OSx86

[Hexidecimal]

I'm not sure if anyone here is going to find this interesting or not, but it's technology related so I'm going to post my results.

At work we have an iMac, I've been playing with and enjoying OS X for the most part and had toyed with the idea of getting a cheap iMac on ebay. I decided not to because I don't really have a use for it or the room. So I went back seeking other options. I remembered hearing that OS X for the x86 architechture had been hacked when it first came out with hit or miss results. I looked into it at www.osx86project.org and sifted through the forums and the wiki to see what the best things for me to do would be, after a couple of days, this is my result:

I'm up and running with internet access, no sound though. I've ordered a new 50 dollar Intel Socket 478 board that everything is supported by OSx86. It should be here friday. I found it interesting to be able to run a MAC os on a Windows box. Thought you guys might too.

Edit: This is being done on an ABIT VT7 Motheboard, Pentium 4 2.2 Gig Northwood, 80 gig Seagate Hard drive and a PCI GeForce2 MX 64 meg. The new Board is a Gigabyte, that the wiki has stated has full support.

 

[t0rek]

It would be better to buy an Intel based Mac and use the still BETA "Boot Camp" software. That way you don't have to worry about using OS X, and you can use Windows XP too in a very easy way

 

[Hexidecimal]

50 dollar motherboard vs 500 dollar mac. I'll just put up with it

 

[Dysprosium]

It would be better to buy an Intel based Mac and use the still BETA "Boot Camp" software. That way you don't have to worry about using OS X, and you can use Windows XP too in a very easy way

Isn't Boot Camp fairly demanding on the hardware as of yet? I'd recommend waiting for it anyway, to see how it all turns out later.

I might look into this though. I've been wanting to try out Macintosh for a while. Thanks!

 

[zAlbee]

Personally, I don't understand why anyone would want MacOS X on an x86 box or Windows on a Mac box. There's nothing I like about the OS - you can only use a "pretty" OS for so long before you get bored of it - and there's nothing superior about Mac hardware. So... lose-lose.

 

[Jakob]

There's also nothing superior about a windows boxes' hardware either, and windows is a buggy and outdated kludge attempt at a modern operating system(yes I know unix isn't exactly modern either, but the model is more relevant now than single user models ever were)

As to osx being only a pretty OS, under the surface, OSX is POSIX complient unix environment, which can more than fulfill the requirements of a real "power user" but probably not your average script kiddie

 

[Hexidecimal]

The only thing you can't do in OS X is game. There are ports of everything else, and it's frigging fast. Insanely Fast.

 

[LazerTag]

Any further thoughts now that you have been playing with it?


I think I may attempt an install as well for fun.

 

[Miretank]

*Hexidemal is now known as OSXFanboy









Joking, and it looks very cool indeed.

 

[TerraPhantm]

I played around with OSX86 back when the first leaks were out, it was pretty good, but it wasn't complete enough to be used 24/7. I'm currently "aquiring" 10.4.5 and am hoping for some nice results.

 

[Flash]

There's also nothing superior about a windows boxes' hardware either, and windows is a buggy and outdated kludge attempt at a modern operating system

Man, who designed that registry thing deserves to be kicked at least once by every windoze user on Earth. Since first computer with disk drive there was config files, text ones (DOS, unix etc.) or binary ones (classic MacOS preferences) but it was just files in directory, more of them - less disk space, that's all. Then bright idea comes - merge all of them in one binary file which is also loaded to RAM. More programs installed - bigger the file, less RAM available, search inside this file also slower and slower. More users ? Bigger the file. One year and your system crawls like one-legged turtle. Nice...
And what if that file becomes corrupted. Boom! No way to recover your system, you need to reinstall system and 90% of software (with little exception of Quake 3, UTx, emulators and some other "serious" stuff.

To install software you need to have admin rights. To use many (if not most) programs you need to have admin rights. 90% Windows users work as admin. In M$ they call it "security".

In any OS except windoze i can use net w/o antivirus i can go to favorite site right after installation. Now we just have windoze installation disk and no antivirus ? What can we do ?
Use the net and get free one, like avast. But... while downloading we got lot's of trojans...
Got laptop with WiFi ? Installed Windows ? Thanks. You just said "hack me"
This is the OS of 90% of computer users on this planet. And it's not free. Planet of Masochists indeed

As to osx being only a pretty OS, under the surface, OSX is POSIX complient unix environment, which can more than fulfill the requirements of a real "power user" but probably not your average script kiddie

Yep. its BSD with awesome GUI, but bash, mc, X and whatever is here, you can use ports (DarwinPorts).

 

[Blacklord]

I say it's a pain to change to mac after running windows your whole life. Sure macs are better but i'd use windows any day. I say that it's macs fault that windows is so shitty . I mean think about it, people loved mac for it's looks mostly but it wasn't only the looks(something most people don't get). So windows instead of minding their own business and continued work on the XP(which could have easily surpassed mac) acted like friggin idiots and made another os which is made only to look good and virtually nothing else due to their incapability to see that style wasn't the only thing mac had to offer. Windows is going down right now and they don't seem to notice.

Conclusion: I think mac set windows up XD

 

[Alchemist]

I would say it's a joy to switch to MAC after using windows.

 

[ScottJC]

I just enjoy how everyone bashes windows but 90% of the ones who do it can't live without it, hypocrites. As for OSX being insanely fast - so is my XP box, windows is only slow if you don't know how to maintain it properly. Linux or OSX can easily become utter trash within weeks if I used it with total disregard for how it ran or operated - hey i'll install this that and the other... bleh. Also doesn't matter how much bashing of windows you do, its not going to go away so get used to it.

