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Mac OS X classic environment

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pavelbure

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Feb 22, 2007
798
682
i am trying to install a game for my kid and on the cd rom it has a text file for osx users. this is what was inside.

IMPORTANT OPERATING SYSTEM INFORMATION


In order to run this program under the native mode of any OSX version, make sure the Classic mode is installed on your system.

Please refer to your Macintosh system documentation on how to install the OSX Classic version or call Apple's technical support for further assistance..


what exactly is classic mode ?
 
A bit more detail…

If your system was manufactured before 2005, then Classic is installed by default.
If your system was manufactured during or after 2005 and includes a G4 or G5 processor, then you need to install Classic from the provided DVD.
If your system contains an Intel processor then Classic is not included and will not work.
 
pavelbure said:
what exactly is classic mode ?
Click to expand...
Classic is the sort of emulation mode to run old programs written for Mac operating systems before OSX came out. Intel Macs do not support it, but I've heard there are some hacks that make it possible.
 
It's called Sheepshaver. Google it. OS 9 hasn't been supported for awhile since it's almost 10 years old by now.
 
solvs said:
It's called Sheepshaver. Google it. OS 9 hasn't been supported for awhile since it's almost 10 years old by now.
Click to expand...

I've found Sheepshaver to be buggy--it crashes fairly frequently. It's also not easy to set up. I don't know the OP's interest, but I don't think it is a good solution for someone who doesn't want to tinker and troubleshoot.
 
theBB said:
Classic is the sort of emulation mode to run old programs written for Mac operating systems before OSX came out.
Click to expand...

FWIW, Classic is really a complete OS9 install running parallel to OSX. It's only using OSX to display the windows of applications running in Classic.
 
solvs said:
Classic is. OS 9 isn't. Classic doesn't even work in Leopard, from what I've seen. Maybe you can still dual boot on systems that support it, but I don't know.
Click to expand...
Classic is Mac OS 9 for all practical purposes.

Classic is an emulator environment on a PPC Mac running Mac OS X, that allows you to run Mac OS 9 system and applications. Mac OS 9 functionality is limited in some areas due to the emulated environment.

To use Classic mode on a PPC Mac, you must install Mac OS 9.2. You can not run Classic without installing Mac OS 9.

In the early days of Classic, the install (restore) disks that came with your computer did this for you automatically. After a while, Apple quit including Mac OS 9 on the install (restore) disks that came with your computer. So if you wanted to run Classic, you had to manually install Mac OS 9.

In my case, I have a PM933 which can dual boot. I took my OS 9 image and put it on my PowerBook 15 for Classic. The same Mac OS 9 image works well for both since they both have G4 processors. The first time that you run Classic, Mac OS X will do some linking. After that it is pretty smooth.

And yes, you are correct. AFAIK, Leopard will not support Classic.

Also, none of the Intel Macs can run Classic, and not all PPC Macs can boot directly into Mac OS 9.
 
I can't agree that the Classic Environment can be correctly called an "emulation," since it's a complete install of OS9, which is also fully bootable and functional on systems which were designed to boot OS9. Nothing is being emulated in Classic, AFAIK. The limitations are few and far between. I've only ever found one in all the years I've been running it.
 
Mac OS 9 may be 10 years old, but there is software out there that is as little as 3 years old that requires Classic.

There is a "Basilisk 2" which is supposed to support Classic programs in the near future, however, I think they will run in a window like Virtual PC.

If you're going to run Basilisk, you may get better performance with Mac OS 8.6.
 
sushi said:
Classic is Mac OS 9 for all practical purposes.

Classic is an emulator environment on a PPC Mac running Mac OS X, that allows you to run Mac OS 9 system and applications. Mac OS 9 functionality is limited in some areas due to the emulated environment.

To use Classic mode on a PPC Mac, you must install Mac OS 9.2. You can not run Classic without installing Mac OS 9.

In the early days of Classic, the install (restore) disks that came with your computer did this for you automatically. After a while, Apple quit including Mac OS 9 on the install (restore) disks that came with your computer. So if you wanted to run Classic, you had to manually install Mac OS 9.

In my case, I have a PM933 which can dual boot. I took my OS 9 image and put it on my PowerBook 15 for Classic. The same Mac OS 9 image works well for both since they both have G4 processors. The first time that you run Classic, Mac OS X will do some linking. After that it is pretty smooth.

And yes, you are correct. AFAIK, Leopard will not support Classic.

Also, none of the Intel Macs can run Classic, and not all PPC Macs can boot directly into Mac OS 9.
Click to expand...
Uh, thx, but I know all that. Classic hasn't been supported for years. Not 10 I guess, but it isn't supported anymore, even if it does still run on some machines. OS 9 itself has long been abandoned, and that's all I meant. No more OS 9.

And no, it isn't exactly emulation, it's more like a Virtual Machine.
 
cubist said:
There is a "Basilisk 2" which is supposed to support Classic programs in the near future, however, I think they will run in a window like Virtual PC.

If you're going to run Basilisk, you may get better performance with Mac OS 8.6.
Click to expand...

