XPostFacto

Last updated

XPostFacto is an open source utility for Mac OS 9 that enables the installation of PowerPC versions of Mac OS X up to Mac OS X v10.4 (Tiger), and Darwin on some PowerPC-based Apple Macintosh systems that are not officially supported by Apple. It was released in 2002. [1]

Contents

Functions

XPostFacto allowed Darwin, OS X, and OS X Server run on unsupported Mac models. The OS X Installer would not run on machines without a G3, G4, G5, or Intel processor by default, but XPostFacto patched the installer to allow it to run. [2] A Mac OS 9 partition must be booted first. XPostFacto then runs in Mac OS 9 using an installation CD to install a version of OS X. [3] [4]

XPostFacto is available for free, but the company offered support for either $10 or $25. [5] [3]

Supported models

XPostFacto 4.0 works with pre-G3 Macintosh models. [2] Beige box Power Macs as old as upgraded 7300-era machines are supported. [5] Limited support was also available for Performa 6400 and 6500 models. [6]

Reception

Engadget gave XPostFacto a negative review for its slowness, stating it "runs like a limp turtle on our old iMac G3." [7]

Related Research Articles

macOS Operating system for Apple computers

macOS, originally Mac OS X, previously shortened as OS X, is an operating system developed and marketed by Apple since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and laptop computers, it is the second most widely used desktop OS, after Microsoft Windows and ahead of all Linux distributions, including ChromeOS.

The history of macOS, Apple's current Mac operating system formerly named Mac OS X until 2011 and then OS X until 2016, began with the company's project to replace its "classic" Mac OS. That system, up to and including its final release Mac OS 9, was a direct descendant of the operating system Apple had used in its Mac computers since their introduction in 1984. However, the current macOS is a UNIX operating system built on technology that had been developed at NeXT from the 1980s until Apple purchased the company in early 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mac OS 9</span> Ninth and last major release of the classic Mac OS

Mac OS 9 is the ninth and final major release of Apple's classic Mac OS operating system, which was succeeded by Mac OS X 10.0 in 2001, starting the Mac OS X family of operating systems. Introduced on October 23, 1999, it was promoted by Apple as "The Best Internet Operating System Ever", highlighting Sherlock 2’s Internet search capabilities, integration with Apple's free online services known as iTools and improved Open Transport networking. While Mac OS 9 lacks protected memory and full pre-emptive multitasking, lasting improvements include the introduction of an automated Software Update engine and support for multiple users.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Power Macintosh G3</span> Series of personal computers by Apple

The Power Macintosh G3 is a series of personal computers designed, manufactured, and sold by Apple Computer from November 1997 to August 1999. It represented Apple's first step towards eliminating redundancy and complexity in the product line by replacing eight Power Macintosh models with three: Desktop and Mini Tower models for professional and home use, and an all-in-one model for education. The introduction of the Desktop and Mini Tower models coincided with Apple starting to sell build-to-order Macs directly from its web site in an online store, which was unusual for the time as Dell was the only major computer manufacturer doing this. Apple's move to build-to-order sales of the Power Macintosh G3 also coincided with the acquisition of Power Computing Corporation, which had been providing telephone sales of Macintosh clones for more than two years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mac OS X Panther</span> Fourth major release of Mac OS X

Mac OS X Panther is the fourth major release of macOS, Apple's desktop and server operating system. It followed Mac OS X Jaguar and preceded Mac OS X Tiger. It was released on October 24, 2003, with the retail price of US$129 for a single user and US$199 for a five user, family license.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mac OS X Jaguar</span> Third major release of Mac OS X

Mac OS X Jaguar is the third major release of macOS, Apple's desktop and server operating system. It superseded Mac OS X 10.1 and preceded Mac OS X Panther. The operating system was released on August 23, 2002 either for single-computer installations, and in a "family pack", which allowed five installations on separate computers in one household. Jaguar was the first Mac OS X release to publicly use its code name in marketing and advertisements.

MkLinux is an open-source software computer operating system begun by the Open Software Foundation Research Institute and Apple Computer in February 1996, to port Linux to the PowerPC platform, and Macintosh computers. The name refers to the Linux kernel being adapted to run as a server hosted on the Mach microkernel, version 3.0.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mac OS X Tiger</span> Fifth major release of Mac OS X

Mac OS X Tiger is the 5th major release of macOS, Apple's desktop and server operating system for Mac computers. Tiger was released to the public on April 29, 2005 for US$129.95 as the successor to Mac OS X 10.3 Panther. Included features were a fast searching system called Spotlight, a new version of the Safari web browser, Dashboard, a new 'Unified' theme, and improved support for 64-bit addressing on Power Mac G5s. Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger also had a number of additional features that Microsoft had spent several years struggling to add to Windows with acceptable performance, such as fast file search and improved graphics processing.