"Windows" shouldn't even be mentioned in this thread for that matter, what has windows got to do with OSX? can't you mention an OS without Windows being brought into it... I could start a thread about linux and the person who posts after me will mention windows - thats totally retarded. It's also like If I mentioned that I've got an Intel processor everyone would attack me directly by responding with "Get AMD". Choose your own damn OS and get a life and stop moaning and bitching about how much you hate things. This thread went from an interesting discussion about OSX to an OS war in only a few posts and thats how sad this crap gets.

That plus I enjoy playing devils advocate.

 

[Blacklord]

Gimme a break. Of course it's the ones who use windows that complain about it couse we got experience. We ain't some dumbases who switch to a OS use it a week or two and say it's super cool or bullshit. It took us a long time to learn every single detail about an OS. If i would change to mac right now i'd be a freaking n00b and would be on the internet every single second searching what everything does, and having to call experts and all that shit and make myself a fool of. And i speak here in the name of all Windows users which complain but which will not change.

As for why windows is mentioned in every thread is one of the most retarded questions of all of them. I mean wtf? 1/3 of the populaton of the friggin earth use windows(if not more). A thread about a OS without Windows being broght into the disscusion would be a miracle.

 

[ScottJC]

Blacklord, it may be hard for you to understand being around the age of 12 (which is how you act) but you are not the only one that I was putting that message accross to.

Also 1/3? try 98%. People like us are a minority - we actually know how to use our machines, the majority go into PC World or Compusa (I think) and buy the thing that the salesman suggests (which also happens to be very expensive). Skree... Only reason i'm nitpicking is because what started out as an OSX thread changed into an XP comparison in only a few posts.

Now if that was the original point of the thread, then you go right ahead and continue it my friend... godspeed

 

[BoggyB]

In any OS except windoze i can use net w/o antivirus i can go to favorite site right after installation. Now we just have windoze installation disk and no antivirus ? What can we do ?

I'd like to point out that I have used a Windows computer on the internet with no firewall or antivirus whatsoever, and been confident that the computer was sufficiently secured.

I also have at times had publicly available services available on Windows machines (up to and including full remote access), and been perfectly confident that an attacker won't get in easily (barring compromising another of my systems, in which case all bets are off anyway).

It just requires some skill and knowledge of how to secure things.

 

[Miretank]

Ah, I'll deskmod my Windows to get Mac look, alright?

 

[Blacklord]

Blacklord, it may be hard for you to understand being around the age of 12 (which is how you act) but you are not the only one that I was putting that message accross to.

Also 1/3? try 98%. People like us are a minority - we actually know how to use our machines, the majority go into PC World or Compusa (I think) and buy the thing that the salesman suggests (which also happens to be very expensive). Skree... Only reason i'm nitpicking is because what started out as an OSX thread changed into an XP comparison in only a few posts.

Now if that was the original point of the thread, then you go right ahead and continue it my friend... godspeed

Sure i agree with that. But i'll say this is one of them "is shit the same thing as crap" posts and will pretend like i didn't read it. Otherwise i understand ur point (never said i didn't). And it changed to a XP comparison becouse (AND READ THIS VERY CLEARLY): No one ever demonstated which is better and it is a constant debate as to which is better tho this a imposible question becouse it depends on the user/buyer but people will use every chance to start a flare about which is better.

 

[Hexidecimal]

Well, as I can see the debate circle, I will add my 2 cents.

Having now gone through a week or so of OSx86, I ordered myself a new socket 478 motherboard so I had audio USB etc. I've installed OSx86 about half a dozen times on a couple systems to test it out. I enjoy it. I'm posting an updated screen at the bottom of this post.

In all fairness, it isn't as quick as it should be on my secondary rig, mainly because I'm using garbage ram, and a processor that doesn't support SSE3 (which i hope to change next week). I'm on it here at work with a gig of decent ram and a P4 3.0E and it flies along nicely.

What you all should understand is, this is more or less a way for me to use the second system i have at home to the extent it actually gets used. I have nothing against windows, and i don't believe I ever said I do have anything against it. You can see in my sig the main rig i use is ONLY xp, becuase it's a gaming rig. It's fast, (though it is in need of a format ATM) and I like it, I just need a change as far as an OS goes. When you get down to it, windows is boring. It's just plain boring, and there are STILL a lot of things wrong with it, it's clunky, and the registry is a complete nightmare if you don't know how to tune it properly. (Which, yes, I do, I'm a computer technician, I do it every single day.)

OS X is just plain nice, theres nothing not to like about it, and I used to be in the I HATE MACS camp. All I can honestly say is, before you disregard it, try it yourself. You may learn something (like that the dock is the best idea. ever.) It's a lot cleaner then windows, and installing programs is insanely simple, (drag into applications folder, done) and its streamlined. Some people may mock it for its simplicity, i know i used to, but theres an elegance in how simple it actually is.

I also use my secondary rig for Ubuntu 5.10, it dual boots them both, this is more or less a way for me to learn all 3 OS' and be proficient with them and not be a close minded idiot anymore. There are other options out there people, and OS X has a lot of things right that windows has needed for a long time. Just try it, you may like it.

I also think this thread has proven that most windows users have what I call Macaphobia. It's a lot like Homophobia, where in, they are petrified of what they don't understand, and shun it. It also proves Blacklord has no idea what the hell he's talking about .

@LazerTag

Having used it a week, if you have a motherboard that supports what you need, (ethernet!) or can get your hands on supported hardware, I say go for it. It's nice, really nice.

Anyways, new desktop, with lots of OS X software in the dock.