Basilisk II is a 68K Mac emulator. Hence it will never run OS 8.6, which is PPC-only. You can run stuff in a window, or you can run it full-screen...it's been out for years, actually.

--Eric
 
IJ Reilly said:
I can't agree that the Classic Environment can be correctly called an "emulation," since it's a complete install of OS9, which is also fully bootable and functional on systems which were designed to boot OS9. Nothing is being emulated in Classic, AFAIK. The limitations are few and far between. I've only ever found one in all the years I've been running it.
Click to expand...
IJ please remember that Classic can also be run on computers that cannot be dual booted. For example, a PowerBook 15. It cannot boot into Mac OS 9, but it can run Mac OS 9 under Classic in an emulated environment.

There are limitations with Classic. If you don't believe me, try accessing the following Control Panels within the Classic Environment:

Appletalk
Date & Time (to change the Date or Time)
Location Manager
Memory
Software Update
TCP/IP
Trackpad

Some of these are disabled because there is a corresponding Mac OS X Control Panel that does the same thing. Note, the Date & Time one has limited functionality. But there are other differences under the hood.

For example, the memory model is different for Mac OS 9 than for Mac OS X. In this case, the Classic environment emulates the Mac OS 9 memory model environment under Mac OS X.

At the same time, Mac OS 9 can directly access the PPC processors. So it is not a Virtual Machine with a container for Mac OS 9.

I think that Wikipedia says it best with this comment:

Classic is a descendant of Rhapsody's "Blue Box" emulation layer, which served as a proof of concept. It utilizes a Mac OS 9 System Folder, and a New World ROM file to bridge the differences between the older PowerPC Macintosh platforms and the XNU kernel environment.

I hope this makes sense, and why the term emulated is used instead of Virtual Machine.

solvs said:
Classic hasn't been supported for years.
Click to expand...
Nope. Still supported under Tiger running on PPC Macs.

solvs said:
And no, it isn't exactly emulation, it's more like a Virtual Machine.
Click to expand...
Nope, Classic is not a virtual machine in the true sense. If it were a true Virtual Machine, you could run Mac OS 9 on Intel Macs because Classic would be providing the Virtualized Machine from which to run the Mac OS 9 container.

BTW, I like your memorial avatar! :)
 

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sushi said:
IJ please remember that Classic can also be run on computers that cannot be dual booted. For example, a PowerBook 15. It cannot boot into Mac OS 9, but it can run Mac OS 9 under Classic in an emulated environment.
Click to expand...

I'm aware of this, and as I said before, I recognize that Classic is dependent on OSX, and fully so on Macs that can't boot OS9. And why can't they boot OS9? Because Apple decided to remove that capability at some point, and not because they are otherwise incapable of running the OS9 binaries (as with the Intel Macs). I suppose in the end we're really only debating the definition of "emulation," which is probably not worth arguing about.

Unless of course, you really want to... ;)
 
solvs said:
Classic is. OS 9 isn't. Classic doesn't even work in Leopard, from what I've seen. Maybe you can still dual boot on systems that support it, but I don't know.


It is, but it's the only solution I know to run it on Intel Macs.
Click to expand...

OS 9 is required for Classic to run on Tiger PPC machines.

See Mac OS X 10.4 Help


"If you need to use Mac OS 9 applications, you can do so in the Classic environment in Mac OS X. To use the Classic environment, you must have a Mac OS 9 System Folder installed on your computer, either on the same hard disk as Mac OS X, or on another disk or disk partition.

The Classic environment requires Mac OS 9.1 or later. If you are using an earlier version, you need to upgrade your Mac OS 9 software to use the Classic environment. It's a good idea to use Mac OS 9.2 or later.

You cannot use Mac OS 9 applications on Intel-based Macintosh computers because the Classic environment is not supported."
 
Why would you dig up a thread that's been dead for 2+ years to post that?

--Eric
 
Peace said:
OS 9 is required for Classic to run on Tiger PPC machines.

See Mac OS X 10.4 Help


"If you need to use Mac OS 9 applications, you can do so in the Classic environment in Mac OS X. To use the Classic environment, you must have a Mac OS 9 System Folder installed on your computer, either on the same hard disk as Mac OS X, or on another disk or disk partition.

The Classic environment requires Mac OS 9.1 or later. If you are using an earlier version, you need to upgrade your Mac OS 9 software to use the Classic environment. It's a good idea to use Mac OS 9.2 or later."
Click to expand...

Quick question. I bought an iMac G5 (i.e. PPC) preinstalled with Tiger back in 2005. Now I want to play SimCity 3000 on my machine.

Now I know that Tiger can do it, because it has Classic. But, you said that I also need to install Mac OS 9 (9.2 preferably).

My question is this - is Mac OS 9 going to be somewhere on my Tiger installation discs, or do I need to go out and buy it?
 
"My question is this - is Mac OS 9 going to be somewhere on my Tiger installation discs, or do I need to go out and buy it?"

Open your hard drive at the top level (root level).

You should see a folder named "System Folder" if Classic is installed.

Is it there?

If so, open it and look for a file named "System".

Click ONE time to select it, then type "Command-i" to "get info" on it.

It should tell you which version of the OS 9 System that it is.
 
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