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Q: How can you FORCE Classic mode to run on an Intel Mac? OS 9 emulation Rosetta Software Design

Hello everyone, I had a few thoughts on running Classic mode on intel macs which I wanted to share.

Now I know little about software design, but maybe someone who does could tell me if these ideas I had are at all feasible:

 

Now in the first place I now that, technically, "Classic" mode went out back with Tiger because of the switch to Intel chips. Switching to Intel, Rosetta was required to "translate" pre and non-intel OSX applications, with the exception of Classic since Rosetta does not translate deep enough into the system to do that. As a substitute to Classic, SheepShaver, Basilisk II, etc. can be used to emulate OS 9, but these are very lousy applications compared to Classic mode.

 

Is there ANY way whatsoever Rosetta could be edited, or Classic itself so that it will work on intel macs?

(that is, with the exception of 10.7+ systems since these don't even use Rosetta)

 

I know if Classic was placed on an intel mac, it would tell you to download Rosetta, but from there will crashes because frameworks in the system's library does not support (or was not designed for) Classic...

 

So what I wanted to know:

 

What if an old, Classic supporting PowerPC system's library folder was added to an Intel computer in a location other then that computers real system folder (as not to confuse the real, current system) and Classic manually edited so that it would search for the needed frameworks/etc files in the new location? Would it work?

Since, after all, it now has the correct "system" to run on (which before Rosetta could not convert), do you think there's any chance it would work and function properly?

 

Now beyond that, I wouldn't know the actual results (or consequences). I suppose the main problem to consider would be that the the PPC's system frameworks/etc wouldn't work at all on an Intel (which leads us back to Rosetta lacking in this area), and since those frameworks will be searching for other files in the system library (which would bring them to the current, Intel system) the same results would happen: crash! Or maybe sensing the system was mixed up, one or more files would try to "fix" themselves, and in turn destroy the computer's real system.

 

So, would it be worth a try?

I'd love to hear any other thoughts on running Classic on Intel...

Posted on Jun 19, 2014 7:20 AM

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Q: How can you FORCE Classic mode to run on an Intel Mac? OS 9 emulation Rosetta Software Design

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  • by HyperNova Software,

    HyperNova Software HyperNova Software Jun 19, 2014 7:27 AM in response to branchport
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    Jun 19, 2014 7:27 AM in response to branchport

    Impoossible unless Apple rewrites the code for Intel Macs to support Classic.

    That will never happen.

  • by MichelPM,

    MichelPM MichelPM Jun 19, 2014 10:41 AM in response to branchport
    Level 6 (14,087 points)
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    Jun 19, 2014 10:41 AM in response to branchport

    This is never going to happen and no one else that develops for OS X and the Mac is going to make this happen.

    OS 9 Classic is long dead and gone and Apple lost the license to use Rosetta as the company that originally developed Rosetta got sold to Microsoft.

    Apple has moved well away from doing developement on making obsolete software and hardware run any of their new software and technologies.

    Apple is 8-9 years ahead, now and is clearly moving forward and not backwards.

    Sorry.

  • by AustinJGibson,

    AustinJGibson AustinJGibson Jun 19, 2014 11:04 AM in response to MichelPM
    Level 4 (1,037 points)
    Jun 19, 2014 11:04 AM in response to MichelPM

    If Apple lost the license to use Rosetta like you say they did, then why do they still sell copies of Snow Leopard, which includes Rosetta?

  • by HyperNova Software,

    HyperNova Software HyperNova Software Jun 19, 2014 11:05 AM in response to AustinJGibson
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    Jun 19, 2014 11:05 AM in response to AustinJGibson

    Probably because the licensing agreement allows for that.

  • by MlchaelLAX,

    MlchaelLAX MlchaelLAX Jun 21, 2014 7:22 PM in response to AustinJGibson
    Level 4 (2,256 points)
    Jun 21, 2014 7:22 PM in response to AustinJGibson

    AustinJGibson wrote:

     

    If Apple lost the license to use Rosetta like you say they did, then why do they still sell copies of Snow Leopard, which includes Rosetta?

