Founder denies tech was taken from osx86project

Psystar co-founders and brothers Rudy Kendall and Robert Kendall have shed light on the beginnings of their company, including a claim they cracked Mac OS X on their own, according to an interview with Miami New Times. After growing up in a family that could not afford the early Macs, Robert set out to learn how to run Apple's operating system on cheaper computers.

Aside from the officially licensed Mac clones produced in the '90s, the Kendall brothers were still preceded by unauthorized hacks pioneered by groups such as the 'osx86project.' Rudy denies accusations that he stole the concept from the Hackintosh community.

"The first thing you have to do is unlearn everything you've read online about how to make this work, because it's all wrong," Rudy said.

The brothers also dismiss the notion that Psystar was designed solely as a legal contender to Apple. ""It's a common misconception that we set out to challenge Apple," Rudy said. "I kind of wish we had, because we probably could have approached this from a much more logical starting point. But that's not how it happened."

While Psystar's media coverage is said to have helped boost sales beyond the startup's early expectation, it has also inspired a number of imitators. "These guys are riding our coattails and we're shouldering all the court costs," said Rudy.

Rudy scoffs at Apple's accusation that Psystar is being kept afloat by a secret group of conspirators. "I'm the secret funder. It's just me."

The brothers' argue they should be allowed to do whatever they want with the Mac OS X software after it has been legitimately purchased from Apple. Robert compares it to buying a book and tearing pages out or rewriting sections. "And if I can find a buyer, I can resell that one copy however I please," he says.

The Psystar clones may not be putting a dent in Apple's Mac sales, however many analysts believe the computer giant is still worried about the implications of losing its legal battle against the Florida-based clone maker.

"There's a lot at stake in this case," says von Lohmann of the EFF. "If Psystar loses, it could set the stage for companies to have a lot more leeway to demand that you use their hardware."

by MacNN Staff