Is a Hackintosh practical and reliable for Work?

[therealtomlapp]

Not only is it practical but in my opinion 100% reliable. I use my hack for both personal and business use. I wear a lot of hats in my company, software designer (running Microsoft Visual Studio in Windows 7 inside Parallels desktop), graphic design (Adobe Photoshop), video authoring (Adobe After Effects), even music production using Reaper with an external USB midi controller. I run three monitors (two in my home office, one HDTV in my living room) and use it as an HTPC and gaming machine as well.

I have to say that OS X is completely reliable, with zero crashes so far and 100% reliability. I also discovered that ever since switching my system actually runs better, it seems that OS X actually squeezes more performance out of my hardware than Windows ever did. A good example was my onboard SPDIF audio. Back when I used Windows 7 I was not able to use my onboard audio for music composition. The problem was the onboard audio would have way too much latency. I would even use Asio4all to try and tweak it out. I was told by everyone I know that it's impossible, you cannot use onboard audio, you must use an external audio interface. Well I had an old Tascam USB 1.1 interface that worked fine. Then after switching to OS X I realized that my interface was so old that they did not make Mac drivers for it, meaning the device is now useless to me. So I thought, let me just try to use the onboard SPDIF output and see what happens. No special configuration, no Asio4all or tweaking. It just works! Zero latency. Audio is crystal clear. Not only does it work through the SPDIF output but I can even use the HDMI audio output to my television as well, once again with no latency. Just another example of how Apple puts Microsoft to utter shame, how Microsoft can't even properly handle my audio hardware, then OS X steps in and owns it. My hack has literally made me more efficient and organized for work. The seamless continuity between my hack and my iPhone is incredible. I now spend more time enjoying my work instead of hating it. No more calling my boss telling him Windows crashed my system out, and that I have to spend all day reinstalling everything. Heck if my Windows 7 virtual machine ever did crash, it's as simple as restoring the VM from my most recent backup and i'm right back to work. Because of this, my company will never buy a Windows machine again, we're all Mac now.

 

[therealtomlapp]

Yeah there is the piracy issue of course, but then again is there anyone on the planet that is not guilty of that to a certain extent. Heck, I have had friends who are cops that had friends burn illegal dvds and cds without even giving it a thought. On the subject of updates, yes never update blindly. My rule is, I don't update until I visit Tonymacx86 and see confirmation that things will be ok. And of course backup first, leave yourself in a position to be able to roll back. I got lucky wth the updates. I started on Yosemite and sleep didn't work right (no internet after sleep). Then upgraded to El Capitan and now every single thing under the hood works flawlessly, but I was prepared for it to not work out at all.

If you work for a company, don't go and turn one of their computers into a hack, that would most certainly be a good way to lose your job. I can get away with it because I am a part owner.

 

[ModBot]

Of course there is a legal problem. Using OS X on a Hackintosh is software piracy. OS X is not free, the cost is included in the Mac. So it has a value and therefore there is "damage".
And there is the moral problem, that you use the work of somebody without compensation, against his consent and in an not intended way. Would you want that to happen to you or your work ?

OS X Snow Leopard can be purchased directly from Apple, once you have purchased it you are then entitled to upgrade to any newer version at no cost. So you are correct that it is not free. Using an OS X distribution or downloading it from a t*****t or file sharing site is piracy and illegal.

However, installing OS X that you legally acquired on non-Apple hardware is a violation of the End User License Agreement (EULA) which is not illegal. I would suggest that you read up on what an EULA is and what is enforceable in your country.

In the US, breaking the EULA by installing on non-Apple hardware means that you may not be entitled to support or updates. Currently Apple does not block updates and software support is tied to Apple hardware.

Apple typically only goes after anyone who redistributes the software without their permission or gives away or bundles OS X with non-Apple hardware. So as long as you don't use a OS X distribution or download it from a t*****t or file sharing site, you are not doing anything illegal.

 

[therealtomlapp]

Agreed. Also downloading any operating system (or any software) from a t*****t site is not only illegal but very dangerous. You are almost certainly guaranteed that you will download something that is infected with a virus or malware. Sure, many might use the excuse that they can just use antivirus software to clean it, which in most cases can end up breaking the software altogether. I have heard of people who downloaded pirated copies of Windows and were infected with all kinds of viruses from the door, and no matter what they were never able to get their system clean, since the virus was actually embedded in the OS itself. Not to mention people downloading pirated copies of Windows, only to later on be greeted with a warning that their license was invalid and therefore they were no longer able to access their system. I think that's why people on this site either recommend using a current Mac that you own to obtain the OS, or to go out and purchase it. Mac OS is only $20, who would not want to spend that little money for something that is so great? Windows costs way more and in my opinion is quite terrible.

I don't believe violating an EULA will land you in legal trouble either criminal or civil, but you get no guarantee of any support nor do you get any guarantee that it will work at all, basically you are on your own with all technical and support issues and if you do any damage to your system then there's nobody to help you (only the pros here at Tonymac).

With that said. The above is not intended to be any sort of legal advice and this thread in no way implies an attorney-client relationship. Anyone seeking legal advice should seek the services of a competent attorney.

 

[T16]

Considering using using my desktop hackintosh for home office, and also thinking about a hackintosh for my laptop as well. I like the continuity of using my phone and it be connected to all devices. My concern is stability, and will my hackintosh crash? I am a newbie at this. I like the OSX environment, but don't want to pay the high prices for mac computers. Thanks for your input!