Will the G5 Run Classic?

[Paul Forbes]

Hi all, does anyone know if the G5 is able to run Mac OS 9 Classic?
Thanks.
- Paul

 

[Cat]

Do you mean "natively" booting into classic? Or support for classic applications within OS X?

I don not think the G5 will be able to boot into OS 9. there may be hacks or workarounds, but since the last MWSF Steve told us nothing would boot into OS 9 anymore by design.

However, classic applications will be able to run in the classic emulation mode within OS X (either Jaguar or Panther), so no problem there.

 

[elektro]

It runs when is possible to do it yes.
But no when not.

 

[MDLarson]

Originally posted by elektro
It runs when is possible to do it yes.
But no when not.

I'm not entirely sure what you're saying here... what ARE you trying to say?

 

[DeltaMac]

Paraphrasing here:
It works when it works, unless it doesn't work.
That's pretty close to correct I think

 

[RacerX]

The Classic environment within Mac OS X runs just fine on the G5. If your Classic apps ran on a G3 or G4 in Mac OS X then they should have no problems here.

To date, the only app that I know of that does run on a G5 is VirtualPC (which didn't run in Classic anyway).

Hope that clears things up a little.

 

[Sogni]

Originally posted by MDLarson
I'm not entirely sure what you're saying here... what ARE you trying to say?

Herve's/Tree's 3rd personality me thinks?

 

[Cheryl]

Racer is correct. You will not be able to boot in OS 9, but you will be able to run any OS 9 program through the Classic environment.

 

[MaC hAcKeR]

YOu cnanot boot into Mac OS 9 but you can run the classic enviorment. The classic enviorment will inly use 999 MB of RAM Maximum

 

[MDLarson]

Originally posted by RacerX
To date, the only app that I know of that does run on a G5 is VirtualPC...

Hmm, I'm confused again... I stopped following a thread on this subject. Have we decided that Virtual PC 6.0 or 6.1 ran on the G5? Or both?

 

[DeltaMac]

Virtual PC won't run on the G5 (according to Microsoft, it's a long ways from being modified to run on the G5)

 

[Natobasso]

I too read that VPC 6.0 doesn't yet work on the G5, and that the G5 won't ship till late September (date was changed on 8/29/03.)

I don't think it's all that clear yet what does and does not work on the G5, is it? Sounds like the chip architecture that thwarts VPC might affect other programs as well. It's going to be the usual bug fixing for a while.

 

[Natobasso]

This just in from MacNews.com

Mac OS X Server not compatible with G5
September 3, 2003 - 11:50 EDT Apple has posted a Knowledge Base document that says the Power Mac G5 is not supported for use with any version of Mac OS X Server 10.2, or any earlier version of Mac OS X Server. "Mac OS X Server 10.3 will be supported on Power Mac G5 computers," notes the document. "Power Mac G5 computers require Mac OS X 10.2.7 (G5), which is made specifically for this computer. Mac OS X 10.2.7 (G5) cannot be installed on other computers, and other versions of Mac OS X 10.2 (both server and client) cannot be installed on the Power Mac G5 computer."

Is it just me or does this smell a bit like the "Microsoft Way", forcing users to use certain systems?

Very strange.

 

[brianleahy]

I'm not going to be too alarmed, as long as it's just the OS version and not the other software that is CPU specific.

VPC is a special case; it's letting you run a different OS. An inherently touchy process. Intel processors use "little endian" memory addressing, PowerPC and G5 processors (does the G5 count as a PowerPC processor??) use "big endian" addressing.

However, up until the G4, you could optionally switch the processor to 'little endian' -- which VPC did. The G5 does not have this capability.

It is sobering to imagine the impact on VPC's performance if addresses will have to be remapped in software for every single memory read and write...

 

[RacerX]

The current boxed version of Mac OS X Server 10.2 (which is actually 10.2.3) doesn't support most new hardware. The last time I set up Mac OS X Server (a little over a month ago) I had to first install and update Mac OS X 10.2 to 10.2.6. Once that was done I installed the Server software for the Mac OS X Server CD. After restarting I updated it to Server 10.2.6.

The problem with trying that on a G5 is that there is no Server 10.2.7 to match Mac OS X 10.2.7 required to run a G5.

What is surprising to me is that this is causing alarm to anyone who has no reason to run Server. It is not that big a deal.

Originally posted by Natobasso
I too read that VPC 6.0 doesn't yet work on the G5, and that the G5 won't ship till late September (date was changed on 8/29/03.)

I don't think it's all that clear yet what does and does not work on the G5, is it? Sounds like the chip architecture that thwarts VPC might affect other programs as well. It's going to be the usual bug fixing for a while.

If you understood what it was that was causing the problems with VPC, I think you would see were this is not a problem for standard Mac software. I think brianleahy did a good job explaining it.

Besides, if you want to see what runs on a G5, head over to Fashion Valley and see one in person. It might take some of the guess work out of it for you.

Oh, and Brian, I think the PowerPC 970 (aka G5) is a PowerPC processor... but that is just a guess.

 

[brianleahy]

Ah, gotcha. I hadn't heard that alternate name for the processor.

 

[DeltaMac]

PowerPC is used all over the specs at Apple's G5 page, that's the only way they refer to the G5 processor.

 

[brianleahy]

Ah, that's what I love about the internet. Make one oversight and people line up to rub your nose in it.

 

[Paul Forbes]

Thanks everyone!
- Paul

 

[Arden]

Nato, I don't think it's as much Microsoftian (as in intentionally disabling compatibility) as much as simply technical (software can't run due to different architectures). Besides, Apple has been doing little Microsoftian things forever.