GSOC qemu Boot Mac OS >= 8.5 on PowerPC system

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uyjulian
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Re: GSOC qemu Boot Mac OS >= 8.5 on PowerPC system

Post by uyjulian »

PeterHolbrook wrote:Following O'Brien's guide in http://c-obrien.org/qemu-os9/testing/, I've reached the following error:

ERROR: pkg-config binary 'pkg-config' not found

It appears about five seconds after entering

../qemu/configure --target-list=ppc-softmmu --prefix=$HOME/os9/qemu-install

I haven't used brew or anything to install qemu. Might that be the problem? Any advice I can follow? Thanks.

Edit: By the way, shouldn't ../qemu/configure --target-list=ppc-softmmu --prefix=$HOME/os9/qemu-install be expressed as ../qemu/configure --target-list=ppc-softmmu --prefix=$HOME/os9-test/qemu-install? I mean, Cormac O'Brien named the OS 9 test folder as "os9-test", didn't he?
install pkg-config
PeterHolbrook
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Re: GSOC qemu Boot Mac OS >= 8.5 on PowerPC system

Post by PeterHolbrook »

julialy wrote: install pkg-config
Thanks, but no dice. Executing that from os9-test just produces this output:

install: install: No such file or directory

While I was waiting for someone's response, I've installed a lot of things, such as homebrew, which finally let me generate pkg-config via this command:

brew install pkg-config

Unfortunately, that's just the beginning of dependence hell, since that, in turn, requires downloading glib. Later on down the path to hell, it requires the pixman library, which, as far as I can see, even when successfully generated and copied to /usr/lib, can't be found by ../qemu/configure --target-list=ppc-softmmu --prefix=$HOME/os9-test/qemu-install, so this entire process is futile. In my brief experience the whole thing is entirely convoluted, is very badly documented or has unexplained previous dependencies which will thwart nearly all efforts to compile qemu.

I've followed O'Brien's explanations and they don't work (at least in Yosemite). I've also followed http://mikelev.in/2012/10/qemu-mac-os-x-success/, but there's no success, et cetera.

Isn't there a foolproof method to build qemu that won't require installing zillions of non-incompatible or otherwise incomplete components?
uyjulian
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Re: GSOC qemu Boot Mac OS >= 8.5 on PowerPC system

Post by uyjulian »

PeterHolbrook wrote:
julialy wrote: install pkg-config
Thanks, but no dice. Executing that from os9-test just produces this output:

install: install: No such file or directory

While I was waiting for someone's response, I've installed a lot of things, such as homebrew, which finally let me generate pkg-config via this command:

brew install pkg-config

Unfortunately, that's just the beginning of dependence hell, since that, in turn, requires downloading glib. Later on down the path to hell, it requires the pixman library, which, as far as I can see, even when successfully generated and copied to /usr/lib, can't be found by ../qemu/configure --target-list=ppc-softmmu --prefix=$HOME/os9-test/qemu-install, so this entire process is futile. In my brief experience the whole thing is entirely convoluted, is very badly documented or has unexplained previous dependencies which will thwart nearly all efforts to compile qemu.

I've followed O'Brien's explanations and they don't work (at least in Yosemite). I've also followed http://mikelev.in/2012/10/qemu-mac-os-x-success/, but there's no success, et cetera.

Isn't there a foolproof method to build qemu that won't require installing zillions of non-incompatible or otherwise incomplete components?
Use homebrew to install it, it will install all the pieces in the right places so pkg config can find them.
PeterHolbrook
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Re: GSOC qemu Boot Mac OS >= 8.5 on PowerPC system

Post by PeterHolbrook »

julialy wrote:Use homebrew to install it, it will install all the pieces in the right places so pkg config can find them.
How, exactly? As I've said, I've already used homebrew (following http://mikelev.in/2012/10/qemu-mac-os-x-success/).

