An iPAQ Running MacOS? [Archive] - Thoughts Media Forums

Janak Parekh

06-17-2003, 09:27 PM

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://iq3630.tripod.co.jp/mac/mac.htm' target='_blank'>http://iq3630.tripod.co.jp/mac/mac.htm</a><br /><br /></div>This is a pretty neat hack, and almost unbelieveable at that. Someone has posted instructions on how to get MacOS running on an iPAQ running Linux.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/news/20030617-iPaq-MacLinux.jpg" /><br /><br />How did they do this? They flashed the iPAQ with the Familiar Linux distribution, and then installed <a href="http://www.mmhart.com/macz.htm">a Zaurus port</a> of the <a href="http://www.uni-mainz.de/~bauec002/B2Main.html">Basilisk II emulator</a>, which emulates a Motorola 68k chip. They were then able to install a legacy version of the MacOS on top of this emulation setup.<br /><br />A English translation is available <a href="http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/urltrurl?url=http%3A%2F%2Fiq3630.tripod.co.jp%2Fmac%2Fmac.htm&lp=ja_en&tt=url">here</a> (note that it might be a bit slow).

06-17-2003, 09:30 PM

8O 8O 8O 8O

powder2000

06-17-2003, 09:34 PM

:confused totally:

DualShock

06-17-2003, 09:34 PM

now if they could get Mac OS X running on it, THAT would be cool :D

lurch

06-17-2003, 09:36 PM

You would think that by now Mac would come out with a Pocket PC OS that would kick serious butt!!!

This is one of the best hacks I've seen! :way to go:

Janak Parekh

06-17-2003, 09:37 PM

now if they could get Mac OS X running on it, THAT would be cool :D
Unlikely. The emulator gives you a 68K, not a PowerPC processor. The ARM likely doesn't have enough oomph to emulate a PowerPC chip at any decent speed.

This is one of the best hacks I've seen!
Agreed! :)

--janak

egoz

06-17-2003, 09:39 PM

Mac on an iPaq?
:devilboy:
Apostate Heresy!

06-17-2003, 09:44 PM

Does Alex have a version of PI to go with it? :mrgreen:

And yes, it would great if Apple were to come out with MobileMac. I know I'd be interested!

ghostppc

06-17-2003, 09:46 PM

Awesome! I want one now! :multi: I wish someone would create an install package to do this though. I don't follow directions well, so I know that even if I followed each step, I'd turn my little pocket pc into a true paperweight :deal:

mty

06-17-2003, 09:54 PM

Dear God why?

mscdex

06-17-2003, 09:55 PM

Hmm... Now we just need an optimized/faster version of UAE under familiar. :?

klinux

06-17-2003, 10:00 PM

Ha ha - this is way too cool!

ctmagnus

06-17-2003, 10:00 PM

And the clear sleeve gives it just a tinge of Mac hardware-look. Too bad about the hardware limitations and OS X. :cry:

sponge

06-17-2003, 10:00 PM

So it's an emulator running under the host OS. Sorry but I don't see the big deal, besides the shock value of saying "My iPaq runs MacOS"

Janak Parekh

06-17-2003, 10:02 PM

Dear God why?
Do you even have to ask? W?BIC! (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7144) :lol: It's great to see the enthusiast community accomplish things like this, IMHO.

--janak

Weyoun6

06-17-2003, 10:02 PM

8O That is pretty cool!

ctmagnus

06-17-2003, 10:03 PM

So it's an emulator running under the host OS. Sorry but I don't see the big deal, besides the shock value of saying "My iPaq runs MacOS"

Actually, its an iPaq running MacOS on top of Linux. That's two OSs on it, neither of which came on it out of the box.

