It's pretty clear that
Apple left no stone unturned in Leopard, making changes and fixes throughout the new operating system. Unfortunately, that also included an upgrade to its crucial smugness subsystem: the image you see above of an old school CRT monitor with a blue screen of death is actually the not-so-subtle gag icon Leopard uses to represent Windows machines on your local network. (Is it any wonder why PC and Mac fanboys tend to get in so many fights?) Granted, many Leopard beta users have seen this icon since the early releases, but we didn't actually think the shipping version would include something so pompous and galling to the other 90%.
We'll save the missive on the subject (although if that's what you're looking for,
Anil Dash wrote a pretty good one), and skip straight to the problem solving: hidden away deep within the recesses of Leopard, far, far away from the reaches of Spotlight, is an unassuming icon file that's doing a great job at perpetuating the myth of Mac users' disdainful sense of self-superiority. Luckily it's an easy fix, and we'll show you the three easy steps necessary to get rid of the BSOD and make your Mac a little less condescending.
Ok, so the file in question (public.generic-pc.icns) lives in /System/Library/CoreServices/CoreTypes.bundle/Contents/Resources/, which is basically a pretty boring place to cruise around (unless you like looking at hundreds of sets of icons). And unfortunately for us, boring places like this are usually locked down tight in Unix systems, so we'll need to use the command line to make some changes.
This is a pretty easy process, especially if you know your way around a command line. First, open up Terminal (it's at Applications/Utilities/Terminal.app), or the terminal app of your choice (we also like
iTerm).
Then, type in the following three commands:
- cd /System/Library/CoreServices/CoreTypes.bundle/Contents/Resources/
- sudo mv public.generic-pc.icns public.generic-pc_lame.icns
[enter your admin password]
- sudo cp com.apple.mac.icns public.generic-pc.icns
That's it! You've backed up the BSOD icon and moved the generic Apple Mac icon to where the system was expecting it, which, if we're not mistaken, should stop it from showing up when browsing your local Windows network. (Of course, you're also free to use another icon instead of the generic Mac icon.) Enjoy, and try not to go around telling people how much more amazing your Leopard machine is than their Vista laptop (and vice versa), ok? It's unbecoming.
posted October 30th 2007 2:54PM
"We'll save the missive on the subject"
Er... too late.
Why do apple users have to hack everything in order to get it to work???
Iphone, OSx...what a joke. Get a PC...It just works
And hacking to change the icon modifies the functionality how? This is purely a cosmetic change, it does 'just work' but it 'just works' with a picture that people want to change.
I guess I was referencing the irony here. OSx ships out of the box with "BSOD" issues. Numerous reports of poeple having issues backs that up.
Iphone functionality is a joke! Losing all 3rd party apps after they give them, then hacking to get them back?!?! Why do I have to hack any apple product to:
A. Get it to work
B. Get it to do what I want it to do.
I've never had that with a PC that's for sure...
@aaron
OS X does _NOT_ ship "out of the box with 'BSOD' issues." The fairly rare but widely reported bluescreen only occurs when an outdated version of the 3rd party Application Enhancer framework is installed.
Care to explain how it's Apple's fault that users have outdated and incompatible add-ons created by another company? Should they have tested their new release with every possible version of each program ever written? It's not as though there are widespread software compatibility issues like another recent OS had, and all blame lies with the Unsanity and the users. Mostly with the users though, because Unsanity had released a version of APE that didn't cause any problems, which is pretty much all that can be asked of them.
@Will
Care to explain how it's Apple's fault that users have outdated and incompatible add-ons created by another company?
Applies to Microsoft too doesn't it? Seeing as how there are a bazillion combinations of products to choose from for a PC. Apple can choose their components since they are the system builder. Microsoft cannot.
Thanks alex. PC's work with thousands and thousands more applications than a mac does. Windows seems to have had great reliability even with all those "sub-standard" 3rd party apps.
Apple obviously has yet to figure out how to make their os stable with apps...maybe that's why they locked down apps on the iphone...LOL
@Will
It's call a beta, and if Job's wasn't a paranoid megalomaniac, it would have been caught before release.