The precise SUCCESSFUL commands I've entered are:

brew install pkg-config
brew install glib

The following instruction in the guide,

./configure --disable-maintainer-mode --disable-dtrace --prefix=/usr/local/C

takes me nowhere:

-bash: ./configure: No such file or directory

From where am I supposed to enter such a command? Which "configure" are we talking about? That's why I say this is dependency hell. Awfully documented. It would appear compiling qemu requires extrasensory perception.
uyjulian
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Re: GSOC qemu Boot Mac OS >= 8.5 on PowerPC system

Post by uyjulian »

PeterHolbrook wrote:
julialy wrote:Use homebrew to install it, it will install all the pieces in the right places so pkg config can find them.
How, exactly? As I've said, I've already used homebrew (following http://mikelev.in/2012/10/qemu-mac-os-x-success/).

The precise SUCCESSFUL commands I've entered are:

brew install pkg-config
brew install glib

The following instruction in the guide,

./configure --disable-maintainer-mode --disable-dtrace --prefix=/usr/local/C

takes me nowhere:

-bash: ./configure: No such file or directory

From where am I supposed to enter such a command? Which "configure" are we talking about? That's why I say this is dependency hell. Awfully documented. It would appear compiling qemu requires extrasensory perception.
you didn't change directory to the qemu folder.
PeterHolbrook
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Re: GSOC qemu Boot Mac OS >= 8.5 on PowerPC system

Post by PeterHolbrook »

julialy wrote:you didn't change directory to the qemu folder.
Which qemu folder? Let's see. I'm trying to build qemu, so chances are there is no functional "qemu folder". Within Cormac's "os9-test" folder there's a qemu-install folder and then there's a qemu-build. Neither serves any purpose before the make/make install instruction succeeds. Then there's a "qemu" that contains qemu sources. If I go to ~/os9-test/qemu and enter

configure --disable-maintainer-mode --disable-dtrace --prefix=/usr/local/C

this is what I get:

-bash: configure: command not found

What is the missing piece of information in the qemu conundrum?

Edit: On the other hand, if I enter:

./configure --disable-maintainer-mode --disable-dtrace --prefix=/usr/local/C

I get this error:

ERROR: unknown option --disable-maintainer-mode
Try './configure --help' for more information

The help option is hardly helpful.
Last edited by PeterHolbrook on Tue Aug 11, 2015 3:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
uyjulian
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Re: GSOC qemu Boot Mac OS >= 8.5 on PowerPC system

Post by uyjulian »

PeterHolbrook wrote:
julialy wrote:you didn't change directory to the qemu folder.
Which qemu folder? Let's see. I'm trying to build qemu, so chances are there is no functional "qemu folder". Within Cormac's "os9-test" folder there's a qemu-install folder and then there's a qemu-build. None of them serve any purpose before the make/make install instruction succeeds. Then there's a "qemu" that contains qemu sources. If I go to ~/os9-test/qemu and enter

configure --disable-maintainer-mode --disable-dtrace --prefix=/usr/local/C

this is what I get:

-bash: configure: command not found

What is the missing piece of information in the qemu conundrum?

Edit: On the other hand, if I enter:

./configure --disable-maintainer-mode --disable-dtrace --prefix=/usr/local/C

I get this error:

ERROR: unknown option --disable-maintainer-mode
Try './configure --help' for more information

The help option is hardly helpful.
autotools is a confusing !!!!! !! !!!!
Follow cormac's instructions to the word, don't mess up the commands!
PeterHolbrook
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Re: GSOC qemu Boot Mac OS >= 8.5 on PowerPC system

Post by PeterHolbrook »

julialy wrote:autotools is a confusing !!!!! !! !!!!
Follow cormac's instructions to the word, don't mess up the commands!
Fine. I've followed Cormac's instructions to the word up to

../qemu/configure --target-list=ppc-softmmu --prefix=$HOME/os9/qemu-install

Entering this (after homebrew, etc.), produces this output:

ERROR: pixman >= 0.21.8 not present. Your options:
(1) Preferred: Install the pixman devel package (any recent
distro should have packages as Xorg needs pixman too).
(2) Fetch the pixman submodule, using:
git submodule update --init pixman

If I hadn't installed homebrew, etc., Cormac's to-the-letter instructions would have said that pkg-config couldn't be found.