:way to go: 8)

Janak Parekh

06-17-2003, 10:06 PM

Actually, its an iPaq running MacOS on top of Linux. That's two OSs on it, neither of which came on it out of the box.
Moreover, I find it interesting (and illustrative!) that an iPAQ (and other Pocket PCs, presumably) has both the computation power and general hardware potential to do things like this. :)

--janak

Foo Fighter

06-17-2003, 10:06 PM

So now I can have the same great experience of watching my Pocket PC crash, and allocate memory manually...just like an early Mac. Wonderful, this is just what I've been looking for. :roll:

thomas1973

06-17-2003, 10:08 PM

So now I can have the same great experience of watching my Pocket PC crash, and allocate memory manually...just like an early Mac. Wonderful, this is just what I've been looking for. :roll:
...or just like we're all doing now, with Pocket PC 2002 :lol:

Kaber

06-17-2003, 10:12 PM

BEHOLD THE POWER OF LINUX YE ZEALOTS! :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

szamot

06-17-2003, 10:24 PM

I tried that on the ipaq it is quite easy to do, well the Linux part is , the only problem was - I could not get rid of it and go back to my happy go lucky ipaq set up - so off it went to Compaq to get fixed. Compaq actally supported it back then.

Jonathon Watkins

06-17-2003, 10:26 PM

mangochutneyman

06-17-2003, 10:26 PM

So what do ya call it? iPad-pod? :eek:

Jimmy Dodd

06-17-2003, 10:31 PM

tsk... :roll: the hoops some folks will jump through to sync a Pocket PC with a Mac...

theon

06-17-2003, 10:32 PM

8O 8O 8O 8O 8O

pro_worm

06-17-2003, 10:34 PM

tsk... :roll: the hoops some folks will jump through to sync a Pocket PC with a Mac...

LOL - you're right, now PPC's can run Mac - but they still can't sync with one :twisted:

Ed Hansberry

06-17-2003, 10:53 PM

now if they could get Mac OS X running on it, THAT would be cool :D
Unlikely. The emulator gives you a 68K, not a PowerPC processor. The ARM likely doesn't have enough oomph to emulate a PowerPC chip at any decent speed.
Hmmm.. neither does a G4. :lol: :lol: :lol: :onfire:

Peter Foot

06-17-2003, 10:54 PM

So what do ya call it? iPad-pod? :eek:

Surely its an iMaq :D

Don Tolson

06-17-2003, 10:56 PM

For those that are asking 'Why would you want to do this?', the answer is simple -- Just to prove it can be done!!!

I agree that this is one of the best hacks I've seen for a while. Quite like that 'modified' PC Jason posted a little while ago.

As far as getting rid of Linux, wouldn't a hard reset do the trick?

Kaber

06-17-2003, 11:08 PM

Putting Linux on an iPAQ reflashes the system ROM. Even if you hard reset it will still be linux.

You have to kinda reinstall your ROM image... which you, of course, backed up beforehand.

mscdex

06-17-2003, 11:10 PM

Moreover, I find it interesting (and illustrative!) that an iPAQ (and other Pocket PCs, presumably) has both the computation power and general hardware potential to do things like this. :)

--janak
Who's to say that the MacOS being run via an emulator on an iPaq 36xx would even be usable. Sure it's nice to know it can be done, but not sure if it has as much 'computation power' to actually do anything with it though.

As far as getting rid of Linux, wouldn't a hard reset do the trick?

No, when you install linux (so far) you have to re-flash the WinCE bootloader (the parrot) and replace it with a linux bootloader. Doing a hard reset will just get you back to that bootloader. If you want to put WinCE back on, you have to reflash it with a valid PPC image, either from a backed up image you saved to your desktop, or an image from a softpaq.

Elad Yakobowicz

06-17-2003, 11:12 PM

Uber cool. I'm going to try it.

Mr. Anonymous

06-17-2003, 11:24 PM

Being able to meet, using the BasiliskcIi on the icPaq as much as possible, purely emulating
You introduced this method under the gist that it enjoys.
Actually, use as a Mac is speed just a little... * operation sexually, but
Properly, being emulated, the icPaq becoming the Mac as for
You just see it is funny, is.

