Low End Mac Reader Specials
TypeStyler For Mac OS X is Now Shipping! Download The Free Fully Functional 60 Day Tryout at www.typestyler.com
Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how
to download and install a native Mac poker application such as Full
Tilt Poker Mac.
Compare products like desktop computers, apple laptops, apple macs, and LCD Monitors side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for new mobile phones, sat nav systems, or MP3 players. The Ciao online shopping community makes searching products easy for you.
Mac2Windows
Mac Emulation With Basilisk II, vMac
- 2002.05.08 - Tip Jar
My review of Basilisk II, an open source Mac emulator for PCs (and other platforms) was posted on May 1st. I got a lot of feedback and have learned a lot from the people who responded to it.
Some things to note:
Christian Bauer, keeper of the Basilisk II flame, points out "from your article one could get the impression that B2 works with Mac Plus ROMs, but it doesn't (it requires ROMs from a 32-bit clean '030/'040 Mac or from a Mac Classic)." Fans of the Mac Plus shouldn't despair, however (more on that in a bit).
And Ian Raymond had a different clarification. He points out that Lauri Petersen, who ported Basilisk II to the Windows platform "is a him, not a her." You can read his interview with Lauri. Among other things, it talks about reasons why there are no PowerPC emulators currently available.
Graeme Bennett, of MacBuyersGuide/ PCBuyersGuide notes that readers may be interested in his Basilisk II software compatibility list. Note, however, that this is unofficial: it lists the applications that Graeme has tried out, so if the application you're interested in isn't listed, it's worth a try in any case; several applications that I'm running successfully under emulation aren't on that list.
Reader William Dawson found the performance of my emulated Mac impressive but wondered what sort of PC I was running it on. The results I reported were achieved on a Compaq notebook with a Pentium III/750 processor and a relatively unimpressive Trident video card.
Several people were interested in emulating a Mac on a Mac. Why, you may wonder? For the people writing, it's to be able to run software that won't work on more modern hardware and operating systems.
Nigel Pearson has one solution; he ported Basilisk II to run under OS X.
That won't necessarily help the reader only known as "M." (Named after James Bond's superior, perhaps?) M wrote, "What I'd really like and could really use, because I have old software I wish to run, is that Connectix would 'get with the program' and produce Virtual Mac for the Mac. I really need something like Virtual Mac with Mac OS 6.0.8."
It may be possible to install Mac OS 6.0.8 on Basilisk, but I don't know if M is running OS X, letting him use Nigel Pearson's port. Instead, he may want to check out vMac, a project to emulate a Mac Plus. As with Basilisk II, vMac requires a Mac ROM (either physically in a Gemulator ROM board or as a ROM image file) - in this case, the ROMs from a 1987-era Mac Plus.
While originally designed to run on PCs (versions for Windows, DOS, Unix/Linux, NeXT, OS/2), Richard Bannister has gotten vMac to work on a Mac! A carbonized application, it will run under OS X or under earlier Mac OS versions with CarbonLib 1.2 or later.
Peter Johnson has taken it perhaps the final step. As
illustrated, he has vMac up and running inside Virtual PC 4.0 on
his FireWire PowerBook running OS 9.2.2. An emulator running within
an emulator. His comment: "Largely useless, but amusing."
Alan Zisman is Mac-using teacher and technology writer based in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Many of his articles are available on his website, www.zisman.ca. If you find Alan's articles helpful, please consider making a donation to his tip jar.
Recent Columns by Alan Zisman
- G4 'Book vs. Hackintosh Netbook: Which Makes More Sense?, 03.08. Comparing a used 12" G4 iBook or PowerBook with a netbook running Snow Leopard, which is the more practical choice?
- OS X on My Dell Mini 9: Success at Last!, 03.02. Although last year's attempts to install OS X failed, new utilities made it easy to turn this Dell netbook into a Hackintosh.
- iPad Promises to Free Users from Files and Folders and Drives, 02.23. For a lot of computer users, finding files they've saved can be a confusing and frustrating process, one that the iPad eliminates.