Now, is there a non-confusing, to-the-letter instruction that I may enter that can actually do something useful?
uyjulian
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Re: GSOC qemu Boot Mac OS >= 8.5 on PowerPC system

Post by uyjulian »

PeterHolbrook wrote:
julialy wrote:autotools is a confusing !!!!! !! !!!!
Follow cormac's instructions to the word, don't mess up the commands!
Fine. I've followed Cormac's instructions to the word up to

../qemu/configure --target-list=ppc-softmmu --prefix=$HOME/os9/qemu-install

Entering this (after homebrew, etc.), produces this output:

ERROR: pixman >= 0.21.8 not present. Your options:
(1) Preferred: Install the pixman devel package (any recent
distro should have packages as Xorg needs pixman too).
(2) Fetch the pixman submodule, using:
git submodule update --init pixman

If I hadn't installed homebrew, etc., Cormac's to-the-letter instructions would have said that pkg-config couldn't be found.

Now, is there a non-confusing, to-the-letter instruction that I may enter that can actually do something useful?
git submodule init
git submodule update

that should do it
PeterHolbrook
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Re: GSOC qemu Boot Mac OS >= 8.5 on PowerPC system

Post by PeterHolbrook »

julialy wrote:git submodule init
git submodule update

that should do it
OK. Run from ~/os9-test/qemu-build:

git submodule init

produces this output:

fatal: Not a git repository (or any of the parent directories): .git

I must be missing some folders in my execution path or that command should be entered elsewhere. Any additional advice?
uyjulian
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Re: GSOC qemu Boot Mac OS >= 8.5 on PowerPC system

Post by uyjulian »

PeterHolbrook wrote:
julialy wrote:git submodule init
git submodule update

that should do it
OK. Run from ~/os9-test/qemu-build:

git submodule init

produces this output:

fatal: Not a git repository (or any of the parent directories): .git

I must be missing some folders in my execution path or that command should be entered elsewhere. Any additional advice?
You need to run it from ~/os9-test/qemu
PeterHolbrook
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Re: GSOC qemu Boot Mac OS >= 8.5 on PowerPC system

Post by PeterHolbrook »

julialy wrote:You need to run it from ~/os9-test/qemu
Wonderful! Many thanks! That did work. I've followed with Cormac's first instruction after the decisive missing link you've just provided and that seems to have been successful as well. Oddly enough,

make && make install

(run from qemu-build) doesn't work. In addition, I imagine that ../qemu/configure --target-list=ppc-softmmu --prefix=$HOME/os9-test/qemu-install would write something to the qemu-install folder, but it's empty. From where am I supposed to run make and make install? The way I ran it, it says:

GEN ppc-softmmu/config-devices.mak.tmp
GEN ppc-softmmu/config-devices.mak
GEN config-all-devices.mak
GEN config-host.h
(cd /Users/PJH/os9-test/qemu/pixman; autoreconf -v --install)
/bin/sh: autoreconf: command not found
make: *** [/Users/PJH/os9-test/qemu/pixman/configure] Error 127

Edit: According to a couple of searches, the missing "autoreconf" might be installed via sudo apt-get install autoconf. The problem is that apt-get is another unreferenced dependency. Why, o why, can't anybody create a self-sufficient, reliable method to compile qemu? It seems to me all guides are fatally flawed, as they take for granted that the user will have all the necessary, undocumented components!

