly out of context, you basically removed everything I said. My original post was dead on accurate. Your original was not.

You accused Sony of both writing a rootkit and a hack, and neither of those is true. That was my response. It still is my response.

I want you, just for giggles, to explain to us:

1) Why the application is delivered as an mpkg file, and not as an app.

Here is my statement in context:

Originally Posted by EatingPie

There is no rooting involved. It's a custom driver (my HiFace bypasses the USB driver too with a custom driver, no rootkit there either).

As stated like 20 times, you can use the software without the driver.

A device driver is not a rootkit, since it does not hide its presence (nor is it intentionally malware). More to the point: I admit, acknowledge and outright state that there is a device driver. It's not a rootkit, it's a device driver... oh yeah, and the mpkg is used to install software like this which includes a driver.

Also, it is not a "hack." They needed specific functionality which the Mac Kernel did not provide, so they did what you claim to do: they wrote a device driver. Nothing nefarious, as you accuse. Indeed, this is a common way of adding functionality to the kernel.

Crud, I wonder if I should say it again...

Originally Posted by EatingPie

As stated like 20 times, you can use the software without the driver. It [the device driver] allows the Reader software to recognize when a Reader is plugged in, rather than a generic USB device. There is no hacking involved. There is no copy protection involved. It's a drag-to-the-trash uninstall. It's not even a DLL.

So, once again, context. You don't need the driver; and when you don't install the driver, the uninstall for the Reader software is drag-and-drop removal.

If Reader Library used Apple's built-in USB drivers, it would work fine on Lion, in 32-bit or in 64-bit. The only possible reason it does not is for DRM.

Yes, if they used the built-in driver, it would have worked better in terms of compatibility for end users. I wish Sony went that path. But they needed some other functionality, so they added it.

Where you are wrong is DRM being the "only" possible reason. As my quote above states, it allows the Reader software to recognize when a Reader is attached, not just a generic USB device.

Next time, please read my post, and please do not tear it so wildly out of context. Your accusations of "rootkit" and "hack" are totally bogus, and I'm surprised that you as someone claiming to write drivers would make this accusation.

-Pie