It's amazing that one can get System 7 running on Linux on an iPaq but this is the best we're stuck with for translation :)

sponge

06-17-2003, 11:31 PM

For anyone interested in trying this out on their iPaqs - don't. Unless you've used Linux before, you'll end up with a bricked device. With that said, if you follow the instructions to the letter, you should be pretty well set off. I flash Linux all the time for kicks, to see what's new. If it weren't for software choice, I would much rather use Familiar Linux (with Opie) than PPC2K2. I've gone back and forth at least 5 times now.

The fact it's running Linux doesn't make this "hack" (if you could call it that) anymore impressive, but eh, suppose I'm used to it. There are some cooler things to do, like SSHing into your device, or trying out the often unique software at http://www.killefiz.de/zaurus/ (If your running Opie, most Zaurus software should work, even the binary packages just as long as SDL is set up right)

Reza

06-17-2003, 11:31 PM

Awesome! It's like the color Newton that never was!
Oh, I so miss my Newt! :mecry:

Jonathan1

06-17-2003, 11:44 PM

Welcome back newton *hugs* We missed ya ;) :(

lapchinj

06-17-2003, 11:49 PM

Actually, its an iPaq running MacOS on top of Linux. That's two OSs on it, neither of which came on it out of the box.

Definately cool 8) 8) But how memory is left after loading all that?

darrylb

06-17-2003, 11:54 PM

An Operating System running on an emulator running on an operating system..... :huh:

I bet it ain't fast..... :lol:

Reza

06-18-2003, 12:05 AM

An Operating System running on an emulator running on an operating system..... :huh:
Actually I once managed to run a DOS (PC) emulator inside ShapeShifter (Mac) inside WinUAE (Amiga)! :D

garrans

06-18-2003, 12:14 AM

You know, if this was 1998 we never would have heard about it.... this would have become a well funded .com company

Steve

mc_03

06-18-2003, 12:27 AM

This is like that April Fools joke at Palm Infocenter...

except its real! :lol:

Kati Compton

06-18-2003, 12:34 AM

An Operating System running on an emulator running on an operating system..... :huh:
Actually I once managed to run a DOS (PC) emulator inside ShapeShifter (Mac) inside WinUAE (Amiga)! :D
That is EXACTLY the kind of thing my husband would try to do. He's emulator-nuts.

This is way cool, btw, though I can't think it could run at any useful speed....

beq

06-18-2003, 12:38 AM

The guy needs to send his demo unit to Jobs.

"Bam, how'd you like them apples?"

Hehe I'm in a nonsensical mood...

Janak Parekh

06-18-2003, 12:45 AM

Who's to say that the MacOS being run via an emulator on an iPaq 36xx would even be usable. Sure it's nice to know it can be done, but not sure if it has as much 'computation power' to actually do anything with it though.
Check out the Zaurus port site. The guy says the speed on the Zaurus ain't bad, and that unit has the same performance metrics as the old iPAQs. Remember that classic Macs were something like 33MHz 68040s, and even slower, and they ran MacOS just fine.

That said, I agree it's not practical, and anyone who wants to do this does it at their own risk. :)

--janak

sponge

06-18-2003, 12:49 AM

The resolution is mostly the part that makes it unpractical, the speed is higher than one would expect.

BTW, anyone ever try to run Virtual PC under Virtual PC? It detects it and spits out a funny error message...

Elad Yakobowicz

06-18-2003, 12:58 AM

The guy needs to send his demo unit to Jobs.

"Bam, how'd you like them apples?"

That was great

ChuckyRose

06-18-2003, 01:24 AM

Well, I can say that for the emulator speed, Basilisk II is pretty good and it allows you to run up to Mac OS 8.1, but as for the PPC chip emulation allowing for MacOS 9.x or OS-X, it doesn't even exist for the desktop so seeing it appear on a Pocket PC would probably not happen anytime this decade.

