Downloading for a friend? Possible? Legal??

task:
A friend of mine, happy user of FCPX, lives on the country side… a bit too-much-country, means: he has a super-slow & weak internet connection. Downloading gigabytes of updates? Dream on ...

So, twice a year, he puts his 27" iMac into the trunk, loggs in into 'my Internet' , and downloads the GBs he missed he last 6 months....

Now, we both are no engineers, came up with the following idea:
We create a new user on my Mac; he logs in into AppSTore with his ID&pw, clicks on update ... and then, ...... we both have no idea what will happen .. or should happen :silly:

• will the update appear, cause on 'his' account on my Mac, no FCPX is installed …?
• is it possible to 'interrupt' the installing process?
• is it possible to 'catch' the 2GBs of update somewhere on my hard drive (downloads? No, updates from AppStore are located...no idea LOL), and copy this installer to some stick? (better to handle then a 27" iMac)
• and finally, could he update from that file, at home, on his Mac??
• are those App Store delivered updates 'installers' anyhow? Sort of dmg...?

about legally ... that's borderline legal, hm?
Very borderline, I suppose & I'm afraid... (Peter, feel free to lock/erase this thread, if it passes the standards of this site....)
The Mac for download is not his, but he's using, for sure, his account, and he's an entiled legal user/owner of FCPX. For sure, I don't install 'his' update on my Mac/FCPX, I have my own licence...


And, if our sinister plan works out, he finally installs it on his machine ...

.... ??
Possible? Not possible?
Just nuts, and the Men in Black Suites will immediately knock on my door?

quoting apple.com:

" … only on Apple-branded computers that you own or control in accordance with the Mac App Store Product Usage Rules …"

hmm? ... too much small-print on this topic... the moment, he downloads it, he IS in control of that Mac... isn't he? ....

So, this is a two part question?
• possible?
• allowed?

Just a thought, Karsten, don't know if this works.

Your friend could buy a fast external drive where he installs his OS X on. You could boot YOUR Mac from that external drive. Run the updates, take the Disk home, boot friend's Mac from it. Might work, I guess, and should be legal.

Good luck!

Overturf wrote: J... external drive where he installs his OS X on. You could boot YOUR Mac from that external drive. Run the updates, ...!

EXCELLENT Idea!! No clue, if it works, but worth a try, even two
… and I agree, by booting his system, all legal needs seem - for me! - fullfilled...

Fingers crossed, my friend is able to clone his drive/create a bootable usb drive LOL!
(hopefully, his iMac-system launches my MacMini... anyhow, no guts, no glory!!! )

And copying the app from the 'backup' should be drag'n drop .....
Smart!

… I'll give you feedback, when it's done.... !! ... if its done.... :blink:

I would proceed the way Overturf suggested.

- Andreas

I do that with a friend who lives rurally. I just copy all the apps from the Applications folder to his drive. When he gets home, he copies the up-to-date apps, is logged in to the App store, so it knows he's legal, no issues so far.

Multiple accounts on one Mac gets confusing. We have a family iMac with my account and my wife's all on the same machine. I only lets one of us buy an app, but we both can use it. The updates require the purchaser's login. Very confusing, royal PITA, don't do it!

BenB wrote: … I just copy all the apps from the Applications folder to his drive. ...

hoo hoo ho, wait a minute - I'm not that fast:

you copy from your Mac 'your' FCPX on a drive.
He connects that drive to his Mac
drag'n drop from transport hdd to his Mac, locally hdd...

and .... you lost me here:

…he copies the up-to-date apps, is logged in to the App store, so it knows he's legal,…

How does he makes it 'his' copy? Just by being logged-in at AppStore, while copying it??

... sorry, for sounding silly, but I thought, my ID/name/adress/maiden name/DNA ...... is somewhat burned into the apps I'm purchasing. When copying 'my' purchases to my friends Mac, he needs for future updates my store ID.

So, how do we swap my FCPX to his FCPX??

(btw: love the phrase "he lives rurally" ... gives instantly pics in my mind )

I've heard folks say your ID stuff is inside apps from the App Store, but I've yet to see the proof. Even if it is, it doesn't prevent piracy one bit. If he paid for FCPX, doesn't matter if he gets it from App Store, or a hard drive copy, it is still legal.

FCPX is highly pirated in poorer countries, very successfully, because there is no DRM controlling it. App Store knows what you paid for, and what is on your drive. I've done this enough to have no reason to think the App Store is looking for registration numbers.

BenB wrote: I've heard folks say your ID stuff is inside apps from the App Store, but I've yet to see the proof. ....

Perhaps no proof for a Jury, but:
almost every 2nd thread at the Apple Support Community "I can not update", is caused by "Asks for another AppleID, but non mine..." - so: How can the store identify who's knocking at the shops front door? ... Because, it doesn't state "You're not entitled for update, according to our shopping lists, you never bought this app", no: it tells the 'other' UserName/AppleID, and just asks for pw - consistent thinking: there has to be some pairing of app + ID ... No proof in legal terms, just an educated guess ...

.... we will see ... maybe I'll met him as soon as next week.... I want to keep this as simple as possible...

Overturfs plan to update a clone of my friends system drive is still tempting - alone, I could update ALL apps he has installed .....

ok, drag'n drop 'my' FCPX onto 'his' computer is even more simplistic :woohoo:

Hey Karsten, how did things work?

Overturf wrote: Hey Karsten, how did things work?

Ha, ha, ha ... don't remind me on this desaster!! :silly:

I'm still convinced, the 'cloned Mac'-method is the easiest; but, have you ever tried to explain a .... Computer-illiterate how to clone his drive? Sort-of 'The five phases of grief', if you know what I mean:

"I know how to do it", "I don't know how to do it", "I'm too stupid to do it", "My Mac can not do it", "You tell me wrong how to do it!!!" .... sort-of.

