Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Nermal

Moderator
Staff member
Dec 7, 2002
20,977
4,543
New Zealand
You can't run OS 9-only apps on Intel systems (and therefore it's very unlikely that you'd be able to develop them), but it *may* be possible to develop apps that can run in both 9 and X (I think these are called Carbon apps).
 

iMeowbot

macrumors G3
Aug 30, 2003
8,634
0
You could use PearPC (probably under Linux or Windows for now) if you really need to build software for older machines. It would be less hassle to instead pick up a nice (perhaps used) PowerPC Mac for that.
 

Nermal

Moderator
Staff member
Dec 7, 2002
20,977
4,543
New Zealand
I believe PearPC can only run OS X. SheepShaver can run OS 9, but I don't know whether it works on an Intel system.
 

iMeowbot

macrumors G3
Aug 30, 2003
8,634
0
Nermal said:
I believe PearPC can only run OS X.
Right, and people even have trouble with Classic. It still has what's needed to build the Carbon applications.
 

Nermal

Moderator
Staff member
Dec 7, 2002
20,977
4,543
New Zealand
Yes, you could build the Carbon apps, but you wouldn't be able to test them in OS 9, and testing is quite important when developing apps :)
 

iMeowbot

macrumors G3
Aug 30, 2003
8,634
0
That might still be acceptable. A machine that will run OS 9 but not X and Xcode can be found for dirt cheap.
 

ahunter3

macrumors 6502
Oct 15, 2003
377
5
SheepShaver certainly exists for Intel PCs, the Mac build was a port of it. (The first platform SheepShaver ran on was Intel Unix, then ported to OS X, then Windows if I recall correctly)

I'd be astonished if an Intel-Mac version didn't make an appearance soon.
 

Soulstorm

macrumors 68000
Feb 1, 2005
1,887
1
Wellander said:
Hi,
I am just wondering if you can develop os 9 apps on the new intel macs?
Thanks.
Why would you want to do that? OS 9 development will offer you NOTHING in terms of OS-Specific application development.
 

cubist

macrumors 68020
Jul 4, 2002
2,075
0
Muncie, Indiana
Counterfit said:
OS 9 is dead.

I think this is a terrible attitude. Apple's refusal to provide backward-compatibility has cost them a lot of goodwill. They forced a lot of people to buy the same programs again when they went to Mac OS X, and they apparently intend to force people to buy them all over again.

There's no technical reason Mac OS X, on Intel or PPC, can't run Classic apps. Why, Microsoft's XP will still run DOS programs. Apple's just being lazy.

In many cases you can't buy updated apps because the vendor won't port them to Mac OS X. For example: Apple's own HyperCard.

Saying "OS 9 is dead" is a really stupid, insulting, condescending attitude. It may be true, but that doesn't make it good.
 

geese

macrumors 6502a
Oct 23, 2003
525
0
London, UK
cubist said:
There's no technical reason Mac OS X, on Intel or PPC, can't run Classic apps. Why, Microsoft's XP will still run DOS programs. Apple's just being lazy.

Well, no but it would require Apple to enable classic to run atop of Rosetta as well. Do-able, but would take alot of development time, time that could be used to make the intel transition smoother.
 

cubist

macrumors 68020
Jul 4, 2002
2,075
0
Muncie, Indiana
geese said:
Well, no but it would require Apple to enable classic to run atop of Rosetta as well. Do-able, but would take alot of development time, time that could be used to make the intel transition smoother.

Yes, it will make the Intel transition much smoother for anyone with Classic apps to run - by making it never happen at all. Thanks, Apple. Now I know which companies care about their long-term customers -- and one that doesn't.
 

26139

Suspended
Dec 27, 2003
4,315
377
Get over it...

cubist said:
I think this is a terrible attitude. Apple's refusal to provide backward-compatibility has cost them a lot of goodwill. They forced a lot of people to buy the same programs again when they went to Mac OS X, and they apparently intend to force people to buy them all over again.

There's no technical reason Mac OS X, on Intel or PPC, can't run Classic apps. Why, Microsoft's XP will still run DOS programs. Apple's just being lazy.

In many cases you can't buy updated apps because the vendor won't port them to Mac OS X. For example: Apple's own HyperCard.

Saying "OS 9 is dead" is a really stupid, insulting, condescending attitude. It may be true, but that doesn't make it good.

Learn to accept it. You don't HAVE to upgrade your hardware or software and if killing OS 9 means nearly all of the rest of us will have a better user experience, I am ALL for it. Those that upgrade on a somewhat regular cycle should be rewarded for doing so by not having to deal with older software and all its glitches.
 

caveman_uk

Guest
Feb 17, 2003
2,390
1
Hitchin, Herts, UK
cubist said:
I think this is a terrible attitude. Apple's refusal to provide backward-compatibility has cost them a lot of goodwill. They forced a lot of people to buy the same programs again when they went to Mac OS X, and they apparently intend to force people to buy them all over again.

There's no technical reason Mac OS X, on Intel or PPC, can't run Classic apps. Why, Microsoft's XP will still run DOS programs. Apple's just being lazy.

In many cases you can't buy updated apps because the vendor won't port them to Mac OS X. For example: Apple's own HyperCard.

Saying "OS 9 is dead" is a really stupid, insulting, condescending attitude. It may be true, but that doesn't make it good.
OK, don't buy an Intel mac. Buy a kick-ass G5 now and you'll be able to run OS9 apps at least until the end of the decade. The OS9 apps will then be at least ten years old. I think getting 10 years of use out of your applications is a pretty good deal

Oh, condescending it may be but OS 9 is dead. Which is a good thing IMO. Ensuring that classic apps run means spending a lot of time and money on something that only affects a small proportion of users.
 

trogdor!

macrumors regular
Mar 7, 2006
172
0
I would say developing for os 9 is dead, but not the user base yet, but hopefuly soon that will change. For some, thier os 9 box will serve them well for many years to come. Thats great, but you prob wont see any revolutionary software being developed for os 9 anymore. It hard enough sometime to get developers to even develop on the mac platform, let alone for an old OS.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.