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Mac OS X Running On Xbox
PasteEater writes "The good people over at XBox Scene have the scoop. Mac OS X has been successfully installed on a modified Xbox. What does this mean? Well, it's no Xbox Media Center, but it does prove that nerds are at the forefront once again!"
Wonder what M$ thinks is a bigger threat - Linux or OS X on the Xbox...
-T
(not a troll, just making fun of them)
The first Apple gaming system?? How long do you think its going to be before Mr. Jobs sees the greatest and we get an iBox gaming system?
Even though it is running on PearPC (and thus slower than possibly imaginable), it is still impressive. Although, I just bought a used Beige G3/233 for $10 and I still have more memory (72MB) than the XBox in it.
I'll wait till Xbox2.. it's supposed to sport a PPC processor
I read through the entire article before this was posted here.
Very interesting, but I'm going to call foul.
Why out of all the screenshots is this one obscured? It's the most important of the screenshots out of the lot that was provided in the article.
I also thought TechTV had made it pretty clear that pearPC was almost unuseable on a machine below 2.5 GHz.
Yell & scream & rant & rave... it's no use... you need a shaaaave ~ Bugs Bunny
It's just PearPC PowerPC Architecture Emulator installed on Xbox and it's painfully-as-hell slow atm, and especially on Xbox. Nothing to see, move on.
Why torture yourself with a MacOSXbox, which actually is PearPC running on linux which is running on Xbox hardware. I am sure the performance of it is abysmal.
This is sadder than those MacOSXP (people trying to change their windows into a Mac)
Stop torturing yourself with this. Get a real mac!!
Used Xbox: $99
OS/X: $130
Look on Bill's face: Priceless
(Seriously, that's one cheap Mac)
Apple had its own gaming system once, called Pippin.
"Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue." - David Brent, Wernham Hogg
(Posting AC to not kharma whore)
.3.1.tar.gz. As of this writing, 0.3.1 is the most recent version. ./configure -enable-ui=x11 && --enable-cpu=generic. Even though the Xbox is an x86 processor, compiling with -enable-cpu=jitc_x86 will likely result in a failed compile. To explain, as of this writing, Xebian includes gcc 3.2 and gcc 2.95.4. PearPC will exhibit odd errors when compiled with any gcc between 2.95 and 3.3, so gcc 2.95.4 must be used. Unfortunately, gcc 2.95.4 does not work with the inline assembly used in PearPC when the jitx_x86 option is specified. /usr/local/bin on your computer should now contain a file called ppc. This file is the compiled binary.
PearPC and Mac OS X Installation
Downloading, configuring, compiling and installing PearPC
* You have software modded your Xbox and put Xebian Linux on it. You have purchased a copy of Mac OS X and made an image of it.
* Download the source code for PearPC at http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/pearpc/pearpc-0
* Use tar to decompress the file with tar -xzvf pearpc-0.3.1.tar.gz. A directory called pearpc-0.3.1 will be created.
* Go into this directory configure PearPC by running the configuration script as
* Type make && make install. If all goes well then
If you are unable to get a successful compilation of PearPC or do not understand the above instructions, you may download a precompiled version for the Xboxhere.
Editing the PearPC configuration file and formatting the hard drive image
1. Download the following: a blank hard drive image filehere, a Darwin image file at http://www.opensource.apple.com/darwinsource/image s/darwin-701.iso.gz, a PearPC configuration filehere, and a PearPC video driverhere.
2. Decompress the image file using gunzip macosx_2gb.gz. Note that this file expands to approximately 2 gigabytes. Additionally, use gunzip to decompress the pearpc video driver and configuration file. Decompress the Darwin image with the command tar -xzvf darwin-701.tar.gz.
3. Make a directory called macosx. Move the decompressed hard drive image, Darwin image, video.x video driver and macosx.pearpc configuration file into it. Then, go into the macosx directory, run the command pwd and write down the full path to it.
4. Open the macosx.pearpc configuration file with the plain text editor of your choice. Xebian by default comes with both vi and nano. If you have never used vi before, you definitely want to use nano.
