OSX Emulator for PC??

[ColoJohnBoy]

I have a friend running Windows XP Pro that has fallen in love with Apple, but doesn't have the money to buy one right now. Is there a Mac OS X Emulator, something like Virtual PC, that he casn use to run OSX with?

[Sun Baked]

With brand new eMacs starting at $699 (579 refurbished) at the Apple Store right now, I can understand the too expensive argument.

[ColoJohnBoy]

Hahahaha. If I had $600 to throw around, I would be ecstatic, and I have considerably more money than my friend. Any useful replies?

[Makosuke]

As far as I know, you're out of luck; there aren't any emulators that'll run OSX on a PC.

Some programs that might run older versions of the MacOS are:

SoftMac: http://www.emulators.com/
Basalisk II, for Mac II emulation: http://www.uni-mainz.de/~bauec002/B2Main.html


As I understand it, one of the issues (aside from speed) of running a MacOS emulator on x86 hardware is that Apple puts a bit of copyrighted code into the computer's ROM to stop the OS from running on any machine without that ROM. It can probably be copied, but not legally.

Unless I'm wrong, the closest you're going to come to a desperation solution (which it doesn't sound like will work for your friend) would be to get a used iMac or blue and white G3 off ebay--both routinely go for under $200. That still won't get you a legal copy of OSX, but if you do get one, it'll run, albeit rather slowly (though faster, I'll bet, than an any emulator would). Yes, that's a lame suggestion, I know, but it's the cheapest option I know of.

[leet1]

http://www.maconlinux.org/faq.html is working on an OS-X version emulator for linux on x86 hardware. Hopefully it will turn out pretty good. Take it to class, "OSX on a compaq, WTF?" lol

[Sun Baked]

There's alway AppleWorks for PC and Windows skins baby ...

Who needs the real thing, when you can turn a Pontiac Fiero into a babe magnet Countach for the price of a Lamborghini oil change?

[Fukui]

Originally posted by Makosuke
Apple puts a bit of copyrighted code into the computer's ROM to stop the OS from running on any machine without that ROM. It can probably be copied, but not legally.
This isn't true with the OS X. OS9 and lower had this, but OS X is not tied to any specific H/W...now its the licence agreenment that prevent OS X from running on an non-mac, but nothing more, well, except the Aqua and Cocoa source codes.

[leet1]

Originally posted by ColoJohnBoy
I have a friend running Windows XP Pro that has fallen in love with Apple, but doesn't have the money to buy one right now. Is there a Mac OS X Emulator, something like Virtual PC, that he casn use to run OSX with?

If he just wants the looks of OS X, tell him to download a Linux Distro and use Gnome on top :D