Could someone with dithering problems who is using a Mac do these steps for me? Go to Terminal/iTerm, run kextstat and save the output to a file? Also please list what model of Mac you have, OS X version, and what GPU and if it has switchable graphics. This is useful: http://www.everymac.com/mac-identification/how-to-find-apple-model-family-numbers-for-mac-identification.html An example (in my case): 2015 15" Macbook Pro, Switchable Intel Iris Pro and AMD R9 370X graphics. You can use code tags to paste it without it obscuring the rest of the post ``` like this ``` like this if(window.hljsLoader && !document.currentScript.parentNode.hasAttribute('data-s9e-livepreview-onupdate')) { window.hljsLoader.highlightBlocks(document.currentScript.parentNode); } Or if it's too big email me, jtl at teamclassified dot ca I tested this morning and might have a way to modify the code of the kexts, which might allow to me to disable the dithering. Let's face it. Amulet Hotkey and the others are useless. Seems like I'm the best shot for the time being. Thanks

JTL Oops. And I accidently caused my laptop to stop booting because I accidently corrupted one of the .kexts while editing it. Goes to show you should always make backups.

Note: Modifying the existing kexts and just injecting code to turn off dithering would be safer and survive OS upgrades. Being able to edit the kext code is a good first step though. The only information about Amulet Hotkey's kext is this screenshot https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gf7GValbbu4/UIqMb-KqKKI/AAAAAAAAAas/3e5uUtw3ItU/s1600/photo%2B%252810%2529.JPG Notice after ahkinject the <4 3> . That corresponds with the other "required" kexts I think, kext number 3 is IOKit which is a method for drivers to interface with haradware. Don't know much about it.

I'd love it if you got somewhere with this. I'll pull a couple different Macbooks' data for you later today.

Gurm Thanks. The hard part after this is figuring out what functions actually control the dithering. Like I mentioned above I accidently NOP'd (no operation) the wrong function causing my laptop to stop booting. I just copied the kext back into place and it was fixed though. Still annoying.

Very excited by this prospect JTL - it could make a big difference to a lot of people's lives if you could work it out. I no longer use Macbooks I'm afraid, had to chop them out my life!

si_edgey Unfortunate. Not making any promises but now that my vision is stabilizing and I have more time, why not do it?

I think the best goal would be for me to develop a new NVinject of sorts that does IORegistry injection, but works with newer OS X versions and 64-bit, etc. If you disable SIP it let's the kext be fully used without signing (which costs $100 a year) so this is good for testing. If we have a full version that works and we know it I can just pony up the $100 to make an easy-to-use signed version. Also I was looking through the AMD kexts and saw something interesting. jtl-macbookpro:Apple kexts jtl$ strings AMDSupport |grep AAPL AAPL,slot-name AAPL%02X, AAPL,gray-value AAPL00,T1 AAPL00,T2 AAPL00,T3 AAPL00,T4 AAPL00,T5 AAPL00,T6 AAPL00,T7 AAPL00,LinkFormat AAPL00,PixelFormat AAPL00,Dither [sic] if(window.hljsLoader && !document.currentScript.parentNode.hasAttribute('data-s9e-livepreview-onupdate')) { window.hljsLoader.highlightBlocks(document.currentScript.parentNode); } Now if we check the NVinject's Info.plist <key>entriesToAdd</key> <dict> <key>AAPL01,Dither</key> <data> AAAAAQ== </data> </dict> if(window.hljsLoader && !document.currentScript.parentNode.hasAttribute('data-s9e-livepreview-onupdate')) { window.hljsLoader.highlightBlocks(document.currentScript.parentNode); } So there is a difference.

@vinkenvvt I remember you did something with Clover EFI and it didn't work, which one was that?

This is interesting https://developer.apple.com/library/content/documentation/DeviceDrivers/Conceptual/AccessingHardware/AH_Finding_Devices/AH_Finding_Devices.html I made a simple kext that logs to the console app. It works. 151 0 0xffffff7f83e63000 0x2000 0x2000 ca.teamclassified.testkext (1) 194C7603-9A67-39C4-A95B-C1D7780658B8 <4> 2017-09-13 17:23:36.000 kernel[0]: TestKext has loaded

Good work JTL, sounds like progress of some kind. Any joy with the AAPL00 / AAPL01 thing?

OSX dithering - Help wanted

NewDwarf

anon123 Yes, it definitely has positive results.

ryans

NewDwarf I will definitely share it soon but currently I keep it private.