In short: 'we' stll hung on point #1 "Create a clone of your drive" .... LOL!!

fingers crossed, I visit him this weekend, with an empty HDD in my pockets.
But I'll tell you first, if this method works!

I still don't understand where the problem is.

Take an empty portable drive, install a system. Boot with that system, unmount all other drives, log into the AppStore With yours or his account). Download the apps. Give him the portable.

- Andreas

Andreas Kiel wrote: I still don't understand where the problem is....

Simple to answer: Never done it that way! :lol:

Plus my probably too naive way thinking how that 'ownership'-thingie works:

I can copy 'my' FCPX on a stick, and drag it onto my friends ccomputer (we tried that) => but then he's not able to update it, 'cause my AppleID is somehow 'burned' into this version = sorry for my amateurish way discribing what I see....

Plus, the ToU/EUL don't allow <cough> it ... his Mac is not my Mac ....

So, in reverse:
somehow, somewhere in the process of downloadng it, the Users ID is 'somehow' added to the file.... because of THAT, the wish for a simplified method ... until now, our method is "If the Internet doesn't come to my friend, my friend (Mac) has to come to the internet" ...

So, the suggestion, just his harrdrive (a copy/clone of it..) has to drive thru the wonderful Bavarian countryside is a huge improvement to our method ...

Now, your idea, to ceate an 'unbranded' OS-drive and DL with that is a new step of reducing any efforts....

.... which assumes, that the AppleID-'branding' happens 'insde' the app, and not in some unknown, or unseen location of the drive ... I remember, MSWord under MacOS v9 couldn't be copied, 'cause there were 'hidden files' ...

I guess, you're right: we probably make things more complicated as they are .... :silly:

The reason he can't update is that the download (history) is not registered in the Apple store in case it's not downloaded with his ID.
So take the fresh drive and download with his Apple ID.

- Andreas

Andreas Kiel wrote: …So take the fresh drive and download with his Apple ID.
…

'll try this!
On the long run, this drive is his 'upgrade'-drive in my household...
Sounds good! Thanks for helping!

<clatter & clank from my desk's drawer >
"…I should have somewhere an unused 2.5"HDD … where the heck is it..…?? My desk is a mess!! "

:lol: :lol:

...his harrdrive (a copy/clone of it..) has to drive thru the wonderful Bavarian countryside...

While I personally would like to travel thru the wonderful Bavarian countryside, this might not be a good idea for your friends "clone" drive.
If he trusts you, you can do all the updates for him with his Apple ID and send the apps on a cheap SD cards per German Post (Yes, I know, not a good idea these days).
And again, don't forget to unmount your personal drives before downloading with his ID.

- Andreas

Andreas Kiel wrote:

...… send the apps on a cheap SD cards per German Post … 

yep, SDcards are more 'envelope-friendly' than drives/sticks.
But to explain my friend, that an SDcard contains other things than pics&vids ... uh, oh ...

You see:
most problems with this task are located about a meter away from the Mac ......

Sometimes, the best solutiion isn't the easiest ... LOL!!

update of this never ending story ...:
Made me a clean installed Yosemite on a usb3 stick, there's a handy tool, called DiskmakerX which handles all the voodoo for a real Start-Up-Disk.

Set in my Macs System Prefs to use this stick ...
<brrrrewmmmm> ok, launch is slower, UI not snappy, but fully functional..

Logged in at AppStore with my friends account ...
Goto FCPX (...not listed under updates .... uh, oh ...), want to 'install' it - no, no luck:
"There's allready a version installed under a diff.AppleID" - yes, mine!!!

Although my Mac runs under a newly, not 'branded' OS, and (my) FCPX is installed on some other (=my internal) drive - AppStore smells the fraud .... LOL!!!

So take the fresh drive and download with his Apple ID.

No, that's too simple... or, I made it wrong.... anyhow.
(and I tried to re-name my installed version of FCPX, to hide it - no luck.
I guess, I have physically to unplug the internal drive ... no way!!!

... no, my friend and I are no good in such 'work arounds'....
Actually, we have a lil' holiday here, Whitsun - we will practise our 'brutal force' method, and carry his iMac to my iNet plug ...
It's a nice ceremony, two handicapped men dragging a huge box (original packaging) across the road, ..... funny!

Thanks again everybody for your suggestions..... this project doesn't made it on the first page of my priority list .... wasted enough energy on that. :woohoo:

Karsten,

The method I described above is easy - but not idiot-proof :woohoo:

I've some doubt that you've unmounted all other drives as I recommended.

The installer will find any FCPX installed anywhere on any drive.
And if it finds one on your "normal" boot drive you're out of this business for that job

-Andreas

Andreas Kiel wrote: .... The installer will find any FCPX installed anywhere on any drive.
And if it finds one on your "normal" boot drive you're out of this business for that job
…

Thanks, A, for your endurance helping two old man over the road .... my apps are in their natural habität = int.HDD, so unplugging the drive is no option. For me!

As mentioned, we always had the Plan B in our pockets, carrying the computer cross-country to the internet .... ok, very 20th centurish, but a 100% working. And legal. And whatsoever....

... my time-budget is limited, makes more fun to create for example soccer-plug-ns... :silly:

Have a nice weekend!

Thanks, A, for your endurance helping two old man over the road .... my apps are in their natural habität = int.HDD, so unplugging the drive is no option. For me!

I never talked about unplugging.
There are some nice apps which come with every OS version since OS 6 or 7.
Disk Utility is one of them.
There are also some short cuts existing since an eternity like "cmd-e".

Some tips from an old man to a maybe older man

- Andreas