Edit2: running

brew install autoconf

installs something related to autoreconf, but then, running "make" displays the error

autoreconf: running: aclocal --output=aclocal.m4t
Can't exec "aclocal": No such file or directory at /usr/local/Cellar/autoconf/2.69/share/autoconf/Autom4te/FileUtils.pm line 326.
autoreconf: failed to run aclocal: No such file or directory
make: *** [/Users/PJH/os9-test/qemu/pixman/configure] Error 1

More dependencies hell.
uyjulian
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Re: GSOC qemu Boot Mac OS >= 8.5 on PowerPC system

Post by uyjulian »

PeterHolbrook wrote:
julialy wrote:You need to run it from ~/os9-test/qemu
Wonderful! Many thanks! That did work. I've followed with Cormac's first instruction after the decisive missing link you've just provided and that seems to have been successful as well. Oddly enough,

make && make install

(run from qemu-build) doesn't work. In addition, I imagine that ../qemu/configure --target-list=ppc-softmmu --prefix=$HOME/os9-test/qemu-install would write something to the qemu-install folder, but it's empty. From where am I supposed to run make and make install? The way I ran it, it says:

GEN ppc-softmmu/config-devices.mak.tmp
GEN ppc-softmmu/config-devices.mak
GEN config-all-devices.mak
GEN config-host.h
(cd /Users/PJH/os9-test/qemu/pixman; autoreconf -v --install)
/bin/sh: autoreconf: command not found
make: *** [/Users/PJH/os9-test/qemu/pixman/configure] Error 127

Edit: According to a couple of searches, the missing "autoreconf" might be installed via sudo apt-get install autoconf. The problem is that apt-get is another unreferenced dependency. Why, o why, can't anybody create a self-sufficient, reliable method to compile qemu? It seems to me all guides are fatally flawed, as they take for granted that the user will have all the necessary, undocumented components!

Edit2: running

brew install autoconf

installs something related to autoreconf, but then, running "make" displays the error

autoreconf: running: aclocal --output=aclocal.m4t
Can't exec "aclocal": No such file or directory at /usr/local/Cellar/autoconf/2.69/share/autoconf/Autom4te/FileUtils.pm line 326.
autoreconf: failed to run aclocal: No such file or directory
make: *** [/Users/PJH/os9-test/qemu/pixman/configure] Error 1

More dependencies hell.
You need to install aclocal.
PeterHolbrook
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Re: GSOC qemu Boot Mac OS >= 8.5 on PowerPC system

Post by PeterHolbrook »

julialy wrote:You need to install aclocal.
Yes, I probably do. My extrasensory perception should have told me that! After all, Cormac et al. failed miserably to warn me, but, as I say, my ESP should have told me! Now, how do I install aclocal. By the way, are there any other marvellous gems I might be missing?
uyjulian
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Re: GSOC qemu Boot Mac OS >= 8.5 on PowerPC system

Post by uyjulian »

PeterHolbrook wrote:
julialy wrote:You need to install aclocal.
Yes, I probably do. My extrasensory perception should have told me that! After all, Cormac et al. failed miserably to warn me, but, as I say, my ESP should have told me! Now, how do I install aclocal. By the way, are there any other marvellous gems I might be missing?
Try brew install automake

after that, I think that should be everything you need to install. Most people using qemu are on Linux, so stuff is much easier for them.
PeterHolbrook
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Re: GSOC qemu Boot Mac OS >= 8.5 on PowerPC system

Post by PeterHolbrook »

julialy wrote:Try brew install automake

after that, I think that should be everything you need to install. Most people using qemu are on Linux, so stuff is much easier for them.
OK, that helped a little. This is what I'm getting now:

autoreconf: running: /usr/local/Cellar/autoconf/2.69/bin/autoconf
configure.ac:75: error: possibly undefined macro: AC_PROG_LIBTOOL
If this token and others are legitimate, please use m4_pattern_allow.
See the Autoconf documentation.
autoreconf: /usr/local/Cellar/autoconf/2.69/bin/autoconf failed with exit status: 1
make: *** [/Users/PJH/os9-test/qemu/pixman/configure] Error 1
make: *** Deleting file `/Users/PJH/os9-test/qemu/pixman/configure'

What new disaster does that announce?

