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User profile for user: Varun5226
Varun5226 Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Is MacOS X Mavericks still licensed bound or free-to-use, for non-apple hardware/users, since it is an older version of MacOS?

Hi all, please note before answering, that i know MacOS and MacOS X is a paid, licensed software available for Apple hardwares under the Apple EULA. Yes, MacOS is only download-able from official Apple stores by people with Apple accounts.


What i want to know is whether a specific version of MacOS X, OS Mavericks, is either free-to-use (open source) or allowed to run on non-apple hardware (like a VM), as an exception since it is so old. Of course if you guys know of any other MacOS version that fits this description, it will be very much appreciated.


Question Part 1:

Can I use MacOS Mavericks (or any other MacOS versions) on non-apple hardware and for free without licensing cost. If yes, where can i get it from (links appreciated).


Question Part 2:

Can I use MacOS Mavericks (or any other MacOS) inside Oracle VirtualBox, which as per Oracle is indeed allowed (click here). But will it still work if the host hardware/OS, where we run the Oracle VirtualBox is non-Apple hardware or a Windows/Linux host OS?


If possible, please try to provide an answer with links to any relevant/official articles. Thank you i n advance.

MacBook (2017)

Posted on Sep 29, 2024 9:51 PM

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User profile for user: Servant of Cats
Servant of Cats
User level: Level 6
17,548 points

Posted on Sep 29, 2024 11:33 PM

Part 1


No versions of the Mac operating system are Open Source. Apple once offered an Open Source operating system called Darwin, which included parts of Mac OS X. Darwin contained code derived from the Mach microkernel, and from BSD Unix, plus a driver for Apple's HFS+ filesystem. It did not contain most of the added-value parts of the Mac's operating system, such as the GUI, the GUI applications, or the object-oriented development frameworks. Those remained Closed Source.


No versions of the Mac operating system are available for use on non-Apple hardware.


As far as I know, Mavericks is not even available to owners of Macs – let alone for use on non-Apple hardware. Of all of the operating systems from Lion (10.7) to Sequoia (15), it is the only one without a download link (for use by Mac owners) in the Support article How to download and install macOS - Apple Support . As far as I know, Apple never distributed Mavericks except preloaded, or as a download from the Mac App Store. You can't even look for used retail DVDs, as you once could with Snow Leopard.


Part 2


Most versions of the Mac operating system from Lion, up, will run inside virtual machines on appropriate Mac hosts. (Obviously an Intel version of the OS is not going to run inside of an ARM VM on an Apple Silicon Mac.)


I don't believe that you are allowed to run the Mac operating system inside of a virtual machine on non-Apple hosts. Even the Oracle page to which you linked alludes to that.

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User profile for user: Servant of Cats
Servant of Cats
User level: Level 6
17,548 points

Sep 29, 2024 11:33 PM in response to Varun5226

Part 1


No versions of the Mac operating system are Open Source. Apple once offered an Open Source operating system called Darwin, which included parts of Mac OS X. Darwin contained code derived from the Mach microkernel, and from BSD Unix, plus a driver for Apple's HFS+ filesystem. It did not contain most of the added-value parts of the Mac's operating system, such as the GUI, the GUI applications, or the object-oriented development frameworks. Those remained Closed Source.


No versions of the Mac operating system are available for use on non-Apple hardware.


As far as I know, Mavericks is not even available to owners of Macs – let alone for use on non-Apple hardware. Of all of the operating systems from Lion (10.7) to Sequoia (15), it is the only one without a download link (for use by Mac owners) in the Support article How to download and install macOS - Apple Support . As far as I know, Apple never distributed Mavericks except preloaded, or as a download from the Mac App Store. You can't even look for used retail DVDs, as you once could with Snow Leopard.


Part 2


Most versions of the Mac operating system from Lion, up, will run inside virtual machines on appropriate Mac hosts. (Obviously an Intel version of the OS is not going to run inside of an ARM VM on an Apple Silicon Mac.)


I don't believe that you are allowed to run the Mac operating system inside of a virtual machine on non-Apple hosts. Even the Oracle page to which you linked alludes to that.

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User profile for user: g_wolfman
g_wolfman
User level: Level 4
2,134 points

Sep 30, 2024 12:35 PM in response to Servant of Cats

The Oracle page doesn't actually allude to that - if you read through the various sub-paras of their macOS guests configuration paragraph, it explcitly says, "macOS is commercial, licensed software and contains both license and technical restrictions that limit its use to certain hardware and usage scenarios. You must understand and comply with these restrictions. In particular, Apple prohibits the installation of most versions of macOS on non-Apple hardware. These license restrictions are also enforced on a technical level. macOS verifies that it is running on Apple hardware. Most DVDs that accompany Apple hardware check for the exact model. These restrictions are not circumvented by Oracle VirtualBox and continue to apply."


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Is MacOS X Mavericks still licensed bound or free-to-use, for non-apple hardware/users, since it is an older version of MacOS?

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