Will greatly appreciate anything you could share when you are comfortable doing so.

Note that ditherig is open-source but unfortunately only runs on Windows. It seems Apple new devices is using Apple ARM silicon but working Intel is still very useful.

Glad you got positive results, that's great!

NewDwarf By reversing the Intel driver.

That's awesome -- with IDA or something similar?

NewDwarf

ryans Totally different approach in the macOS Intel driver.

Yes, I reversed it by the IDA Pro.

henno

NewDwarf Are you looking for marketing your solution?

NewDwarf

henno No. It will be absolutely free. But there are some obstacles to share it right now.

henno

NewDwarf Legal obstacles?

NewDwarf

henno Yes.

axel

NewDwarf what changes in 3 month?

think some people really need to calm down and stop the censorship comparable to bloody dictators

as determined by several recent court cases reverse engineering of legitimately obtained software to correct issues is de-facto legal.

you own a mac there is your legitimately obtained macos.

also apple has left the hackintosh scene alone only getting upset when people distribute copyrighted installer images or sell premade hackintosh systems

you are allowed to make install images from an existing mac system and selling a computer that could run macos is not illegal

distributing complete fixes can sound like a challenge but methods of binary patching can be done that do not involve the distribution of any items of copyright.

please pm or email and we can talk in private

Sunspark

So do a documented clean-room approach if this requires code. One person who knows the details explains the general details to the other programmer without showing code or anything, and this should be cleanly documented and ideally, all code should be in a repo to show that it was organically grown.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clean_room_design

axel

Sunspark how do you think people discover 'secret' properties or undocumented features of macos?

not through brute force or lucky guessing. :-)

ryans

I had an idea awhile ago to try to do similar to ditherig using some existing tools like PCIUtils. or intel-gpu-tools. PCIUtils claims to use IOKit to run on Darwin. It's far from my area of expertise FWIW.

Not sure the approach @NewDwarf is taking, but food for thought anyway.

NewDwarf

ryans BTW, do you have reverse engineering skills? The solution to disable dithering is so elegant, so you will wonder you still don't have it.

No need to dig any tools any source code. Just only one string!!!

ryans

NewDwarf I don't own any Apple device currently, unfortunately. I played around with IDA a few years ago, but I just wasn't into learning x86 assembly. To fix this miserable eye strain issue I would learn anything though! I did go to school for CS but we studied a much simpler MIPS assembly. Any tips to get started 😉?

Out of curiosity do you think your solution would for Linux?

axel

NewDwarf elegant solution you say? could it be feature string in the driver? :-)

if you certain it work why not describe it here? describing facts is legal and surely someone else with knowledge will find it from that.

NewDwarf

ryans This solution is macOS specific one. I would say it is kind of a backdoor (to disable dithering even when the System Integrity Protection is active) for the Apple's engineers.

I believe, if you load the Intel driver into the IDA, you can quickly fine a solution.

ryans

NewDwarf Very interesting. Did you try on Macbook or a Mac Mini? I'm trying to find a good priced Mac Mini that can run Monterey.

NewDwarf

ryans I did it on MacBook Pro 13'' 2020. But it doesn't matter.

Take the driver /System/Library/Extensions/AppleIntelBDWGraphicsFramebuffer.kext and disassemble it. The solution is there.

You can find this driver on any Intel based Apple laptop.

CRoebuck

NewDwarf I did it on MacBook Pro 13'' 2020.

The exact same Mac that is giving me issues and forces me back to my 2015 / 2017 13-inch. Did you have issues using this machine before "the solution"?

I have posted multiple times in this thread about my Dithering journey on both Mac and Windows and how I arrived at a conclusion a few years ago that this was an Intel driver issue (not a panel) all along

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/eye-strain-returned-my-2019-16-macbook-pro.2212479/page-12?post=31582068#post-31582068

Now to figure out if I need IDA Pro or if Home is sufficient to try this….

devilgrove

NewDwarf why did you choose to edit the Broadwell graphics kext? Wouldn't a 2020 MBP use Coffee Lake or Ice Lake (depending on the version)?

devilgrove

MAS-76 do you have any information regarding the modifications that he made to disable the Intel dithering?

NewDwarf

devilgrove You don't need to edit kext directly to disable dithering. Try to think about other options….

BTW, does someone have reversing skills? The solution is so simple. It can very surprise you when you will find how dithering is controlled.

NewDwarf

devilgrove I didn't/don't modify any kext. I just use them for reversing. There is Intel based MacBook Pro 2020.

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