Note: I wrote this back in 1999, before OS X had come out, because I was tired of seeing posts to the various comp.sys.mac.* newsgroups asking if OS X would run on some particular model of Macintosh. It is now really only interesting as a historical curiosity: what was going on way back when. All of the issues discussed have been resolved.
Updated 2/3/99 6:38am PDT
Please submit questions, comments, additions, corrections, etc. to Erik Adams.
Recent changes:
Question: Will Mac OS X, Apple's upcoming OS based in part on NeXT technology, run on Macs other than G3 Macintoshes?
Answer: we, the buying public, don't know for sure one way or the other. Apple's official statement is that Mac OS X (pronounced "Mac OS Ten") will run on Power Macintosh G3 models, including the iMac and (one supposes) the G3 "blue and white". Current expectations are that it will likely run on other models as well, though the line from Apple is that these machines will not be "supported". The exact meaning of "supported" is unclear, but seems to indicate that older users will be on their own when they run into OS-related problems.
Question: Didn't Apple promise that MacOS X would run all Macs built after a certain date?
This statement used to be on Apple's Rhapsody Developer FAQ (this quote was last verified in February 1998):
> Q. Which Mac OS-compatible computers will Rhapsody support? > A. Apple's goal is for Rhapsody to support all PowerPC-based Macintoshes and > Mac OS-compatibles sold by Apple and Apple licensees since January 7, 1997. We > also intend to support all upcoming computers, including the PowerPC Platform > (also known by the acronym CHRP). Apple is investigating the work required to > support older PowerPC systems, as well.
However, the web page is no longer there. Furthermore, there is some debate as to whether MacOS X, as it is currently expected, can really still be called Rhapsody. Personally, I think it can, but others disagree.
Question: Which computers probably will run MacOS X?
Answer: First, there is the officially supported hardware: Power Macintosh G3 models (aka "beige G3s"), the PowerBook G3 (the square-ish one), the G3 PowerBook (the swoopy one), the iMac (all colors), and the G3 "blue and white".
Then, there is unsupported hardware. The rule of thumb here is that if the developer versions of Mac OS X Server (once known as Rhapsody) ran on a model, the odds are good MacOS X will run on it as well. This means some 7x00's and the 8500, 8600, 9500, and 9600, and some clones based on those model's designs.
I have heard from Robert Sixkiller (who maintains a page with much detail at http://www.multiweb.net/~sixkiller/macosxplained.html) the following interesting tidbit:
> Good news. > > Someone has tried the November build of Mac OS X Server on a: > > - 8600/250 > - 7600 w/ third-party 250 Mhz 604e > > Both worked.
Question: Any computers that definately won't run MacOS X?
Answer: Nothing is certain at this point, but I would say that owners of the first generation of Power Macintoshes (the 6100, 8100, and 9100, and some clones), and all Powerbooks prior to the 3400 (including the 1400, 2400, and 5300) should give up hope. This is because these machines are NuBus based, rather than PCI based.
Question: Now that several companies are making G3 upgrades for (insert favorite model here), doesn't that make them able to run MacOS X?
The issue isn't the processor but the architecture. Older machines have different hardware - they are different computers. Adding support for a model Macintosh means writing drivers for that model. More drivers means more work, which means more time. Apple has committed to a very aggressive release schedule for MacOS X, and has had to set their priorities.
Question: Would it be that much extra work to make MacOS X run on non-G3 Macs?
Answer: depends on who you ask. On the one hand, there is the issue of time. Supporting any hardware means more development time, and Apple has committed to a very tight release schedule for Rhapsody.
On the other hand, MkLinux (the Apple-sponsored ports of the Mach 3.0 microkernal and Linux to Macintosh hardware) and LinuxPPC both run on a wider variety of hardware than Apple will be supporting for MacOS X.
Question: Suppose Apple doesn't make MacOS X run on non-G3 Macs. Does that mean that come the premiere release of MacOS X, I'm out in the cold?
Answer: Yes and no. This question is complicated by the fact that there actually are two products expected with the MacOS X name: MacOS X Server (due February 1999) and the other version, which is sometimes called MacOS X Consumer (expected by the end of 1999).
As of this writing, there will be at least one more version of current MacOS, probably 3. The next version due is codenamed "Veronica", probably version 8.6, is now in late alpha / early beta stages. Among other things, it will implement guard pages (a form of memory protection) and a new "nanokernal" which reportedly improves multitasking. No release dates have been announced for this version, but it is reasonable to expect it will come out in April of 1999, after the release of MacOS X Server, due to ship February of 1999. I would expect at least one ".1" bug fix release of Veronica, though there are none currently rumored.
Looking farther ahead, there will probably be at least one more release of the current MacOS (codenamed "Sonata") that will include the "Carbon" APIs. I would guess that this release will come before the release of MacOS X Consumer, mainly due to marketing concerns.
Either way, however, after Sonata no further releases of the classic MacOS are expected. If you aren't running a MacOS X capable computer by then, you're out in the cold.
Question: What are a few good sources of information on the web?
Answer: I'm glad you asked. Here are my favorites:
Want to add a question, make a comment, or add a source? Drop me a line at Erik Adams