MacintoshPi

MacintoshPi is a small project that allows running full-screen versions of Apple's Mac OS 7, Mac OS 8 and Mac OS 9 with sound, active Internet connection and modem emulation under Raspberry Pi. All this without the X.org manager, only a multimedia SDL2 library and from the CLI / Raspberry Pi OS (Legacy). This lets emulators use full power of Raspberry Pi, making them more stable and useful in combination with additional retro-software.

<p align="center"><a href="https://jm.iq.pl/macintoshpi-mac-os-7-8-9-for-raspberry-pi/"><img src="https://jm.iq.pl/graf/mpi-download.png" width="50%"></a></p>

Installation requires running a single script on a clean Raspberry Pi OS (full) Legacy and waiting about two hours for the packages to compile and install. In addition, thanks to a document contained in the project, it is possible in dual-boot to place the fastest (bare-metal) Commodore 64/128/PET emulator BMC64, thus building an interesting retro package on a single SD card. The entire MacintoshPi project runs on Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W, 2, 2B, 3, 3B, 3A+, 3B+ (at present, it does not run on version 4).

Below you will find a short clip showing what MacintoshPi can do:

<p align="center"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2kgQuUPLoY" target="_blank"><img src="assets/img/vthumb.jpg" width="50%"></a></p>

A much longer version of the clip can be found here.

Project components

The project consists of the following auto-compiling and installing bash scripts for Raspberry Pi:

• Macintosh 68K emulator Basilisk II supporting Mac OS 7 (System 7.5.5) and Mac OS 8.
• PowerPC emulator SheepShaver supporting Mac OS 9.
• A development library SDL2 designed to provide low level access to audio, keyboard, mouse, joystick, and graphics hardware.
• Commodore 64/128/PET emulator VICE.
• MacintoshPi Virtual Modem using the tty0tty and tcpser projects, running with the two aforementioned emulators for Apple and Commodore products, and on Raspberry Pi OS itself, as well as allowing any original terminal retro-software to connect with modern-day telnet BBSs.
• CD-ROM, DVD-ROM emulator CDEmu which allows mounting CD images (iso, toast, cue/bin, mds/mdf etc.) under Raspberry Pi OS - runs with BasiliskII and SheepShaver emulators, as well as on Raspberry Pi OS. The emulators are configured automatically to support that virtual CD-ROM drive.
• A consistent MacintoshPi Launcher that runs all of those systems at different resolutions (after reboot), in different configurations, with autostart support and with various startup chimes.
• SyncTERM - an application for connecting with BBSs from the Raspberry Pi OS, compiled in combination with the SDL library.
• Information how to run Raspberry Pi OS in dual-boot with BMC64, the fastest Commodore emulator for Raspberry Pi (bare metal/low latency emulator).

Mac OS images are pre-configured to support online connections.

Apple-1, Apple ][, Altair and IMSAI emulators moved to the new DinosPi project.

Special thanks to Christian Bauer and kanjitalk755.

Installation

The project must be installed on a clean, full Raspberry Pi OS (oldold Legacy) Buster image 2022-04-04-raspios-buster-armhf.img.xz - you must switch to command line or set system start to CLI (Start -> Preferences -> Raspberry Pi Configuration : To CLI and Wait for network checked). The installation process requires a minimum 16 GB SD card.

Installation of the entire MacintoshPi package requires running the single command ./build_all.sh - all dependencies and required packages will be installed automatically:

git clone https://github.com/jaromaz/MacintoshPi
cd MacintoshPi
./build_all.sh
# That's it - now you can run, for example, Mac OS 9:
mac os9

The process of compiling and installing packages can take about two hours.

Each of these sub-projects can be installed separately by running the corresponding compilation & installation script contained in the directory relevant to the sub-project concerned. The installation scripts must be run from the pi user.

