Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by lloeki 3676 days ago
The kext mechanism is pragmatic and interesting: as opposed to Linux kernel modules, binary kexts are compatible across whole kernel versions.

Also, having alternatives is always interesting. I was also interested in making the core of OS X† have some form of FOSS liveliness, but I've been quite disheartened about OS X and openness (however limited) since this[0] happened.

[0]: https://github.com/lloeki/xbox_one_controller/issues/2

† I do believe that FOSS is very important, but I also recognise the critical effect of closed source innovations, and believe that a delicate balance and synergy between both aspects can produce fantastic results.

2 comments

Strange The OSS kext I use for SMART USB HDDs [0] is also signed, but obviously not the source. You can download the compiled and signed driver here [1].

[0]https://github.com/kasbert/OS-X-SAT-SMART-Driver [1]https://binaryfruit.com/drivedx/usb-drive-support

This sounds like one reviewer has it in their mind that the signing is for licensing (commercialization) and not for security (authentication).

Weird, for example this https://github.com/360Controller/360Controller is open source and signed. As usual, Apple's review system is completely arbitrary.