At least MS has a public beta. Apple user's are the beta testers, and they get to pay for that "privilege".
lol. funny name... anil
@Will
HAHAHA . . . Apple and their fanboys are such amateurs to the game, they don't know what they're getting themselves into when they diss Windows. How can you like Apple? They're screwing you over bud. Don't be so naive and just buy things because they look "contemporary." The design is simple, and their designers are simple, and it's simple to make. It's cheaper, and they up the price and call it art.
arteekay is right. Microsoft invented this business, so I'm pretty sure they know what they're doing. Apple started to catch on 4 years ago with the ipod 3G and they're trying to transfer some of that success to their computers. They should respect Microsoft, they have a lot to learn still.
I'm saving the massive missive for when OS X 10.6 aka "Mittens" comes out and Apple warns that this little software tweak MAY brick your Macbook.
On top of that, this tweak has also voided your warranty, and re-activation is required, and you can't use your T-mobile SIM card anymore...
I really don't understand Apple. They are so GOOD at hardware, and then it's as if there is some monkey-exec that changes the software and just... kills all faith in the company...
Sigh.
@V3LOCIP3D3
What the hell is your problem??
Some people like Windows... Some people like Mac.
What does it matter to you?
People can do whatever they want.
"they don't know what they're getting themselves into when they diss Windows."
I could come up with plenty of things that are wrong with Windows, and just as many that are wrong with Mac!
These idiotic Mac vs PC fights on Engadget are just ridiculous and POINTLESS.
@alex, even tho this reply thread is way too long.
it's apple's fault because they should have noticed that in the testing and corrected it.
@Dean
I think buying into the macfad, and turning around and being arrogant about being fooled into it says something about you're intelligence. Apple fanboys have something to learn about electronics and creating good products vs. creating good advertising. If you don't like the argument, don't get involved.
@Alex
We produce several software titles under multiple brand names. While there are more popular titles on the net, they are still fairly popular (between 10K-70K downloads per day, depending on the software).
Microsoft contacted us over 6 months before Vista was released, regarding each individual title (it is not obvious they are all run by the same company), assigned a "contact person" and worked with us to make sure our products were compatible with Vista. They were extremely responsive, very friendly, down to earth.
We never approached Microsoft before, never signed up for any of their betas, etc. It was 100% their initiative.
Our products are quite popular on MacOS as well. We never heard from Apple and on the rare occassion our development tried to communicate with them, it was virtually impossible. All we get are "scripts".
There is no company out there that is better at communicating with ISVs and partners than Microsoft. The only company that is worse than Apple is Google...
Enough said.
@ V3LOCIP3D3
Wow, you really need to read up on your history and check your facts.
MS invented this business? Are you kidding... What are you 12?
OK, lets see;
APE, a third party application that is installed in a location Apple specifically tells developers to NOT place files in causes system issues, WOW! Image a Windows app that removed key bits from the registry and deleted system DLLs.
The iPhone was shipped and performed as promised. A group of people wanted it to do more and created hacks that altered the firmware and afterward complained when they had problems after a system update. Boo Hoo cry me a river. I have an iPhone which I love, hacked it before, reset it when the update came out, re-hacked it and have had no problems. If you are going to hack something then you have no place to complain if the functionality goers away with an update... just wait a week and the fix will show up.
As far as testing Leopard and having the APE problem show up, most developers (myself included run test bed machines, which don't have extraneous crap on them. Even my standard production systems don't have APE because it is nasty and a crufty little hack.. and shame on Logitech for installing it .
@Ian
Okay Ian, I'm apparently 12. That was a mature comment, are you 8 years old? I think you got sidetracked when you were about to prove me wrong, but I'm pretty sure it was windows who invented (or I guess popularized) personal computing to such a large scale. This really means nothing except that Microsoft has a lot more experience (dealing with over 90% of the market) than Apple . . and apple should think twice before they get all arrogant and start saying they deserve everything.
Sorry for posting off topic, back to Leopard . .