- 2 Freebies for Switchers, 01.07. Windows users are used to a maximize button and a Start menu. Two free apps to bring these features to OS X.
- More in the Mac 2 Windows index.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: iMac Core2, Sep. 2006 - Apple introduced the biggest screen ever in an iMac with a 24" Core2 Duo model at 2.16 GHz.
- Group of the Day: G-List is for Power Mac G3, G4, and G5 users.
- March 21 in LEM history: 00: The compelling Mac - 01: All that for $129? - PowerBook 100 - 02: Improving AppleWorks - 03: The G3 ain't dead yet - Pismo a good value - Western Digital drive issues - 05: iPod halo effect - 06: Rip DVDs so you can watch them on your iPod - 07: Maximum drive size in older Macs - 08: Safari 3.1 fastest browser?
- Support Low End Mac
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- Does iPhone OS Need Multitasking?, iCab Comes to iPhone, Canada's Proposed iPod Levy, and More, iNews Review, 03.19. Also the iPad paradox, Freescale demos $200 tablet, gardening apps, aluminum iPhone stand, steel iPhone case, and more.
- Could iPad Replace the Mac?, Mac Sales Up in 2010, Avoiding Windows 7 'Whenever Possible', and More, Mac News Review, 03.19. Also why your next Mac may be an iPad, science blogger abandons Apple, the benefits of standing while working, and more.
- The Mobile System Stampede, Lithium Battery That Can't Explode, Affordable SSD Options, and More, The 'Book Review, 03.19. Also June 2007 MacBook Pro external display issue, laptop stands, 1 TB ultraportable hard drive, Mini DisplayPort/HDMI adapter, and more.
- How to Zoom Your Browser for a More Readable Web, Steve Watkins, The Practical Mac, 03.18. Instructions for zooming text and pages in Safari, Firefox, Camino, and Opera.
- CardBus WiFi, the Shiira Browser, Ridding the Web of Flash, and Macs vs. PCs, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 03.18. Mac longevity, Shiira speed, ambidextrous Mac and Windows use, and how Flash benefits Apple.
- How Ad Blocking Hurts Your Favorite Websites, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 03.18. Ad income keeps the Web free. Blocking online ads hurts your favorite websites.
- Taking Apart the 12" PowerBook, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing, 03.17. There are a lot of steps involved in disassembling a 12" PowerBook. Proceed with caution.
- More links in our archive.
Recent Deals
- Best Intel iMac Deals, 03.17. Used 17" from $600; 20" from $750; 24" from $825; refurb 21.5" nVidia, $999; new, $1,099; refurb Radeon, $1,299; new, $1,399; refurb 27" 3.06, $1,499; more.
- Best G5 iMac Deals, 03.17. 17" 2.0 GHz, $380; 1.9 GHz iSight, $479 shipped; 20" 1.8 GHz, $509 shipped; 2.1 GHz iSight, $549 shipped.
- Best Time Capsule Deals, 03.17. Close-out 500 GB, $140; new 1 TB, $279; used 2 TB simultaneous dual-band, $400; new, $455. Shipping included.
- Best iPad Deals, 03.16. 16 GB iPad, $499; 32 GB, $599; 64 GB, $699; 16 GB with 3G, $629; 32 GB 3G, $729; 64 GB 3G, $829. Free ground shipping.
- Best iPod classic Deals, 03.12. Used 20 GB, $119; 40 GB, $139; 60 GB, $159; 30 GB video, $129; 60 GB, $159; 80 GB, $169; refurb 120 GB, $189; new, $214; 160 GB, $228 shipped.
- Best G3 iBook and AirPort Card Deals, 03.12. 366 MHz 12" clamshell, $89; 466, $125; 500 white CD, $100; 600, $199; 800 Combo, $239; 14" 900, $225.
- Best Xserve Deals, 03.12. Used 1 GHz dual G4, $499; 2.0 dual G5, $599; 2.3, $749; refurb 2.26 4-core Nehalem, $2,499; new, $2,699; 8-core, $3,449; refurb 2.66, $4,299; new, $4,799; more.
- More deals in our archive.