5. I will refer to the path that was written down in step 3 as PATH. Make the following changes to the macosx.pearpc configuration file:
* a. Change ppc_start_resolution = "800x600x15" to "640x480x15".
* b. Change redraw_interval_msec = 40 to 200.
* c. Remove the # in front of #memory_size=0x8000000.
* d. Change pci_ide0_master_image = "test/imgs/linux.img" to "PATH/macosx_2gb.img".
* e. Change pci_ide0_slave_image = "/dev/cdrom" to "PATH/darwin-701.iso"
* Save your changes and exit.
6. Start PearPC by typing ppc macosx.pearpc. You should see the following screen:
7. Soon after this screen disappears messages will begin appearing in the PearPC window and you should eventually see the following:
8. Mirror what is typed in this screenshot. Then, type: q, q, and finally reboot. PearPC should exit.
9. Start PearPC again. Eventually you should see the following screen:
As in step 7, mirror what is typed in this window. In addition, when you see "Uncompressing Apple16X50Serial," shut down PearPC.
Your hard drive image is now properly formatted, and you are ready to install Mac OS X.
Installing Mac OS X
1. Once again, open the macosx.pearpc configuration file. Change pci_ide0_slave_image = "PATH/darwin-701.iso" to the location of your Mac OS X image. Save the changes and exit out of the text editor.
2. Start PearPC in the us
Once Xebian is installed they compile PearPC
In other words, they are emulating a Mac for it. That is like me telling people I got my Xbox to play SNES Games when all I am really doing is pulling up an SNES emulator on my xbox with Linux.
How's this for getting your info straight:
They're emulating PPC hardware, they're not emulating OSX.
The Statue of Liberty is America's lawn jockey.
Guess what? I can also run PDP-11 software on my XBox! Or any other operating system, for that matter.
This was done through emulation. The blurb seems to imply that something incredible was accomplished, when all that was done was loading it into an emulator.
It may be pretty funny to see OSX running off an XBox on a TV, but it's hardly usable as it is. Call me when it runs natively.
the legal section in that in the EULA for OS X it states that you cannot install OS X on any non-Apple hardware(probably due to the whole clone thing that failed miserably), I'm not saying that it's right or wrong, but it's an issue they should have addressed.
Monstar L
Why would I want to put Mac OS X on my Xbox? I bought my Xbox to play video games, after all . . .
Mikey-San
Karma: +Eleventy billion (mostly affected by watching Celebrity Jeopardy)
It's the Georgia Tech IT department getting ready to expell a student for having it's systems /.'d You would think that /. would look at the supplied links and do some filtering when it comes to links hosted by a University. But I guess that is asking too much. I hope Ga Tech students enjoy using pencil and paper while their computer systems turn to a pile of molten metal.
Prof. Farnsworth - "Oh a lesson in not changing history from Mr I'm-My-Own-Grandpa!"
but it does prove that nerds are at the forefront once again!
Not to sound like a dick, but nerds are at the forefront of what exactly? Nerdiness? Big surprise there folks.
Big surprise...
Hitomi Ikazuchi Dragon Clan Barbarian Monk
What it proves is that there are some people with some serious free-time on their hands...
There seems to be an inordinate focus on hack this, crack that, emulate the other and port an OS to the most outlandishly unlikely hardware possible. (Hey, look! I'm running OS/2 on my toaster!)
As a stunt this is really amazing.
As a project resulting in something useful, it is dubious at best.
I find myself in the same category. I'm just getting into PocketPC programming and my first thoughts are about emulators. Are we so lacking in imagination that we can't come up with any original ideas?
I guess the truth is that almost all the "low hanging fruit" has been picked, and now we must work much harder to come with an original idea. Shoulders of giants, etc, etc.
Just so I don't sound like too much of an old curmudgeon, I will say that it looks like these are students, and it is of course a great learning experience.
http://pearpc.sourceforge.net/
Actually it's not.