There is a company that has supposedly made a PPC emulator (Simics I think is the name) but all it does is emulate a PPC chip. There currently is no software out there that allows an x86 based computer to run PPC MacOS programs. All currently solutions only allow for 68k emulation(Such as Basilisk in this case). If anyone has conclusive proof that this is not the case (i.e. a definitive screen shot, or photo), not links to certain companies' websites, I'd be happy to be corrected on this matter, but considering that no one has been able to do it for the x86, I doubt it will show up on the XScale or ARM anytime this decade. But that would be really weird to show my Mac using friends - Mac OSX on an iPaq! Except I'd probably get sued by Apple for patent violations and what-not(probably a reason no one has done it yet). :wink: Crazyness! :D

scargill

06-18-2003, 01:56 AM

Radimus

06-18-2003, 02:25 AM

jizmo

06-18-2003, 02:36 AM

Ok...ok, so if you can emulate a mac! Whats the chances of emulating an amiga? A1200 was 2mb, OS was on 2 (770k) floppy disks, and it was an 020 running at 50mhz. I actually think that the PPC could handle that!

I WANT AMIGA ON MY PPC!!!!!

8)

Will not happen. Amiga is very, very processor intensive to emulate with all its specialized chipsets. Sure, someone could port the UAE (which Zaurus already has) to PPC as well, but it'd crawl, just like it crawls on Zaurus. UAE requires a 600mhz desktop computer to run A500, A1200 emulator with AGA graphics and fasters processors need atleast a 1,2ghz desktop computer to run fluidly.

If such a emulator was made, it'd be nothing short of incredible. I'd like to see one too, but ..

/jizmo

ps. amiga dd floppy disk was 880Kb (actual capacity around 839Kb), and a1200 had 14MHz 020 processor. 030 processor went all the way up to 50Mhz

mscdex

06-18-2003, 02:41 AM

Ok...ok, so if you can emulate a mac! Whats the chances of emulating an amiga? A1200 was 2mb, OS was on 2 (770k) floppy disks, and it was an 020 running at 50mhz. I actually think that the PPC could handle that!

I WANT AMIGA ON MY PPC!!!!!

8)

I second that! :D 8)
Except, I contacted the author of WinUAE awhile back and he said they had no plans of porting it to the PocketPC (I think it was because they had no PPC to test it on, etc.) :(

Maybe some freelance linux developers could compile an optimized UAE for Familiar. :wink:

Kati Compton

06-18-2003, 02:44 AM

I WANT AMIGA ON MY PPC!!!!!
I miss having a "Fat Agnus" in my computer...

Fatter the better!

jmarkevich

06-18-2003, 03:31 AM

So it's an emulator running under the host OS. Sorry but I don't see the big deal, besides the shock value of saying "My iPaq runs MacOS"

One word: bbedit.

Janak Parekh

06-18-2003, 03:54 AM

who is going to do OS/2 now
OS/2 is a lot more complicated than MacOS, and it runs on an x86 chip, which is more difficult to emulate. We might see it happen, but I'd expect it to be slower. And, OS/2 is huge (OS/2 2.0 was around 40MB, 3.0 & Warp were bigger). Why exactly would you want such a thing? 8O

--janak

Felix Torres

06-18-2003, 04:17 AM

And it probably runs at least as fast as the Original 8MHz Mac...
To say nothing of having a far more RAM, a color display and bigger ( :devilboy: ) screen. Almost. :wink:

szamot

06-18-2003, 06:35 AM

who is going to do OS/2 now

realistically, there have to be as many native apps for PPC now, as there are for MacOS (esp 68k ones)

It's cool that someone was bored enough to try it... how about a palm emulator that doesn't suck...

I always thought that Handspring was a pretty good Palm emulator - until recently anyway. hee, hee :wink:

eric linsley

06-18-2003, 06:37 AM

Mac on an iPaq?
:devilboy:
Apostate Heresy!

would that be an Imaq?

wocket

06-18-2003, 09:00 AM

OK it's a Mac running on an iPAQ that has been reflashed to run Linux. It's been around for quite a while now on Zaurus.

So anyone up for a native pocketpc version?

surur

06-18-2003, 12:53 PM

This presents the idea of emulating OSX on a PC. I mean 3.2 Ghz should provide enough power to emulate a 1GHz chip, shouldn't it?

I would love to give that a try at $129 for the OS, instead of $1200 form an Imac

Surur

Jonathon Watkins

06-19-2003, 07:54 PM