There's a simple reason for the stereotype of Windows BSOD (which may have been somewhat true in the past) that Apple doesn't have to deal with. Options. Apple doesn't have to program around the hardware, the hardware is static and always tested for compatibility. The breadth of options PC users have is both a blessing and a curse. But now the era of BSOD is all but closed. I haven't had one real problem with my PC now that I have Vista. Windows 98 for me was big trouble, but the alternative, Mac OS 9 I believe, was... heh.. not an alternative at all. XP, in its later stages (service packs) got most of the problems taken care of, and I think Vista, aside for some little nagging problems that will be customarily patched soon, is just the next step in creating a beautiful and functional operating system. Really the only thing Windows can claim superiority over the Mac OSX is developer support, obviously, because other than that there is no reason for me to be a PC guy. Well... I can't go out and put together my own $1,800 beast of a Mac, because for that money you will only get a 24-inch iMac. I have a Quad Core, it doesn't. I have a powerful video card, it doesn't (at its base price). I have a decent screen, it has a damn nice screen, but that's not the point. Basically what I'm trying to say is that, Mac users pay loads of cash on overpriced hardware, just for the consolation of using its exclusive software. Come on, use that brain!
@V3LOCIP3D3
You should shut the hell up...
It blows my mind that you would be so naive as to think that everyone is going to like only one thing. Some people are going to like Mac, and some people are going to like Windows (and Linux, to be fair). After using Mac for a while now, I would never go back to Windows...
"...says something about you're intelligence." - Do you know what this quote says to me about your personality? It tells me you are a total condescending asshole. I suppose I could also say that you fell into Microsoft's advertising plan as well, but to that you would just say something along the lines of "its better." But then it just comes back to personal preference...
Oh and by the way, you can't diss Apple for having a small issue with BSOD because, if I recall correctly, Windows has had a lot of things wrong with BSOD.
Hehehehe..... You are all so funny! You guys should have a T.V. show! I can see it now, "I Love BSODs".
I like how, in a topic about promoting Mac/PC unity, you've all managed to have a flame war.
Good game people. And grow up.
So changing icons on Windows just works from the mind-linkup function? Since when did changing an icon not require at least a few steps. Actually, I don't know about Vista, but in XP it was a pain.
So changing icons on Windows just works from the mind-linkup function? Since when did changing an icon not require at least a few steps. Actually, I don't know about Vista, but in XP it was a pain.
So changing icons on Windows just works from the mind-linkup function? Since when did changing an icon not require at least a few steps. Actually, I don't know about Vista, but in XP it was a pain.
@V3LOCIP3D3
You need to do some research upon the evolution of the computer revolution. Microsoft did not "invent this business". Both Gates and Jobs stole (neither of them are angels), but dont think that before Gates there was nothing.
"Apple fanboys have something to learn about electronics and creating good products vs. creating good advertising."
Funny that you mention electronics and creating good products because Apple makes more electronics than Microsoft and the notorious Xbox360 red ring problem isn't helping your "microsoft knows more about electronics" argument.
Im not saying one company is better than the other nor is one companies products better than the other. Your statements just dont make sense.
on topic: I like Apple, but their smugness/arrogance is starting to get a little annoying. Sure I chuckle for second, but they are starting to kick a dead horse and it's starting to not be "playful kind hearted" things. If Apple insists on this icon being included they should have this BSOD icon in there as an alternate for some Mac geek to use if they wanted, but this BSOD icon should not be the default icon.
@ V3LOCIP3D3
"HAHAHA . . . Apple and their fanboys are such amateurs to the game, they don't know what they're getting themselves into when they diss Windows. How can you like Apple? They're screwing you over bud. Don't be so naive and just buy things because they look "contemporary." The design is simple, and their designers are simple, and it's simple to make. It's cheaper, and they up the price and call it art."
That's arrogance and being naive right there. How can you insult Mac fanboys when you are outright Anti-Apple? There are just as many Apple-Haters and Windows Zealots that are just as bad as any intense Mac fanboy. Making empty personal attacks on Apple fans is hypocritical.
As far as the BSOD icons, maybe it is an arrogant thing of Apple to do. Maybe it's all in humor. If you use leopard and don't like it then change it. If you don't use Leopard then don't worry about it. It's just poor taste on Apple's part.
When it comes to Apple's "BSOD" when installing Leopard I'd like to remind everyone that all software has bugs. In this case *one* program caused a problem with the installer. I think Apple has done a very good job with keeping compatibility between Tiger and Leopard. While APE caused Leopard to crashed, it's not Apple's job to make sure 100% of third party apps are updated to work with Leopard. With that said Apple did release a statement explaining the problem and how to fix it. I also believe that Apple intends on patching future Leopard install DVDs to avoid this problem. I don't see how Apple's doing anything wrong.