Xbox (as used in this article) with a modded 128MB RAM and larger/faster hard drive + $300 retail (+ mod time)
Xbox = $149
HD = $100
Memory and mod kit = $50
Mac OSX 10.2 (as used in article) = $50
Keyboard = $20
Mouse = $10
Other materials such as soldering iron, wiring, CDs to burn Linux and Pear PC onto = $50
17" Screen or 19" TV $75 (minimum)
At this - you don't get easy wireless, iApps, a combo drive that burn CDs AND view DVDs and minus a whole host of other features.
You can get a nice refurb eMac 1Ghz and sometimes 1.25GHZ directly from Apple for $529 shipped on a regular basis in the special deals section.
Yell & scream & rant & rave... it's no use... you need a shaaaave ~ Bugs Bunny
jeebus. do we really need a link to the "Revenge of the Nerds" movie?
freaking hypertext junkies... go play on a wiki.
Why not just go here?
What happens, though, when mirrordot gets slashdotted?
SiO2
How about one thousand? E.g. $799 (eMac) $1099 (iBook) $1299 (iMac)
All they did was install OS X via PearPC on Linux running on the XBox. As far as I know:
...
1. Linux has been running on the XBox for a while.
2. It has already been demonstrated that PearPC can emu PowerPC on x86 and run Mac OS X (albeit slowly)
All they did was give instrux on how to compile PearPC for the XBox, which any seasoned Linux user could have figured out if they tried. Beyond that, wouldn't this be SLOW AS DIRT?!?! Even on a very fast x86 desktop machine, PearPC crawls like a gimp sloth w/ no hind legs. And wouldn't most XBox-Linux users probably also have a faster x86 PC that they could run OS X thru PearPC on?
I fail to see how this is interesting in the slightest. Maybe I'm jaded, but to me it seems there's nothing new here. Please move along
No, Kangaroo is an aboriginal word which translates roughly as "I don't know", so when the "new world" explorers encountered kangaroos for the first time and asked a native what they were called, well you can figure it out from there.
Not quite as well known as Columbus incorrectly naming the Native Americans as "Indians", but another useless bit of trivia, none-the-less...
A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing -- Emo Phillips
Depends on what you mean by "almost unusable".
The slowest machine I've installed Mac OS X on is a Power PC 604e at 132 MHz. It took 20 hours to complete the install. The resulting system was responsive enough in a Terminal window, but even pulling down a menu took tens of seconds. I wouldn't call it "usable". Mac OS X is optimised for the G3, and later versions than the one I tried (10.1) won't even run on a 604e.
On a G3/233 it took an hour or so, and it was usable.
If they took 10 hours on an Xbox with 128MB of simulated RAM, then they're emulating a G3 that's performing like a 604e... it may be a bit faster than my 604e/132, but I wouldn't bet on it.
Usability is in the eye of the beholder.
pearPC was almost unuseable on a machine below 2.5 GHz
10 hours for a Mac OS X install? Yeh. That's a good definition of "almost unusable".
Wake me up when they do it on the Power PC based Xbox-2.
Oh, and the speed the "About" box reports is totally unreliable, particularly on an emulator.
(I've always wanted to try out OSX, but I'm not going to spend thousands to buy a Mac..)
Old Mac Martin regularly sells G3/233-300 desktops and minitowers for $30-$50 plus shipping, and they run OS X fine. You might want a better video card, and Old World Computing has some PCI Radeon 9200s for under $150, but you could get a feel for it for a lot less.
My Mac at home is one of his, upgraded with a Radeon 7000, a G4/533 CPU (from OWC, again), and a 10/100 ethernet card.
Go to lowendmac.com and subscribe to the swap list, and watch what comes through.
If? When GNU/Linux gets ported to the XBOX2
"When"? The whole purpose of this Palladium/NGSCB/TCPA/Nexus thing is so that Xbox 2 doesn't get cracked and turned into a GNU/LinuXbox. Even without a full Treacherous Computing setup and with just the separation of executable and writable pages similar to that introduced in Windows XP SP2, version 2 of the so-called Windows XB can prevent MechInstaller style exploits from overwriting the kernel.
Oh, I think it's pretty well been established that it's a lemon.