Filed under: Cult of Mac, iPhone, Apple History
Classic Mac OS emulator for jailbroken iPhones
Since the App Store launched, there hasn't been much that has really tempted me to jailbreak my iPhone. I don't think Mini vMac for iPhone actually will either, but just that fact that it exists at all is a trip for the nostalgic Macheads out there. Mini vMac is an open source Mac Plus emulator that has now been ported to the iPhone (a regular OS X version exists as well).
It emulates a 4MB Mac Plus; as the video above shows, it allows you to scroll to show the full display and even load Mac OS disk images and run classic Mac software. It's safe to say that this will never make to the App Store because it violates Apple's rules against emulators.
Mini vMac for iPhone requires a jailbroken iPhone, and can be loaded by adding the namedfork.net repository to the Cydia installer as described on the main page. You'll also have to round up a Mac Plus ROM image and disk images of any applications you want to run.
[via Gizmodo]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Michael R Johnson said 12:44AM on 2-22-2009
For those of us old enough to have actually *used* said OS and hardware, this is very cool. Of course it's not practical in any sense of the word, but for the sake of nostalgia, it's pure gold!
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supersocialist said 10:01AM on 2-22-2009
Nostalgia, exactly. All I need to know is how do Dark Castle, Shufflepuck Cafe, and Brickles run?
William said 11:59AM on 2-22-2009
I just got Dark Castle running! Check out the video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-NnH1LSCiI
I haven't played yet (was too excited to see if it would actually run!) but I believe the playability will be poor because of the key controls.
Awesome work on the emulator though!
mark said 12:47AM on 2-22-2009
Wish the repo was working. namedfork.net is not working for me.
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Jimmy said 2:31PM on 2-22-2009
That page doesn't make it clear - the repo address to add is: http://apt.namedfork.net/iphone
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Jash Sayani said 2:15AM on 2-22-2009
Ok.. So you can run Mac OS on the iPhone... How about developing a OX X Leopard emulator ??
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Taylor said 2:24AM on 2-22-2009
Yeah, good luck with that.
SubGenius said 7:23AM on 2-22-2009
The iPhone OS is already "Leopard Lite"
The original Mac OS had a 8Mhz CPU
Leopard requires 867Mhz CPU (100 X faster)
The original Mac OS used 128Kb of RAM
Leopard requires 512MB of RAM (4096 X more)
The original Mac OS fit on a 400Kb floppy disk
Leopard requires 9GB of disk space (23,000 X more)
chrism238 said 8:13AM on 2-22-2009
Thanks SubGenius - a great comparison!
Jash Sayani said 11:28AM on 2-22-2009
@SubGenius: Well, I didn't literally mean Leopard. It would obviously be a completely stripped down version...
Teaser said 2:52AM on 2-22-2009
It might also not make the app store as I would guess it requires an illegal copy of the mac plus ROMs to work. It'd be kinda cheeky to get apple to actually *host* something that infringes on their own copyright, no?
On the other hand, maybe the fact that the ROMs would then be coming direct from apple makes them authorized and hence legal? :)
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Cupra said 3:06AM on 2-22-2009
I've attempted to do this, but I couldn't find any disk images for the software. If I find a source of software, I'll try this.
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Jeff said 4:05AM on 2-22-2009
Thinking about this more broadly:
I am really surprised that there hasn't been more concern for the way access to applications on the iphone is highly regulated from Cupertino. If Apple tried to limit what programs we could and could not load on our desktop/laptop machines, we would all be up in arms. Why do few seem concerned about the fact that all application development (and, more importantly, use) has to be registered through the Apps store? I am worried not only about Apple "banning" about quasi legal emulating software, but also denying other applications because they are deemed "inappropriate" or in breach of iphone software terms of use.
I am as big a supporter of Apple as the next person, but this type of control over software development and use sets a dangerous precedent and raises serious ethical concerns that I have never seen addressed on this or other tech blogs.
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robogobo said 12:29PM on 2-22-2009
Jailbreak.
papzadsl said 4:19AM on 2-22-2009
"Since the App Store launched, there hasn't been much that has really tempted me to jailbreak my iPhone".
What about copy&paste BETWEEN applications, then?!
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supersocialist said 10:01AM on 2-22-2009
A patient man, I spent many months thinking "eh, I can wait" for cut/paste... now that I have it, of course, I am loathe to live without it.
Bob said 10:05AM on 2-22-2009
"Since the App Store launched, there hasn't been much that has really tempted me to jailbreak my iPhone"
Wow. That is by far the most unbelievable part of this article.
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robogobo said 12:42PM on 2-22-2009
seriously. Who the shit hasn't jailbreaked yet? I shake my head everytime I hear someone suggest they need a compelling reason to jailbreak, as if there's ANY reason NOT to. It's like living in a cage with the door locked, with the key in the lock, and complaining about someone not coming along to let you out. I'm completely contract and app-shackle free with a first gen iPhone, living in a world where I don't have to complain about restrictions or asking permission to put software on something I purchased. AND I have copy/paste, background apps, and a bunch of great features that will be "allowed" by Apple MAYBE in a few years. And I pay great developers for their work, not Apple.
timbck2 said 11:02AM on 2-22-2009
Copy & Paste? Where?!? What do I have to install to get copy & paste? My iPhone is already jailbroken...
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Marcos said 11:25AM on 2-22-2009
Hey, you're right! At least inside vMac you can have copy/paste!