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Desktop 'hack' on Apple Retail computers...

C

cdp788

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 6, 2004
14
0
So today I was browsing around the Apple store in downtown Chicago when I noticed something interesting. On the desktop there were links with which shoppers could visit the apple.com site, schedule a genius interview and other things. It looked very Konfabulator-esque.

I pulled over a sales rep and asked him how they did that and how I could do the same on my home computer. He said it was some hack they did in Cupertino and had copied onto the drives of the retail computers.

My question is if anybody has seen what I'm talking about and/or knows how to get this feature onto their desktops without buying Konfabulator (I'm a student and am trying to save money... besides, we'll have dashboard soon enough).

It wasn't a feature of the background (e.g. an html document) as the links were visible when I changed backgrounds. Also, I'm pretty sure the feature was on all the computers. I checked a few notebooks and a few desktops.

Any thoughts?
 
i'm going in on tuesday to take a look. you didn't happen to take any screenshots did you? were they text links, or graphical links? any more explanation other than konfabulator-esque? have you seen dashboard? did it look like that? what OS version was it? I doubt it was Tiger...but maybe?
 
If I remember my visit to the Apple Store a few weeks ago, it's a weblink. It goes to a database on the Apple servers automatically configured to tell the system what store it's in. Then the genius bar goes to that same database when generating the list of "who's on deck".
 
well, you they could have written a program do exactly what you describe for that specific purpose. It wasn't a "hack" since the programmer who designed and coded the program worked for Apple. Apple doesn't have to hack it own software to add features. My guess it was just an Application.
 
couldn't they just be icons with the text removed under their names? Icons that take you to a website or open the app in question?
 
It wouldn't be on their HDs either. Apple store computers are on netboot, meaning they get their HD image from a server every time they start up.
 
jimsowden said:
It wouldn't be on their HDs either. Apple store computers are on netboot, meaning they get their HD image from a server every time they start up.
Click to expand...

Which is nifty, I wish my campus would do that. I hate to see every lab computer with cluttered desktops. Which is why I always trash everything ;P. It is on of my lab monitor duties - to make sure work gets deleted off the desktops. Lost 60hrs or work? Too bad, I found it on the desktop. MWUHAHAHAHAHAHa
 
that would probably be very easy for Apple to do. it could even be a modded form of Dashboard, or a stand alone application.

could someone take some pictures? go to the store take a screenshot and email it to yourself. :D i've never seem this before, but if it's what i'm imagining, they could do it quite simply.

perhaps you could make this into an APE (application enhancer thingy from unsanity.com) for your home use. you can get the APE SDK from their site.
 
superbovine said:
well, you they could have written a program do exactly what you describe for that specific purpose. It wasn't a "hack" since the programmer who designed and coded the program worked for Apple. Apple doesn't have to hack it own software to add features. My guess it was just an Application.
Click to expand...


Easy ol' boy. He was just asking.
 
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