Edit: Might my previous entering of brew install autoconf have created spurious macros?
uyjulian
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Re: GSOC qemu Boot Mac OS >= 8.5 on PowerPC system

Post by uyjulian »

PeterHolbrook wrote:
julialy wrote:Try brew install automake

after that, I think that should be everything you need to install. Most people using qemu are on Linux, so stuff is much easier for them.
OK, that helped a little. This is what I'm getting now:

autoreconf: running: /usr/local/Cellar/autoconf/2.69/bin/autoconf
configure.ac:75: error: possibly undefined macro: AC_PROG_LIBTOOL
If this token and others are legitimate, please use m4_pattern_allow.
See the Autoconf documentation.
autoreconf: /usr/local/Cellar/autoconf/2.69/bin/autoconf failed with exit status: 1
make: *** [/Users/PJH/os9-test/qemu/pixman/configure] Error 1
make: *** Deleting file `/Users/PJH/os9-test/qemu/pixman/configure'

What new disaster does that announce?

Edit: Might my previous entering of brew install autoconf have created spurious macros?
Try brew install libtool
PeterHolbrook
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Re: GSOC qemu Boot Mac OS >= 8.5 on PowerPC system

Post by PeterHolbrook »

julialy wrote:Try brew install libtool
Yes, that was useful. After about one minute running "make", however, this was displayed:

Undefined symbols for architecture x86_64:
"_prng_state", referenced from:
_main in region-test.o
"_prng_state_data", referenced from:
_main in region-test.o
ld: symbol(s) not found for architecture x86_64
clang: error: linker command failed with exit code 1 (use -v to see invocation)
make[3]: *** [region-test] Error 1
make[2]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make[1]: *** [all] Error 2
make: *** [subdir-pixman] Error 2

Any further pointers?
mathieudel
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Re: GSOC qemu Boot Mac OS >= 8.5 on PowerPC system

Post by mathieudel »

Well, seeing you had so much trouble compiling qemu on your Mac, I tried myself on Yosemite 10.10.4 and had no issue to do so.
You are right some informations are either missing or wrong in OBrien's page. But since you talk about your experience with dependency hells, I suspect you have some experience with command line tools and can figure out most of your issues just by reading provided commands and trying to understand what to do.

Before I go into details, please note that OBrien is probably working on a development PC with lot of tools already (pre?)installed, and may not be aware of ones that may be missing on a freshly installed Mac. For my part, I had a lot of tools installed using homebrew, so I cannot list them all. Of particular interest, there was automake, autoconf, pkg-config, glib and pixman, but not aclocal. Finally, I have XCode 6.4 installed along with its command line tools (that is, I'm up to date with Apple's latest build tools).

Now, the install process. First, no problem here :

Code: Select all

$ cd                                        # go to home directory
$ mkdir -p os9-test/qemu{-build,-install}   # create build and install directories
$ cd os9-test                               # we use this as the working directory

$ git clone -b macos9 https://github.com/agraf/qemu.git

$ touch qemu/pc-bios/vgabios-virtio.bin
After that, as stated by julialy, insert following git commands. That fetches project's sub-modules, which git won't do automatically, contrary to mercurial. (some of your errors were just telling you to do so, one module at a time) :

Code: Select all

$ cd qemu
$ git submodule init
$ git submodule update
$ cd ..
Next commands are either useless or have obviously wrong paths. Replace them by :

Code: Select all

$ cd qemu-build
$ ../qemu/configure --target-list=ppc-softmmu --prefix=$HOME/os9-test/qemu-install
Finally, start compilation process :

Code: Select all

make && make install
I did not try the compiled program anyway, so I can't guarantee it is working as expected.

If that was useful to you, you may contact OBrien and kindly propose him to update his web page with those informations, thanking him for all the hard work is doing for your pleasure ;) !
PeterHolbrook
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Re: GSOC qemu Boot Mac OS >= 8.5 on PowerPC system

Post by PeterHolbrook »

Thanks, julialy and mathieudel.