    Apple would never foolishly put itself in the position of licensing something as important as the technology underlying Rosetta and then allowing it to be pulled out from under its existing uses at a later date.

     

    As noted, the licensing agreement, quite properly, would allow for existing versions of OS X (Tiger, Leopard & Snow Leopard) to continue to use Rosetta ad infinitum!

     

    This is not unlike what happened in the 1990's when Steve Jobs returned to Apple, but in an opposite way:

     

    Jobs was horrified by the cannabalization effect he found upon his return that the previous administration's licensing of clones was doing to sales of Macintosh hardware.  He could not terminate those contracts...

     

    But he could, update the Mac OS (to version 8) which effectively killed the clones.  That was because the licenses to the clone manufacturers were only effective with the utilization of OS 7!  Sure, they could continue to sell Mac clones with OS 7, but what kind of sales could they expect into the future when competing against real Apple Mac's using OS 8!

     

    Hence, Apple is authorized to continue to sell copies of Snow Leopard, which includes Rosetta (and the replacement discs they provide with Tiger and Leopard).

     

    NOTE:  The company that licensed the underlying technology for Rosetta got sold to IBM (not Microsof), and IBM was unlikely to relicense it to Apple at a reasonable price, even if Apple was inclined to do so.

  • by MlchaelLAX,Solvedanswer

    MlchaelLAX MlchaelLAX Jun 21, 2014 7:22 PM in response to branchport
    Level 4 (2,256 points)
    Jun 21, 2014 7:22 PM in response to branchport

    branchport wrote:

     

    I'd love to hear any other thoughts on running Classic on Intel...

     

    Well, if you really have the time, money and interest, the best solution would be a "classic" emulator not unlike how Virtual ][ runs Apple ][ software on a Mac!

     

    Sheepshaver really goes a long way to achieving this.  I do not know why you are unhappy with this solution; it does work for me for those times that I need it!

  • by branchport,

    branchport branchport Jun 27, 2014 12:16 PM in response to MlchaelLAX
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 27, 2014 12:16 PM in response to MlchaelLAX

    Mlchael, thanks for the only real relevant answer to my question.

     

    I know what everyone else is saying: that apple is not going to suddenly decide to revive Classic, but that's not the question, the question is what we could do to get it to work somehow.

     

    Well, I have all good 'hopes' of getting classic running someday, but perhaps the effort in creating an emulator specifically for classic wouldn't be worth it when SheepShaver is freely available. After all, I wanted to get classic working without any emulation at all, and if emulation is the only likely way, then I guess I'd go off to SheepShaver.

     

    One of the reasons SheepShaver is disappointing is because it only goes as high as OS 9.0.4, and it's a bit complicated, but then again, I'm talking about stuff that's 10x more complicated then SheepShaver so I guess I should give it a sporting chance!

     

    I'm always very careful where I download from, do you know if the links suggested on emaculation.com safe?

    They all seem to be on an odd Netherlands site called xs4all.nl.

     

    Thanks again for all your help!

  • by MlchaelLAX,

    MlchaelLAX MlchaelLAX Jun 27, 2014 1:46 PM in response to branchport
    Level 4 (2,256 points)
    Jun 27, 2014 1:46 PM in response to branchport

    There is an "easier" way to acquire SheepShaver called Chubby Bunny and I have put together a post with some safe links that are relevant to this topic.  I see that emaculation is one of them.

     

    Why do you need OS 9 greater than 9.04?

     

    Feel free to let me know if you need any more help.

    With the newer Intel Macs, you have to run a Classic emulator such as SheepShaver, which requires you to extract the Mac ROMs from your older Classic Mac and then install Mac OS 9.

     

    A related program is Chubby Bunny, which comes bundled with all of that included.

