I really didn't mean for this to get this out of hand, and I hope this thread hasn't discouraged any of the readers out there from contributing to this list.
On Friday, February 14, 2003, at 01:34 PM, Paul Nelson wrote: > I don't feel that Apple has a moral right to withhold this > information from people who want to repair old machines, and some > snotty > techie wanting to maintain Apple service technician's monopoly on > repairs > to out of date machines really puts me off. I surely hope you aren't referring to me, as you have only read a few e-mail that I have posted to the list and that wouldn't be enough to constitute a decision on my nose or it's well-being. Never the less, the issue is simple. Apple created the repair manuals, and they own the rights to them. The intention was to assist repair facilities to fix Macs, because Apple can't be everywhere in the world to work on every warranty Mac. They are their own private material, and just because someone has leaked them illegally, doesn't mean that it is fair game for anyone to share. Fair is fair, so lets keep it that way. If you wish to open up your warranty Mac, feel free. In fact they aren't that difficult, however you would void the warranty. Now the issue that I am sure that most people have, is the repair manuals for out of warranty Macs. I mean really... does releasing a repair manual for a Mac Plus really a concern to Apple? The answer would be no, however it's still up to Apple (just as they have only released up to System 7.5.5 for free. Why not release OS 8 as well?) and being a repair tech or not has no influence. We are talking about legalities. If you want to repair your Mac, there are many excellent books to help you such as Sad Macs & Disasters, and a few other earlier titles that escape me for the moment. Otherwise face the wrath of Apple's legal team. > The technician's rallying to Apple's defense is based on pure > greed. If we don't maintain our own machines, they will go into > landfill > as the techie's time is far too expensive to pay for an early machine. > This is immoral *snip* Greed is not the incentive to withhold the manuals. It's intellectual property. If the service manual was released for the new Segway, then everyone would know how to make a machine to stand up on it's own. What good would Segway's patent be? Just as Apple doesn't want someone stealing their ideas. I appreciate everyone sharing their comments, because obviously this seems to be a topic that strikes a chord in many people. I suggest books like The Dead Mac Sea Scrolls which is very informative to assist you in repairing your Mac, as well as not harming the computer or yourself as there are many dangerous parts in a Mac. If you feel that Apple should be releasing the manuals to the public, (or even sell them as mentioned earlier) then the best thing to do is e-mail Apple. Thanks for reading, Evan -- Mac Canada is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Shop Canadian, visit Mantek Services <http://www.mantek.mb.ca> Low Prices That Will Keep YOU and Your MAC Smiling Educational discounts are now available Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> Mac Canada info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/mac-can.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/mac-canada%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