I can't claim that I've finally compiled qemu, as the make ends up failing and I can't figure out how to proceed. Naturally, I might study the output in more detail, and perhaps I might reach a satisfactory resolution of the problem, but, frankly, I don't have the time to devote presumably hours upon hours to try and figure out the undocumented dependencies involved in compiling qemu. It is very disappointing that there's no clear roadmap to its successful compilation from scratch. All guides seem to assume that all the necessary components are magically already in place. Well, obviously, that is not so.

By the way, I also have Xcode 6.4 and its command tools, et cetera. But, right now, I don't know how to successfully make the "make" instruction work with qemu. Without that, of course, my qemu-install folder remains empty and I can't test Cormac's environment.
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Re: GSOC qemu Boot Mac OS >= 8.5 on PowerPC system

Post by adespoton »

You might want to try installing Linux in VirtualBox and use that as your test environment. Then at least you can compare errors, which should help you figure out what's missing in your OS X environment.

Unfortunately, I'm another person who has a bunch of stuff installed via homebrew, so I likely have all the dependencies already. There's a pretty standard set that you need to compile software written for Linux; but the total is well over 30, and I've never systematically gone through to see what they are (and some, like cmake, aren't actually used here, where automake is used instead).

[edit] Hmm... I just realized that these issues really lend themselves to someone writing a homebrew cask that takes all the work out of things :) Should be able to be done by writing the homebrew cask and getting it to call git, apply patches and dependencies, and install. Since it's already homebrew, it should be able to find the dependencies you don't have. Anyone up for the challenge?

I haven't seen any check-ins of Cormac's code in the past month, nor updates from Alex, so I'm looking forward to what they can pull off in the sprint to the end of SoC :)

PS: the guys over at ThinkClassic got me thinking... using qemu, once OS 9 works, it *should* be possible to emulate Classic.app under OS X 10.10+ :) there will be a few dependencies on incompatible libraries, and that will need some tweaking, but I'm really interested to see if this can be done. I have some software that was written for the 512k back in 1985 that ran under Classic; it'd be neat to see it running in Aqua under a modern OS X!
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Re: GSOC qemu Boot Mac OS >= 8.5 on PowerPC system

Post by PeterHolbrook »

adespoton wrote:You might want to try installing Linux in VirtualBox and use that as your test environment. Then at least you can compare errors, which should help you figure out what's missing in your OS X environment.
Yes, that's a good idea, but that'll take me several days before I can even begin. Your idea regarding Classic.app is good, I think.

On a different front, wouldn't it be possible for you or other users that already have all the dependencies built in in Linux, to compile Cormac's branch of qemu and publish the compilation in a public repository? That would save a lot of pain for those of us who are lacking undocumented components. Lastly, would there be anything to be gained by modifying the contents of the latest Q.app with the new qemu object code? Would Q be runnable that way, including the GSoC patches? If that were achievable, we could have a "pretty" windowed interface for qemu running an OS 9 virtual machine.
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Re: GSOC qemu Boot Mac OS >= 8.5 on PowerPC system

Post by Cat_7 »

As I understand the communication in the chat room, they are currently dealing with issues in openbios before work on Qemu can continue.
Work seems most often to be done on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 21.00 to 00.00 Amsterdam time. Today was the last official GSOC session for Cormac.

irc server oftc, #qemu-gsoc

Best,
Cat_7
CharlesS
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Re: GSOC qemu Boot Mac OS >= 8.5 on PowerPC system

Post by CharlesS »

PeterHolbrook wrote:
julialy wrote:You need to install aclocal.
Yes, I probably do. My extrasensory perception should have told me that! After all, Cormac et al. failed miserably to warn me, but, as I say, my ESP should have told me! Now, how do I install aclocal. By the way, are there any other marvellous gems I might be missing?
You do realize that this isn't a final end-user-facing product, right? It's a development snapshot. Currently it doesn't do anything other than boot partway and crash, so it's not really for end-users right now; it's more for people who are interested in helping develop and/or debug it. That people reading the page would understand how to compile UNIX software, locate and install dependencies, etc. is not terribly surprising.

