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Author Topic: Nspire 2.1 out, don't install it!  (Read 91971 times)

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Offline qazz42

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Re: Nspire 2.1 out, don't install it!
« Reply #90 on: July 16, 2010, 10:06:48 pm »
Yes, it is totally possible, I personally think it is a software block, but that is up to Brandon to decide!

Has anyone contacted TI? If so, please post result here, I would like to see, I am going to see if I can contact them too
« Last Edit: July 16, 2010, 10:20:28 pm by qazz42 »
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Offline Deep Toaster

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Re: Nspire 2.1 out, don't install it!
« Reply #91 on: July 17, 2010, 04:00:53 am »
Here's a rough draft of a potential Slashdot story (feel free to edit it):

EDIT: See third topic down.

After someone submits a story on Slashdot, the editors read it and decide if it's "news-worthy", and whether it gets published depends on them. Should I (I do have a Slashdot account)?
« Last Edit: July 17, 2010, 06:01:02 am by Deep Thought »
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Offline Silver Shadow

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Re: Nspire 2.1 out, don't install it!
« Reply #92 on: July 17, 2010, 04:59:52 am »
Nice story. If the others agree with me too, you should post it.
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Offline critor

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Re: Nspire 2.1 out, don't install it!
« Reply #93 on: July 17, 2010, 05:19:15 am »
Very nice story.

You may mention something else: this is not TI's first attack against Ndless. TI-Bank used to host the 1.1 OS that was automatically downloaded by Ndless. On april the 2nd, we received a letter from TI's french lawyers, saying that the OS were copyrighted and couldn't be hosted on any website, but asking only to remove OS 1.1. This was definately the 1st attack against Ndless.
So OS 2.1 is allready the 2nd attack.


The TI-Nspire Docking Station which needs OS 2.1 will be the 3rd attack... and the next OS in march with 3D graphing and maybe a paying sdk will be the 4th and 5th attack.

We have to strike back before that...
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Offline Deep Toaster

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Re: Nspire 2.1 out, don't install it!
« Reply #94 on: July 17, 2010, 05:59:01 am »
Thanks, here it is.

"Texas Instruments, already infamous thanks to the signing key controversy last year, is trying a new trick to lock down its graphing calculators, this time directed toward its newest TI-Nspire line. The TI-Nspires were already the most controlled of TI's various calculator models, and no third-party development of any kind (except for its very limited form of TI-BASIC) was allowed until the release of Ndless. Ndless is an independent tool enabling assembly and C development on the otherwise locked-down Nspire. Since its release, TI has been determined to prevent the large calculator programming community from using it. Its latest released operating system for the Nspire family (version 2.1) now prevents the calculators from downgrading to OS 1.1, needed to run Ndless. This is the TI's second major attack on Ndless, as the company has already demanded that websites posting the required OS 1.1 be removed from public download, obviously to prevent use of the tool. Once again, TI is preventing calculator hobbyists from running their own software on calculators they bought and paid for. Is TI going the way Apple did?"

The other parts probably shouldn't be added since they're more of speculation than of actual evidence that TI is against Ndless, and as you mentioned earlier, it has to be short.

And critor, could you link me to the letter to TI-BANK, even if it's in French? The editors at Slashdot like to see lots of links ;)
« Last Edit: July 17, 2010, 06:05:50 am by Deep Thought »
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Offline critor

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Re: Nspire 2.1 out, don't install it!
« Reply #95 on: July 17, 2010, 06:19:30 am »
Very very good. You may publish it.
Thanks for your work.

Here is the letter asking TI-Bank to remove OS 1.1 (in french):
http://my.link.free.fr/upload/20100402091449476.pdf
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Offline apcalc

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Re: Nspire 2.1 out, don't install it!
« Reply #96 on: July 17, 2010, 10:32:23 am »
Quote from: critor on July 17, 2010, 05:19:15 am
The TI-Nspire Docking Station which needs OS 2.1 will be the 3rd attack... and the next OS in march with 3D graphing and maybe a paying sdk will be the 4th and 5th attack.

