.Please enlarge on operating systems up to OS9,ie do they require
"apple hardware".Please clarify following possibility, could  a UNIX
computer, be configured to use a machintosh operaterating system OS7
for examle.

Hi macnewbie,

In general, a Unix computer cannot be configured to run the Macintosh
operating system.

Firstly, Apple has not released the operating system in source code
form, so you cannot compile it for the processor in the Unix computer.

Apple's operating system software is precompiled for specific
processors: the 68000 and PowerPC series of processors from Motorola
and IBM. If a non-Macintosh computer uses any other processor (such as
an Intel or Sun SPARC chip) it will not be able to run MacOS.

Even if a non-Macintosh computer uses a 68000 or PowerPC processor,
its motherboard will not have some custom chips that Apple included on
the Macintosh motherboards, such as the diskette controller and the
real-time clock. The Macintosh motherboard drives the hardware through
firmware included on the Macintosh BIOS chip, which expects to find
Apple's custom chips on the motherboard. The Apple Macintosh BIOS
chip, too, will not be found on a non-Macintosh machine.

So, if you obtain an arbitrary computer that is currently running some
variant of Unix (or MS-DOS or Windows for that matter), you are not
going to be able run the Macintosh operating system on it.

Having stated the general principle, there are a few exceptions.
Several computers, from companies other than Apple, were specifically
designed to run the Macintosh operating system - although none of
these machines gained a large market share. Some of these computers
were unofficial clones (where the custom hardware and the BIOS
software were reverse-engineered and the functionality duplicated),
and some were from 1995-98 when Apple was licensing its design to
other manufacturers. A list of these machines, and the history behind
them, can be found here:

The Macintosh Clones
http://www.lowendmac.com/clones/index.shtml

Another exception to the principle that Unix machines can't run the
Macintosh OS is if the Unix  is Apple's own A/UX running on Apple's
own Macintosh hardware. In the early days of the Mac, Apple shipped
two different operating systems for the same hardware, and it was even
possible to set up the Mac so that it could boot either of the
operating systems. But it was the Macintosh Operating System that
added the most value to the hardware, and A/UX is now little more than
a curiosity:

A/UX
http://www.applefritter.com/ui/aux/

But if you just want to buy a used Unix machine and run MacOS on it,
it isn't going to work.

I trust that this provides the information that you need â?? please
ask for clarification if any details are not clear.


Additional links:

Apple â?? PowerPC G5 processors
http://www.apple.com/g5processor/

Apple Macintosh 'Classic' specifications
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_classic/stats/mac_128k.html


Google search strategy:

macintosh hardware
://www.google.com/search?q=macintosh+hardware

macintosh processor
://www.google.com/search?q=macintosh+processor

macintosh clone
://www.google.com/search?q=macintosh+clone


Regards,
eiffel-ga

---

Clarification of Answer by eiffel-ga on 08 Jan 2004 09:53 PST

Macnewbie,

I see from another of your questions (titled "Macintosh Emulator")
that you are not interested in solutions such as SoftMac that require
you to have a genuine Apple Macintosh ROM.

In your "Macintosh Emulator" question you describe your need as being
the desire to gain experience using Macintosh software packages. The
most straightforward and economical way to do this is surely to forget
about emulation, and to borrow or buy a genuine second-hand Macintosh.

Regards,
eiffel-ga