Want to run Mac Os X on you PC?

Post by **bio** » Thu Nov 03, 2005 5:21 pm

Now you can.

How sexy is that?

Of course, you can't play Battlefield 2 on it... so not all is good.

Post by **miftah** » Thu Nov 03, 2005 5:34 pm

I love it. When the boxes fall down and go boom, it'll be easy to tell who the ones are running the hacked OS. They'll be the ones complaining on message boards about how dodgy OSX is.

The funny thing is, this is going to result in mac "reluctantly" entering into the OS business, when this is probably what they've been engineering for some time now. And when that happens, Redmond is going to be a cheap real estate option.

Of course, this is all really funny because no software currently exists to run on the Intel boxes. Hence it being for developers only. So I guess if you want a way to run iMovie, or iDVD, or iChat on an Intel box, here's your golden opportunity.

Post by **bio** » Thu Nov 03, 2005 5:43 pm

Actually... isn't Mac going to start producing machines running on the x86 architecture? I believe I read someplace that they were going to run Intel Pentium Processors because they just cant get the speed out of Motorola to stay competitive.

This means that they'll pretty much write an OS for the rest of us anyway.

mudflap · Post by **mudflap** » Thu Nov 03, 2005 6:09 pm

I seem to remember being able to do this with Pear PC or something like that.

Post by **miftah** » Thu Nov 03, 2005 6:37 pm

Yes, they're switching to Intel chips, which is why the last couple of builds have been designed to run on Intel machines. The reasons are all to do with IBM under-delivering on what they promised when they launched the G5 line together. Normally, what precludes one from running Mac OS on a windows box now is a specialized chip built into the mac motherboard. Its rather specialized to say the least.

Well, hackers are always looking for a hobby and it takes little to stir their interest. So now we have this. And its been possible since about thirty minutes after Apple announced that OSX was already double-engineered for the task. They hack and Apple repairs the hole and then they hack and then Apple repairs the hole, ad infinitum. But when it comes to hardware, you better hope Apple's OS supports your $5 NIC, and your motherboard-bound audio outs.

What this will all result in is Apple being pushed out of the specialized equipment business (ie desktops) and they'll start selling the OS. Not that this matters a lot. The OS I'm currently running is a little different than a store-bought copy. At this point, Apple's rise to glory would result only in Windows marginalization. With crap like Windows Live openly professing Microsoft's fear of Google, Microsoft already has this covered.

But Apple's continued existence will depend entirely on buffet-style diversity. They're prospering with iPod and iTunes, on a level the company has never known. I'm fairly certain they're aware of it, because if there's anyone with a survivalist's instinct for business, its Steve Jobs.