Mac-on-Linux

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mac

Mac-on-Mac.png
Basic data

Maintainer Joseph Jezak, Count Alexander
developer Samuel Rydh (1997-2004), Joseph Jezak a. a. (since 2005)
Publishing year 1997
Current  version 0.9.72.1
(June 27, 2007)
operating system Linux ( PowerPC )
category Virtualization
License GPL ( Free Software )
mac-on-linux.sourceforge.net (originally www.ibrium.se )

Mac-on-Linux (short MOL ) is an open-source - virtualization software from Samuel Rydh (Ibrium) under Linux systems based on the PowerPC , the architecture running Apple operating system Mac OS can virtualize. According to his own statements, the focus of development by Samuel Rydh wasto makeMac OSusableunder Linux / PPC .

In addition to the PCs of the Power Macintosh series, Mac-on-Linux runs on all other computers with PowerPC architecture ( Common Hardware Reference Platform ), including Macintosh clones such as the Pegasos , but also the AmigaOne .

Since the last version is currently from June 2007, it is problematic at best to use Mac-on-Linux on a current Linux / PPC system.

technology

Development history, schematic (PowerPC as a rectangle)

For Mac-on-Linux is not a classic emulator , but a so-called virtual machine (see virtualization ). In contrast to many Mac emulators, a ROM image of a Mac computer is not required in order to be able to install and use classic Mac OS or Mac OS X in the virtualized environment. For some functions, Mac-on-Linux uses parts of the existing open source code from Basilisk II ( X11 and Ethernet) and QEMU (QCOW format for virtual hard disks).

Mac-on-Linux makes the following components available to the guest system:

  • Host system CPU ; The PowerPC processors 603 , 604 , G3 and G4 are supported
  • MMU of the host system
  • AltiVec support (from PowerPC G4)
  • Idle Sleep (usable from Mac OS 8.6 as guest system)
  • a separate ROM image is only required in “old world” mode (pre-Mac OS 8.5).
  • Multi-session support
  • SCSI (generic)
  • USB (generic)
  • Audio (with special driver for Mac OS X 10.2 "Jaguar" and newer)
  • Network (with special driver for Mac OS X 10.2 "Jaguar" and newer)
  • CD burner
  • physical disk partitions as well as
  • virtual hard disks as QCOW images (QEMU Copy-On-Write)

The following front ends are implemented on the host system:

  • Full screen video ( fbdev , xdga)
  • MMU accelerated X11 video output

The source code for Mac OS X drivers, which have to be compiled under Mac OS X, is included in the Mac-on-Linux source package . However, Xcode , the Mac-OS-X-10.2.8- SDK and the X11-SDK are required . This can also be used to create an installation package for Mac OS X, which should then work on Mac OS X 10.2 (“Jaguar,” 2002) to Tiger (10.4, 2005). The MOL drivers can also be installed on a native Mac OS X, as the drivers are only used when Mac OS X is running on Mac-on-Linux . The Apple operating system can be used natively or under Mac-on-Linux from the same partition as required . Under Debian- based Linux / PPC distributions there was the package mol-drivers-macosxthat already contained the drivers in binary form.

A related project is the PearPC emulator , which provides full PowerPC emulation on the x86 architecture.

development

Created by Samuel Rydh, Mac-on-Linux was maintained and further developed under the umbrella of the Ibrium company in the open development model. According to the version history, development began on June 1, 1997. Seven years later, on March 21, 2004, Samuel Rydh ended his involvement with MOL with the release of version 0.9.70. Then the project was on SourceForge maintained by Joseph Jezak, the source was in a SVN - repository transferred.

However, not much has changed since version 0.9.72.1 was released in June 2007. One of the obvious reasons could be Apple's move to the x86 architecture, which was completed in 2006. This makes it possible on x86 hardware to use Mac OS X / Intel (from Tiger, Version 10.4.4, 2006) directly ( Hackintosh ); for Mac OS up to Version 9, emulation programs such as SheepShaver must be used.

On 64-bit -PowerPC processors like the G5 as the Power Mac G5 , Xserve G5 and G5 iMac is used, is Mac-on-Linux can not run, even though the first adjustments were begun this already of 2007.

compatibility

Mac-on-Linux supports the following guest systems:

Mac-on-Linux only runs on 32-bit PowerPC computers. This makes the Power Mac G4 the fastest Apple computer on which MOL can be used, as the last and fastest Power Mac series uses 64-bit G5 processors.

The current version 0.9.72.1 of Mac-on-Linux comes from June 2007 and was adapted to the kernel 2.6.22 at that time. There are a few patches for newer Linux versions , but even these do not follow the current state of kernel development.

While Mac OS X Tiger (10.4, 2005) does not cause any problems, Mac OS X Leopard (10.5, 2007) (as of 2017) does not work under Mac-on-Linux .

Since the Apple EULA prohibits the use of Mac OS on non-Apple PCs, it can only legally be used on Apple computers under Linux, provided that the EULA is valid in the respective country. In Germany this clause is to be regarded as null and void, so a legally acquired Mac OS can be virtualized with MOL on any other PowerPC computer.

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Mac-on-Linux - Overview ( Memento from August 11, 2001 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ↑ mac-on-linux project status of January 24, 1999 (English)
  3. ↑ PPCNUX: Interview with Samuel Rydh, the developer of Mac-On-Linux (MOL) from May 1, 2003
  4. ↑ MacGuardians: Mac OS X on Amiga? dated September 11, 2002
  5. ↑ a b Gentoo Linux Forum: Mac-on-Linux (Ongoing) from June 28, 2011 (English)
  6. ↑ Ibrium: Mac-on-Linux Overview ( Memento from December 23, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) from December 23, 2006 (English)
  7. ↑ Ubuntu packages: mol-drivers-macosx (0.9.72.1-1) [multiverse]
  8. ↑ Mac-on-Linux News ( Memento from December 20, 2006 in the Internet Archive ), incomplete version history up to Mac-on-Linux 0.9.70 from March 21, 2004 (English)
  9. ↑ PPCNUX: Mac-on-Linux in version 0.9.7x.: Update :. dated December 4, 2006
  10. ↑ Gentoo Linux Forum: Is mol still usable on recent kernels? from April 15, 2009 (English)
  11. ↑ Debian Bug report logs: mol-drivers-macosx: doesn't work with OSX 10.5 from September 8th, 2008
  12. ↑ [Mac-on-Linux-users] leopard? dated February 28, 2009