[chuck-users] Question re: installing ChucK on Mac

[Hans Aberg]

On 6 Aug 2010, at 13:33, Kassen wrote:

>> The installation instructions I downloaded say to reconfigure the
>> terminal of a Mac but the Apple people I consulted advised me not to
>> do that. They say reconfiguring the terminal is outside the warrantee
>> and they see it as potentially destroying the computer!
>
> I heard of this before, but it's -to put it bluntly- nonsense. You  
> can't really "destroy a computer" by reconfiguring some files. What  
> can happen is that you get enthusiastic, start experimenting late at  
> night and go too far, making the computer unable to boot. Then you  
> re-install the OS; many tinkering Linux people did that once or  
> twice. The hardware will stay totally fine.

Actually, this is not the case on later Mac models, as the OS controls  
the fan cooling system. So you can really destroy the Mac by  
overheating it. I think it may have happened to a MacBook Air here -  
there were problems with the software in earlier models. Suddenly, it  
would no more reboot. It happened on a very hot day. Eventually, the  
motherboard, or something had to be replaced.

One can also destroy the Mac by making a poorly written KEXT (kernel  
extension). It is too slow to let all stuff run as programs, so one  
can make an extension to the kernel itself, running without the normal  
kernel checks then. If it sabotages the kernel, then the cooling  
system may not run properly. I'm not sure this has happened, but it is  
a theoretical possibility, in fact mentioned on the Darwin-kernel list.