Apple Under Fire For Backing Off IPv6 Support 460
alphadogg writes "Apple Computer came under fire for back-pedaling on its support for IPv6, the next-generation Internet Protocol, at a gathering of experts held in Denver this week. Presenters at the North American IPv6 Summit expressed annoyance that the latest version of Apple's AirPort Utility, Version 6.0, is no longer compatible with IPv6. The previous Version, 5.6, offered IPv6 service by default. While home networking vendors like Cisco and D-Link are adding IPv6 across their product lines, Apple appears to be the only vendor that is removing this feature."
We still need subjects? (Score:5, Interesting)
I'm sure slashdot readers are entirely unaware of what goes on when a program is rewritten. And naturally assume that when it happens, 100% of all features and abilities are reproduced without any complications in a couple months. Just look at photoshop - its been such a breeze to rewrite for adobe.
I'm sure no company would ever think about building a rewrite with enough features and polish to ship, then add in feature parity as updates later.
peer-to-peer = loss of control (Score:4, Interesting)
Every big firm wants, above all, to get rid of the quaint notion that the Internet is a network of intelligent peers. Much better to have dumb terminals all locked in to your service.
Sticking with IPv4 and the resultant multi-NAT hell is a good technical step in this direction.
It's like Google pretending to champion IPv6 then setting absurd conditions for their IPv6 services. So ISPs which offer native IPv6 by default, such as England's Andrews&Arnold, have to jump through artificial hoops before they're "supported". And it's no coincidence that half of abusive SixXS is half-run by a Google employee.
Oddly enough - and this'll get me the mod to oblivion - only MS has historically shown neutral support for IPv6, neither trying to control it nor eschewing it. That's because, I expect, Microsoft was traditionally about the powerful desktop and local server (running NT, of course). Now it's jumped on the cloud bandwagon, who knows?
Airport Utility 6.0 is awful (Score:5, Interesting)
I'm sure the functionality will be added back in.
Airport Utility 6.0 follows the recent trend of Apple making all of their software neutered versions of iOS versions (Lion to a certain extent, iCal, Address Book, etc)--so the comments here http://www.macrumors.com/2012/01/30/apple-releases-redesigned-ios-like-airport-utility-6-0-and-an-airport-base-station-bug-fix/ [macrumors.com]. So, they went from a useful program with a standard interface (old version) to one with a pretty UI that lacks major features.
The trend has been for Apple to add MOST features back in at some point, so hopefully it continues. I can't imagine Airport Utility will stay this way forever.
I just keep an old binary around...
Re:ipv4 is dead, long live ipv4! (Score:5, Interesting)
I don't anticipate that ipv4 dies off as slowly as many people suggest. ipv4 is easy to understand, and addresses fit within the average technicians short term memory. Just try to remember ipv6 addresses, you brain will melt!
IPv4 never has to go away. It can be used forever in internal networks.
IPv6 Addresses can be remembered if you select your local bits rather than let the slaac monster pick them for you. Google via IPv6 for example: 2001:4860:8005::68 ... Almost the same length as an IPv4 address!!
IPv6 lets you have some hexsp33k fun..
Face book:
2620:0:1cfe:face:b00c::3
cisco dog food ipv6 day:
2001:420:80:1:c:15:c0:d07:f00d
SPRINT!!! OMFG...
2600::
Re:Features (Score:3, Interesting)
I have heard one paranoid assertion about IP6 which said that the reason it was being pushed so enthusiastically is that every device in the world will gets its own address. With a GUID on all traffic, everything is traceable and MAFIAA and the spooks are happy.
discuss
Re:Because 32bits of addressing... (Score:5, Interesting)
IPv6 allows us to finally get rid of NAT by having the router request several public addresses which are handed out to the individual computers.
The "not needed" mentality doesn't solve anything, especially because they could have just added an option to disable IPv6 instead of removing it.
Re:Because 32bits of addressing... (Score:2, Interesting)
IPv6 addresses are not concatenated within the packets. The concatenation is only a display feature. Each packet contains all of the bits in each IPv6 address. While the router may display fe80::10 the packet actually contains fe80:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:0000:0010
Re:Because 32bits of addressing... (Score:5, Interesting)
I was really puzzled about this, so I went to 'investigate' the issue a bit. Turns out Airport is not a router, but a sort of wireless switch (no modem). So this is probably another speed optimization as packets are 96bit smaller and your home network probably isn't filled with more than 4294967296 devices.
The first thing that comes to my mind is how in the hell this is going to work when you want to access the internet in such a configuration. The utility or physical Airport station probably converts this. I don't think Apple is that retarded...
If you investigate further, you'll see it's just the Admin tool that lost support when they rewrote it, and it has nothing to do with the actual Airport device. Just like Final Cut Pro X, I'm sure Apple will re-add features over time.
Re:Because 32bits of addressing... (Score:5, Interesting)
I don't think Apple is that retarded...
I'm sure I'll be modded flamebait for this, but I take it you don't have much dealing with Apple products in a support capacity. They can be pretty retarded. Little things like:
* Improper grounding on wifi cards in the macbook air
* Driver/kernel integration with DHCP
* Signed binaries becoming corrupt requiring a full reinstall (or similar)
* Removing features and adding steps to perform basic tasks while calling it 'streamlining'
* Removing compatibility for no apparent reason (eg. samba removal)