safe to unlock?

[chefmerrick]

magnus,
let do it ..

[Magnus]

magnus,
let do it ..

So what's your suggestion then for the revised policy? Just not to have any restrictions, or?

[Thamir]

Honestly, Magnus, it's clear to me, at least, that you need to allow discussion of UAE-related unlock issues. Where else can people get locally-focused information? People are going to unlock their phones (or brick them in the attempt) whether you allow discussion here or not.

I am not saying we should provide links here to the unlocking software, with how-to manuals or anything, but members should be allowed to discuss their problems and help each other find solutions. Especially with regards to the specific functioning of their handsets with the local networks. The iPhone is not sold here officially, but is sold here in large quantities openly, which leaves a lot of people with no support channels to turn to, and many have become victims of unscrupulous sellers selling 'hactivated' sets that they told are legitimately unlocked then get bricked when they update them. Where are they supposed to go to for help? ABM? PROTECH? iStore? No, they need a forum. Not everyone is as experienced as you or I.

Now there is a beta unlock of the iPhone 3G that a lot of people in the UAE and the Gulf have been having trouble getting to work with the operators here, so this would be the right time to revise the policy.

Besides, it is not illegal to discuss these issues here. So, what's the problem?

To quote the famous line from the movie 'Amistad', Give Us Free!! (in a manner of speaking)

[fangpyre]

My concern is for our status as a Mac User Group.
This gives us many benefits.

Would discussing the unlock procedure jeopardize that?

[Magnus]

My concern is for our status as a Mac User Group.
This gives us many benefits.

Would discussing the unlock procedure jeopardize that?

I doubt it would. It may be against what Apple wants us to do but I don't think it would jeopardize our registration with them.

Why don't we do this? I'll take that policy off the forum description and we'll open it up and see how it progresses? Then I'll add it to the agenda for Jan's EMUG meeting and we can decide then.

[chefmerrick]

Magnus
By doing that, all that the forum has protected in the interest of Apple could/would take a 360 turn.
people would end up discussing and also sharing.
However if people want to discuss it fine.
Any individual can post his/her issue and if someone has a solution can PM the respective person.
In this no one affected purpose served.
Its what i feel/think.

[Magnus]

Magnus
By doing that, all that the forum has protected in the interest of Apple could/would take a 360 turn.
people would end up discussing and also sharing.
However if people want to discuss it fine.
Any individual can post his/her issue and if someone has a solution can PM the respective person.
In this no one affected purpose served.
Its what i feel/think.

Sorry, chef, not exactly sure what you mean, looking forward to clearing it up at Jan's meeting.

[chefmerrick]

sure magnus.

[Thamir]

I apologise in advance if I misunderstood or will misquote chefmerrick's post, but what I gather from his suggestion is that he is proposing that we allow people to post their issues/questions, and then any help or solution would be permissable only by PM, not by open posting.

I'm sorry, but that would be quite redundant in my view, and I don't see how that would be any sort of departure from the current rules. People are already able to PM each other with specific and private messages, and the whole point of opening up the discussion is precisely that - opening it up. PM's are Private (hence the name), and therefore not open to all.

I personally don't see the point in Emiratesmac imposing restrictions that are neither legally nor morally necessary, especially when these very issues are openly discussed on countless other forums, especially the most popular iphone forums on the net. People can always go there for information, but Emiratesmac is (or should be) the place to come for UAE-specific issues. That's also in the name.

[Magnus]

I personally don't see the point in Emiratesmac imposing restrictions that are neither legally nor morally necessary, especially when these very issues are openly discussed on countless other forums, especially the most popular iphone forums on the net. People can always go there for information, but Emiratesmac is (or should be) the place to come for UAE-specific issues. That's also in the name.

In general I agree, but there is no absolute truth in what's moral or not, I think, and just because some information can be found on countless other sites doesn't mean we should necessarily have that information too.

I don't mind us trying to open it up to anything in terms of iPhone and see how it goes.