Running Macintosh Software on Other Platforms: Mac Emulators and Runtime Enviroments

Company or Organization	Product	Host Operating Systems	Description
Apple Computer	Macintosh Application Environment (MAE) 3.0) Discontinued on 6/1/98.	Solaris and HP-UX	A runtime enviroment that operated in a UNIX X window on Sun SPARC workstations and HP 9000 and 700 workstations. MAE is the most complete Mac environment for another platform. Based on System 7.5.3, MAE 3.0 includes AppleTalk and MacTCP networking, AppleScript, Drag and Drop, PC Exchange, and AppleGuide. MAE 3.0 emulates a 68LC040 processor, and lets you run off-the-shelf Mac software.
ARDI Suite 4-101 1650 University Blvd., NE Albuquerque, NM 87102 email	Executor 2.0	Windows, Linux x86	A 680x0 emulator for Windows. Runs some pre-OS X software, but has limitations. The company's engineers have reverse-engineered much of the old Mac Toolbox of pre-OS X Macs.
Christian Bauer	Basilisk II also here	Windows 95/98/NT, BeOS 4, Amiga, and UNIX	From one of the creators of SheepShaver (see below), an open source 680x0 Mac emulator for Windows 95/98/NT, BeOS, Amiga, and UNIX. Emulates either a Mac Classic (which runs Mac OS 0.x thru 7.5) or a Mac II series machine (which runs MacOS 7.x, 8.0 and 8.1), depending on the ROM being used. Supports sound output, color display, 1.44 MB floppies, CD-ROM, Ethernet, SCSI. Emulates extended ADB keyboard and 3-button mouse. Can exchange files with the PC operating system using a "Host Directory Tree" icon on the Mac desktop .
Emulators, Inc 14150 NE 20th Street, Suite 302 Bellevue, WA 98007 206-236-0540 fax: 206-236-0257 email	SoftMac 2000	Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT/2000/XP	Emulates the 68000-to-68040 Macintosh at the hardware level, emulating the various chips (like Virtual PC). Runs Mac OS 6-to-8.1.Can run Mac OS in a Windows window and can use Mac disk media. Supports sound and printing. Also emulates Atari. Limitted to 256 colors max.
	Fusion 3.0 (free download) (Purchased form Microcode Solutions, new code added to v. 3)	Windows, but you run in DOS mode.	Version 3 added a new 68040 engine core that uses Pentium II/III/Celeron/Athlon optimized code similar to that in SoftMac.
The Mace Project	DICONTINUED Mace (freeware)	Windows, Linux-on-PC	Another experimental Macintosh 680x0 emulator, which has not evolved past early stages. Mace does not emulate a Macintosh, instead it emulates the Macintosh operating system and Toolbox (the ROM) resulting in the ability to run Macintosh software. Mace will NOT require a Macintosh ROM or the Mac OS like most Macintosh emulators. The emulation of the Mac OS and Toolbox (ROM) will be less compatible than other emulators. Mace will make Macintosh applications look like Windows applications.
Mac-on-Linux	Mac-on-Linux (freeware)	LinuxPPC	An open source Macintosh emulator that runs on top of LinuxPPC. It runs on Macintosh hardware, so the processor is NOT emulated. It can boot Mac OS 8.6-to-9.2 within Linux without a ROM image.
Maui X-Stream Inc.	CherryOS DISCONTINUED	Windows XP	A G4 (AltiVec) emulator for Windows XP that can run Mac OS X on a PC. Some of its features include: Network and Internet access Drag and drop copying of files from Windows and Mac OS X CD/DVD drive access
PearPC Project	PearPC	Windows, Linux	The first PowerPC emulator running in Windows and Linux on Intel-based PCs. PearPC can run Mac OS X "with some caveats," according to the developers, Sebastian Biallas and Stefan Weyergraf, who give the warning: Please note that this is an experimental program not meant for productive use. There are still unimplemented instructions, mysterious bugs and missing features. Don't use it on important data, it WILL destroy them sooner or later!
SheepShaver Project	SheepShaver	Mac OS 9, Mac OS X for PowerPC and Intel Macs	An Open Source PowerPC Mac OS run-time environment for x86 PCs and also Mac hardware. When running in Mac OS X, Sheepshaver functions similarly to Classic. On Intel Macs, Sheepshaver replaces Classic functionality that Apple dropped. SheepShaver runs Mac OS 7.5.2 through Mac OS 9.0.4 on these systems.
The vMac Group	vMac (freeware)	Windows 95, Windows 98 Windows NT, DOS, OS/2, Linux, NeXTStep for Intel, Unix X Window	A Mac Plus, Motorola 68000 emulator that requires (but doesn't provide) Mac Plus ROM chips. You use utilities to create a software "ROM image" which runs on Windows. The most recent version of Mac OS that vMac runs is System 7.5.5. vMac currently runs in black and white. Comes with a "ROM dumper" utility to create Mac ROM image file from Mac ROMs in a working Mac. vMac is available as a free download.