The Windows BSOD has pretty much been dead for a very long time and making fun of it now is "like kicking a dead horse". How quickly would the Apple fanboys pounce on someone who started poking fun at OSX Leopard? Pick a new flaw and run with it and quit dwelling on the past. Those Mac commercials that make fun of Windows UAC was a good start. I just believe that the minute a BSOD appeared on a Mac they lost all rights to make fun of the Windows BSOD. I don't care if it happens on 100x more PCs. It's no longer a relevant joke. It serves Apple right that the same version of OSX that ships with this kind of garbage also gives them their first BSOD. Karma's a bitch.
@V3LOCIP3D3, you are giving pc users a bad image, grow up.
One word for Apple and Steve Jobs: T-A-C-K-Y
W-H-Y-?
Presumably someone high up in Apple must have approved the icon. Lets see what icons Vista SP1 adds now.
Dumb and pointless. But funny none the less.
Windows != WinME. BSOD is almost never seen these days - it's pretty stable! They should have had a screen with solitaire on it, that would have been funnier.
Tacky indeed...
Microsoft's Retort, come Vista SP1:
Option 1: All OS X/apple machines are hidden, completely. Why? Because you can't get work done on them anyways!
Option 2: All OS X/apple computer icons are plastered with the hippy/gay rainbow-esque logo of the 1990s. A random smattering feature the old-school Mac Classic-box-with-happy-face logo.
Option 3: Any office document made with Mac Office 2004 pops up a dialog box saying "HA! This was made in Mac-office! Those noobs are still running Office 2004, and we're not going to update it anytime soon until they feel the pain of not having an updated office suite that reads our new .docx/.xlsx/.pptx formats!"
ownt.
Option 1: Windows can't tell the difference between an SMB share on a Windows machine, and one on a Mac.
Option 2: http://interfacelift.com/icons-mac/details.php?id=1950
Option 3: http://www.apple.com/iwork/
@nerdtalker
http://www.macoffice2008.com/
Idiot.
@mattclarkie Vista will now feature an icon with the pippin for every mac on your network.
Whilst I'll admit that it's hardly the smoothest move Apple could have made, its slightly understandable if you consider that the use of any standard representation of Windows (i.e. the Windows logo) would probably have required permission and/or licensing from Microsoft. Chances are, however, that they haven't actually copyrighted the BSOD.
Then again, they could have just used a picture of John Hodgeman.
That's pretty funny.
I'm a PC... and that's pretty funny.
...and I'm a Mac...
And I think this is horribly unprofessional. I can understand this being in the beta, but to release it in the final product it just shameful.
...and I'm a linux....ha.....ha.....ha......
I also thought it was pretty funny, and it seems to fall in line with heated rivalries between tech companies
Remember the Zune "iPod Amnesty Bin"?
http://flickr.com/photos/fimoculous/503637222
Or Microsoft's dig at Mozilla in IE?
http://www.eeggs.com/items/731.html
Or Mozilla's dig back in Firefox?
http://www.eeggs.com/items/43803.html
Some of those jabs at each other's products aren't as blatant or easily seen as this BSOD icon, but it's still geeks pointing fun at each other. I like the cheekiness of it, and wouldn't have a problem with MS doing something similar with their network icons for my iMac or my Gutsy install...
I think it's funny because Apple depicts Samba shares as computers. Does the Apple dev team not understand the difference? Why use a computer icon at all? There are plenty of SMB mounts that are attached to no PC at all. How about that the Airport Extreme can show up as one? My DDWRT-flashed router does...
Wow,
So apparently, I AM the a-hole.
From the Mac community, please accept our most gracious apologies, Windows peeps.
Mein Gott! Someone on the Internet who can apologize instead of playing fanboy! May thousands of good things come your way :)
The icon's in kinda poor taste, but I wouldn't blame mac users for that, that'd be more Apple themselves.
Classless.
thats what it really boils down too... I don't hate apple computers... its their smug users who drive me insane
I brought my first Mac this weekend and I have to say the whole Mac vs. PC battle is over. Mac is the winner ... only because I can install Windows! The first thing I did on my new Mac is install Vista. Now I'm happy with both.
Hey best of both worlds!!! Stop complaining
I have owned, and own, several Macs. It doesn't make it any less classless. Layoff the Kool-Aid, pal.