     

    More information on SheepShaver:

     

    http://www.emaculation.com/doku.php/sheepshaver_mac_os_x_setup

     

    and

     

    http://www.everymac.com/mac-answers/mac-os-9-classic-support-faq/run-macos-9-on- intel-macs.html

     

    and more information about Chubby Bunny:

     

    http://www.macwindows.com/OS9_on_Intel_Mac.html#092408b

     

    and

     

    http://hackthemac.blogspot.co.uk/2008/08/chubby-bunny-old-virtual-machine.html

     


    Risk II.png

                                  [click on image to enlarge]

     

  • by HyperNova Software,

    HyperNova Software HyperNova Software Jun 27, 2014 6:03 PM in response to branchport
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    Jun 27, 2014 6:03 PM in response to branchport

    I have no idea if those sites are safe.

    I wouldn't download anything from any site I had a single doubt about.

  • by MlchaelLAX,

    MlchaelLAX MlchaelLAX Jun 27, 2014 10:09 PM in response to HyperNova Software
    Level 4 (2,256 points)
    Jun 27, 2014 10:09 PM in response to HyperNova Software

    Michael Superczynski wrote:

     

    I have no idea if those sites are safe....

    He asked "everyone" about one site and in your two previous posts you never answered that question.  The OP replied: "Mlchael, thanks for the only real relevant answer to my question."

     

    After that validation from the OP, I posted about multiple "sites" that will give the OP the information that  he desires, and no one was asking you to verify my comment that all of those sites are safe.

     

    How do I know?  Because, as opposed to you actually attempting to check those "sites", I have reviewed those sites and they are informational only.  There is nothing on those sites to download!  Hence your "doubt" is continuing to be irrelevant to the OP.

     

    But thank you for jumping right in again without any specific knowledge about these sites ("I have no idea if those sites are safe...") and giving negative information to the OP!

  • by HyperNova Software,

    HyperNova Software HyperNova Software Jun 27, 2014 10:51 PM in response to MlchaelLAX
    Level 6 (8,683 points)
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    Jun 27, 2014 10:51 PM in response to MlchaelLAX

    I didn't reply to your post.

  • by branchport,

    branchport branchport Jun 28, 2014 5:16 PM in response to MlchaelLAX
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 28, 2014 5:16 PM in response to MlchaelLAX

    Thanks Mlchael,

    The links here give a lot of good info, but as for where the actual download's are, would they be safe?

     

    Even everymacs says:

     

    Although it certainly appears that the user behind Chubby Bunny is well meaning, it nevertheless always is prudent to be careful when downloading any "unofficial" files. Be sure to backup your computer before "fiddling" with any official or unofficial SheepShaver software (or before adding any new software to your Mac, for that matter).

     

    Now for chubby bunny, the link everymacs gives you is: http://homepage.mac.com/jlg/COIV4.0.1.zip

    This appears to be on apple's website, is this a safe download?

     

    I wouldn't also mind having SeepShaver from emaculation, which is on xs4all.nl, do you think this would be safe?

     

    I know many people have downloaded these files from these sites, but I am always extra careful where I download something from, so I thought it would just be wise to verify first.

     

    Thanks again!

  • by HyperNova Software,

    HyperNova Software HyperNova Software Jun 28, 2014 5:20 PM in response to branchport
    Level 6 (8,683 points)
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    Jun 28, 2014 5:20 PM in response to branchport

    Any website with homepage.mac.com is user content hosted by Apple; that link is no longer valid as homepage has been discontinued.

    Safe download sites always end with apple.com.

  • by branchport,

    branchport branchport Jun 28, 2014 5:40 PM in response to branchport
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 28, 2014 5:40 PM in response to branchport

    Ah, I thought "mac.com" looked like an old link (everymacs needs to update their webpage).

    It seems chubby bunny has been moved to:

    http://jon.brazoslink.net/jlg/COIV4.0.1+.zip

     

    The other emaculation download is at:

    http://www.xs4all.nl/~ronaldpr/sheepshaverforum/SheepShaver_UB_20140201.zip

     

    So, are we sure these are 100% safe?

     

    Thanks again...

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