As for Cormac—he's doing a wonderful job. He has already brought QEMU much closer to being able to boot the classic Mac OS than I frankly thought it would ever be. We've been waiting for literally years for someone to show up with the skills, and—most crucially—the free time to take on this project; we've seen people try and fail, we've seen the project get ignored for lack of interest. And now we've got a guy who's passed several roadblocks that have stymied the few other people who have tried, and from the looks of it, he seems to be on track to actually get this thing booting by the end of the year. So for the love of Clarus, let's let this guy spend his time developing the actual project, rather than wasting it writing documentation for people that don't understand how to build UNIX software (you always cd into the development folder first before building anything configure/make; the very dot that ./configure starts with stands for the current directory, so what ./configure actually means is "run the file called 'configure' that is in the current directory," and if you don't know this there are probably thousands of pages findable via Google that could explain it, and besides that there's a whole forum of people right here who are willing to help you). Once it progresses to the point that it can actually boot the Mac OS and run things, someone will almost undoubtedly post a more detailed set of build directions, and probably a pre-compiled binary as well. Heck, maybe I'll do it. But in the meantime, wow, let's not beat up on the one guy who's the linchpin to any of this mattering at all (and who reads this forum, it seems) just because a pre-alpha piece of software isn't user-friendly enough.
There's no earthly way of knowing, which direction we are going, for the rowers keep on rowing, and they're certainly not showing any signs that they are slowing.
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adespoton
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Re: GSOC qemu Boot Mac OS >= 8.5 on PowerPC system

Post by adespoton »

PeterHolbrook wrote:
adespoton wrote:You might want to try installing Linux in VirtualBox and use that as your test environment. Then at least you can compare errors, which should help you figure out what's missing in your OS X environment.
Yes, that's a good idea, but that'll take me several days before I can even begin. Your idea regarding Classic.app is good, I think.

On a different front, wouldn't it be possible for you or other users that already have all the dependencies built in in Linux, to compile Cormac's branch of qemu and publish the compilation in a public repository? That would save a lot of pain for those of us who are lacking undocumented components. Lastly, would there be anything to be gained by modifying the contents of the latest Q.app with the new qemu object code? Would Q be runnable that way, including the GSoC patches? If that were achievable, we could have a "pretty" windowed interface for qemu running an OS 9 virtual machine.
To the first question: there's not much point, unless you want someone to be compiling point releases every day. The final product doesn't exist yet; this is for people who are attempting to figure out what's causing the current roadblock (which right now is in OpenBIOS, so going over the qemu code won't help much).

To the second question: I've played around with shoehorning the current working trunk of qemu into Q.app -- the toolchain is significantly different, the arguments being passed are different, and I haven't had the time to get it all working smoothly. But I HAVE written a little applescript (was that in this thread?) that will take a pre-installed OS X PPC disk or an OS X PPC install DVD, download all the bits that qemu needs to compile and run, do that, set up your configuration file, save it all inside the AppleScript applet, and then run it. Try it out :) qemu-os9 isn't at the point yet where adapting the script would be worthwhile. When it is, I'll likely do it (and add in a few extra things, like parsing install images to see what OS is on them, and configuring settings based on that, or failing with an informational message).

I've never really liked the VirtualBox/Q way of doing things; I use the Finder as my file manager; why not just create the VMs I want in the Finder, and run them from there? Of course, having a central place to manage snapshots and configs has its allure, as the Finder's not that great at this task. And I do use OpenEmu, which does the same thing (but looks more like iTunes than VirtualBox).

One last thing for Alex/Cormac and company: as SoC winds down, is there someone in place that could dole out specific issues to investigate/fix? I personally don't have the time to spend on running the project, but if there was a list somewhere of outstanding issues/roadblocks, I could definitely chip away at it from time to time. Understandably, the OpenBIOS stuff is a bit more involved, as the structure, logic and I/O needs to be just-so before any of it will work, and there are tons of dependencies. But I think there are a number of us who know that side well enough to help regression test and debug too :)
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