Detailed descriptions of MacintoshPi project components

Basilisk II (Mac OS 7 and 8) and SheepShaver (Mac OS 9)

The script downloads all files required to start Mac OS - ROMs, system images, and creates configuration files. On installation, directory /home/pi/Downloads will be visible on the Apple desktop as a Unix directory - files can be copied both ways between those two resources, but applications cannot be launched directly from that directory. In addition, the so-called NetDriver is also compiled, which allows full online access from virtualised Apple systems. Up till now, Mac OS 9 in the full screen mode (without the unnecessary window manager) has not been available for Raspberry Pi. This is perhaps the first such implementation which allows using Mac OS 9 and SDL2 in the full screen mode with sound and online connection - even on the small Raspberry Pi 2W. Each system must be launched with the appropriate command: mac os7, mac os8 or mac os9. The additional file .img or .dsk can be added to the launched system by adding the image file name at the end of the command which invokes the system concerned, e.g.

mac os9 demo.img

Basilisk II and SheepShaver emulators can be stopped by using the key combination CTRL+SHIFT+ESC. This causes an immediate return to the command line. The COMMAND key is acquired with the left ALT key in Mac OS 9, and with the CTRL key in Mac OS 7 and Mac OS 8. For more information about those emulators visit the BasiliskII and SheepShaver websites.

VICE

The script that compiles the VICE Commodore emulator which can be used for connecting an emulated Commodore with modern BBSs. It allows downloading files which can be used on the same Raspberry Pi device, but on the fast BMC64 emulator installed in dual boot. On installing the BMC64 partition to rootfs, data can be downloaded from a BBS directly to the virtual drive that will then be available automatically in BMC64. The VICE emulator for Raspberry Pi is very slow, which is why it is recommended to use the BMC64 emulator for more demanding applications. For more information about the VICE emulator visit the project's website.

MacintoshPi Virtual Modem

A script that compiles and installs a virtual modem in Raspberry Pi OS, allowing connection with modern-day telnet BBSs using any terminal software launched on the aforementioned Basilisk II, SheepShaver and VICE emulators, and on Raspberry Pi OS itself. The MacintoshPi Virtual Modem is controlled by systemd and uses the tpcser software which, through the tty0tty project, writes to virtual device /dev/tnt0. The data can be read from another virtual device /dev/tnt1, which thus becomes a virtual serial port in the system. The modem launches by default after the system boots.

It can be reset or paused with the standard systemd commands:

sudo systemctl stop vmodem

sudo systemctl reset vmodem

Speed (bps) change options can be set in the configuration file as per example entries provided with it:

/etc/vmodem.conf

To connect with a telnet BBS, just run the following command on terminal application:

ATDT telnet_url:port

For example:

ATDT borderlinebbs.dyndns.org:6400

The virtual modem cooperates with the VICE Commodore 64 emulator, but only with a version launched with the x64sc file.

Modem speeds depending on emulation

| System | Maximum speed bps | |--------------------------|:-----------------------:| | Commodore / VICE | 2400 | | Mac OS 7-8 / BasiliskII | 28800 | | Mac OS 9 / SheepShaver | 28800 | | Raspberry Pi OS | 38400 |

Configuring a virtual modem

• In VICE Commodore 64, run command x64sc and select: F12 -> Machine settings -> RS232 Settings: Set the screen as per the figure below, also marking appropriate dots in green with:

  <p align="center"><img src="assets/img/viceconf.png" width="50%"></p>

• In Basilisk II and SheepShaver, configuration is already performed automatically in their configuration files. In Apple terminal application, just select the standard serial port and modem speed as set under Raspberry Pi OS in file /etc/vmodem.conf (default 2400 bps).

• In terminal applications directly under Raspberry Pi OS (e.g. minicom), just indicate the serial port: /dev/tnt1 and speed as shown in file /etc/vmodem.conf.

CDEmu

A script which compiles the CDEmu CD/DVD emulator, allowing mounting CD and DVD images in iso, toast, cue/bin, mds/mdf and many other formats. The application is similar to Daemon Tools for Windows and runs with BasiliskII and SheepShaver as well as on Raspberry Pi OS. It allows you to create an image of a