PearPC is a PowerPC platform emulator capable of running many PowerPC operating systems, including pre-Intel versions of Mac OS X, Darwin, and Linux on x86 hardware. It is released under the GNU General Public License (GPL). It can be used on Windows, Linux, FreeBSD and other systems based on POSIX-X11. The first official release was made on May 10, 2004. The software was often used to run early versions of OS X on Windows XP computers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norton Utilities</span> Computer utility software

Norton Utilities is a utility software suite designed to help analyze, configure, optimize and maintain a computer. The latest version of the original series of Norton Utilities is Norton Utilities 16 for Windows XP/Vista/7/8 was released 26 October 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macintosh clone</span> Computer running Mac OS not produced by Apple

A Macintosh clone is a computer running the Mac OS operating system that was not produced by Apple Inc. The earliest Mac clones were based on emulators and reverse-engineered Macintosh ROMs. During Apple's short lived Mac OS 7 licensing program, authorized Mac clone makers were able to either purchase 100% compatible motherboards or build their own hardware using licensed Mac reference designs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mac OS X Leopard</span> Sixth major release of Mac OS X

Mac OS X Leopard is the sixth major release of macOS, Apple's desktop and server operating system for Macintosh computers. Leopard was released on October 26, 2007 as the successor of Mac OS X Tiger, and is available in two editions: a desktop version suitable for personal computers, and a server version, Mac OS X Server. It retailed for $129 for the desktop version and $499 for Server. Leopard was superseded by Mac OS X Snow Leopard in 2009. Mac OS X Leopard is the last version of macOS that supports the PowerPC architecture as its successor, Mac OS X Snow Leopard, functions solely on Intel based Macs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hackintosh</span> Non-Apple computer running macOS

A Hackintosh is a computer that runs Apple's Macintosh operating system macOS on computer hardware that is not authorized for the purpose by Apple. This can also include running Macintosh software on hardware it is not originally authorized for. Benefits of "Hackintoshing" can include cost, ease of repair and piecemeal upgrade, and freedom to use customized choices of components that are not available in the branded Apple products. macOS can also be run on several non-Apple virtualization platforms, although such systems are not usually described as Hackintoshes. Hackintosh laptops are sometimes referred to as "Hackbooks".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Power Macintosh 9500</span> Personal computer by Apple Computer

The Power Macintosh 9500 is a personal computer designed, manufactured and sold by Apple Computer from June 1995 to February 1997. It is powered by a PowerPC 604 processor, a second-generation PowerPC chip which is faster than the PowerPC 601 chip used in the Power Macintosh 8100. The 180MP and 200 MHz models, introduced August 1996, use the enhanced PowerPC 604e processor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boot Camp (software)</span> Built-in macOS software to natively install Microsoft Windows on a Mac.

Boot Camp Assistant is a multi boot utility included with Apple Inc.'s macOS that assists users in installing Microsoft Windows operating systems on Intel-based Macintosh computers. The utility guides users through non-destructive disk partitioning of their hard disk drive or solid-state drive and installation of Windows device drivers for the Apple hardware. The utility also installs a Windows Control Panel applet for selecting the default boot operating system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Power Macintosh 9600</span> Personal computer by Apple Computer

The Power Macintosh 9600 is a personal computer that is a part of Apple Computer's Power Macintosh series of Macintosh computers. It was introduced in February 1997 alongside the Power Macintosh 7300 and 8600, and replaced the Power Macintosh 9500 as Apple's flagship desktop computer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Classic Mac OS</span> Original operating system of Apple Mac (1984–2001)

Mac OS is the series of operating systems developed for the Macintosh family of personal computers by Apple Computer, Inc. from 1984 to 2001, starting with System 1 and ending with Mac OS 9. The Macintosh operating system is credited with having popularized the graphical user interface concept. It was included with every Macintosh that was sold during the era in which it was developed, and many updates to the system software were done in conjunction with the introduction of new Macintosh systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UMAX SuperMac</span>

The SuperMac was a line of Macintosh clones produced by UMAX Technologies from 1996 to 1998. Their models included the SuperMac S900/S910, J700, C500 and C500e/i/LT, C600e/v/LT/x and Aegis 200. The C500 was marketed as the Apus 2000 in Europe. They used versions of Apple's motherboard like Tsunami, Alchemy, and Tanzania, which were designed to use standard IBM PC compatible components in addition to Apple-proprietary components then in common use in the Power Macintosh family. The machines were popular in places like Asia, Europe, and North America due to their low price and reliability.

The Linux kernel can run on a variety of devices made by Apple, including devices where the unlocking of the bootloader is not possible with an official procedure, such as iPhones and iPads.

References

  1. Frakes, Dan (2006-07-14). Mac OS X Power Tools. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN   978-0-7821-5192-3.
  2. 1 2 Pogue, David (2005-07-12). Mac OS X: The Missing Manual, Tiger Edition: The Missing Manual. "O'Reilly Media, Inc.". ISBN   978-1-4493-7907-0.
  3. 1 2 Dornfest, Rael; Hemenway, Kevin (2003). Mac OS X Hacks. "O'Reilly Media, Inc.". ISBN   978-0-596-00460-6.
  4. Stern, Hadley (2004-10-13). IPod and ITunes Hacks: Tips and Tools for Ripping, Mixing and Burning. "O'Reilly Media, Inc.". ISBN   978-0-596-00778-2.
  5. 1 2 Cohen, Peter (2005-10-14). "XPostFacto 4.0 supports Tiger on older Macs". Macworld. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  6. "Utilities Updates: InterView; XPostFacto; MacInstall;". CNET. 2009-10-01. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  7. Blass, Evan (2005-09-16). "XPostFacto to shoehorn Tiger into every Mac ever built". Engadget. Retrieved 2024-05-06.