We have to strike back before that...

critor, when you say "paying sdk" do you mean a sdk that can be used to develop programs (games) in ASM/C or one that can only be used to create TI-Nspire documents like on calc.

Excellent article, Deep Thought.  Hopefully this will be noticed by someone and we can strike back!!! :D
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Offline TC01

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Re: Nspire 2.1 out, don't install it!
« Reply #97 on: July 17, 2010, 10:33:52 am »
Maybe you should also mention that original versions of the Nspire OS didn't even allow TI-Basic programming?

Like "(except for its very limited form of TI-Basic, which was not even made available until Nspire OS 1.3)"?
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Offline critor

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Re: Nspire 2.1 out, don't install it!
« Reply #98 on: July 17, 2010, 10:36:56 am »
Quote from: apcalc on July 17, 2010, 10:32:23 am
critor, when you say "paying sdk" do you mean a sdk that can be used to develop programs (games) in ASM/C or one that can only be used to create TI-Nspire documents like on calc.

A french teacher working for TI by testing the new OSes befor they are released told me about it, but I cannot say more...

He didn't tell me it would be a paying software... that's my guess. I often wish to be wrong :p
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Offline Lionel Debroux

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Re: Nspire 2.1 out, don't install it!
« Reply #99 on: July 17, 2010, 10:49:03 am »
Deep Thought: your summary is very good, but somewhat too long. Slashdot news are usually shorter :)

An idea to shorten the submission: "... until the release of the independent Ndless program. [snip the next sentence describing Ndless]"
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Offline qazz42

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Re: Nspire 2.1 out, don't install it!
« Reply #100 on: July 17, 2010, 12:42:39 pm »
Hmm, because I have an nspire, please tell me if I can do anything to help!

That slashdot story is very good, but should be condensed as stated above, Ti will regret attacking ndless.
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Offline DJ Omnimaga

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Re: Nspire 2.1 out, don't install it!
« Reply #101 on: July 17, 2010, 01:35:09 pm »
That slashdot article seems good. However, one question: When something's submitted to Slashdot, do you give a link to the article so we can vote it up? Or is it up to the admins there?

Also, I hope there's a way to modify the TI-Nspire OS header to remove the downgrade protection or allowing an older OS to be installed (maybe changing the version number of an old OS?) without having to go through the whole 1024 bit key factoring process...
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Offline Lionel Debroux

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Re: Nspire 2.1 out, don't install it!
« Reply #102 on: July 17, 2010, 02:05:16 pm »
Quote
When something's submitted to Slashdot, do you give a link to the article so we can vote it up? Or is it up to the admins there?
It can be up-voted and down-voted by those who have an account (or maybe just the subscribers ? I am subscribed, in any case) and by the mods.
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Offline critor

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Re: Nspire 2.1 out, don't install it!
« Reply #103 on: July 17, 2010, 02:11:37 pm »
Quote from: DJ Omnimaga on July 17, 2010, 01:35:09 pm
Also, I hope there's a way to modify the TI-Nspire OS header to remove the downgrade protection or allowing an older OS to be installed (maybe changing the version number of an old OS?) without having to go through the whole 1024 bit key factoring process...

I've experimented yesterday and today.

The TI-Nspire.img header is protected by a blowfish-encrypted copy.
I've managed to modify the header and the encrypted copy in a coherent way.

But the installation did fail... propably the header is protected by the RSA1024 signature too...
So, double protection then...


I've published my tests in french:
http://tibank.forumactif.com/actualites-f25/os-21-sorti-t5803-60.htm#92803
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Offline DJ Omnimaga

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Re: Nspire 2.1 out, don't install it!
« Reply #104 on: July 17, 2010, 02:32:07 pm »
Yeah I saw earlier :(

I hope this doesn't mean we will have to wait 5 or 10 years for computers powerful enough to factorize 1024 bit keys to come out x.x (if such computers even come out then).

Btw, to make a third-party Nspire OS from scratch, do we need to factor the official OS keys? Would a third-party linking software with Nspire transfer capabilities be able to circumvent on-calc protections preventing a third-party OS to be installed?
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