Open-source project to offer Mac OS on PCs

Open-source project to offer Mac OS on PCs
PearPC developing software that lets users run Mac OS and some Unix OSes on PCs

By David Legard, IDG News Service
May 20, 2004

A team of open-source developers has released software which emulates the PowerPC processor architecture and enables users to run Mac OS and some Unix OSes on PCs powered by Intel Corp. x86-architecture processors.


The project, known as PearPC, is not yet stable enough or fast enough to be more than a tool for enthusiasts, the developers warned.

Using PearPC on a standard PC, the developers said they have successfully run Mac OS X 10.3, OpenBSD for PPC, NetBSD for PPC, Darwin for PPC and Mandrake Linux 9.1.

PearPC translates PowerPC instructions into x86 instructions, and currently "the client will run about 40 times slower than the host," the developers said.

Main developers Sebastian Biallas and Stefan Weyergraf are looking for extra people to help develop the project, which is now hosted at the open-source site SourceForge, owned by Open Source Development Network Inc.
<snip>

http://www.infoworld.com/article/04/05/20/HNmaconpcs_1.html