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OpenOSX Virtualization for OS X

OpenOSX is a port of QEMU for OS X. It's a universal binary, so it works on the Intel Macs without translation. The price is a mere $25.00 (downloaded version), which makes it hard to have any complaint if it works at all. It does work, though I'll still complain, albeit more about minor packaging details than the product itself.

The first problem was ordering. OpenOSX offers downloadable versions (that's the $25.00 option) or shipped CD's for more money. I didn't want to wait for CD's, so I chose the download. They have PayPal as a payment option, which is always appreciated for small orders like this. I got an immediate acknowledgement of my payment from PayPal, and was returned to a splash page.

Um, hello - what now? Nothing on the splash page told me where to go to download the product, so I assumed another email would arrive with those instructions. Well, eventually it did, but that was five hours later. The email gave me a url and a login/password for that. From there, I downloaded the OpenOSX Wintel product and a bunch of disk images (packed as .sitx files).

You can't open the OpenSX download without a password because it's encrypted. Notice this is not the password they sent to gain access to the directory for the download. To get this password, you need to send them back an email which effectively confirms that you have downloaded the product. Several hours later, you get the encryption password and can actually install the emulator.

Seems like a heck of a lot of protection for a $25.00 product, doesn't it?

OK, I had the product. The web site says:

Our WinTel product includes the following separate disk images with
10 different popular open source x86 operating systems pre-installed
 

Well, that's a bit of puffery. You do get the images (assuming you downloaded the .sitx files), but they are older versions and they aren't exactly "pre-installed". Unpacking the software does give you a couple of images that just need to be double-clicked, but for the rest, you need the .sitx files.

Stuffit Expander is what you need to unpack the .sitx files. On my Mac, I hadn't yet installed that, so the files downloaded as .sitx.txt fles. You can open those with Stuffit (control click and choose "Open With") but it's easier if you rename them as .sitx first. Either way, Stuffit is quite amusing on the larger files: it says things like it will take some 22,000 hours to unpack, and the number keeps getting larger! Obviously some overflow or a sign mismatch due to Intel vs. PPC.

You end up with package files which you can double click and that action will stick the actual disk image in the Disk Images folder of your OpenOSX in Applications. Great fun, but I guess it could be worse.

But wait: there's still more to do! What you get from this is commpressed tar files that need to be copied from the very inconvenient place the package installer put them (because it's hard to get at them from Finder) and uncompressed and untarred. Will this ever end? Well, yeah, it ends here. Finally, you have .ddimg files usable with OpenOSX Wintel.

Once you have an image, you can fire up OpenOSX Wintel, and tell it to boot that image as the C: drive. Bingo, there you are, running Dos, Linux or BSD under your OS X. Cool, fun, and very handy.

I'd like to try Windows as soon as I can find a legal copy - I have several here somewhere, but can't put my hands on them. I'd hate to have to go buy a copy when I know I have at least two unencumbered (that is, they were not bought as upgrades or with an OEM PC) sets buried here.. but it may come to that.

At $25.00, I don't expect miracles. I'll be more than happy if I can read man pages, run a few shell scripts, and I don't expect or need much more. For me, this is just convenience when I want to check syntax across different OSes or compare older versions - that's all I need. If it can do more, I'll be ecstatic.

8 comments

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Fri Mar 3 20:48:23 2006:   anonymous


OPENOSX is a rip off. I have it and will post it to you for free. I have wasted tons of money in my life but this is the only time I am ashamed of what I have done. I believed their web site about them getting XP to run on my MacBook Pro. Paid them $25 and guess what. I have all of the same issues with their made up app as I did with Project Q. Now here is the best part. You would think for $25 I could call them (check their web-site they list an toll free and a local number) try calling it. I have tried every 10-15 min or so and still no one answers. I have also sent them emails.
SO-if anyone wants to have OpenOSX's application I will be happy to post it. DO NOT GIVE THIS THEIF ANY MORE MONEY.



Mon Mar 6 16:20:05 2006:   anonymous


(Hello, i understand what you are going through, apart from i ordered and downloaded to desktop, and i requested the image disk password, and i have had no answer ! :( - even though i paid for this silly app. Please could you send me it)

My email is antonybazyk@btinternet.com

Regards Antony



Mon Mar 6 16:21:45 2006:   TonyLawrence


Dimes to donuts the reply from them is in your Spam folder..



Mon Sep 25 14:38:32 2006:   anonymous


I too am ashamed to say that I have been taken by this company. It took me 2 weeks to get my download link after paying for the product and at no time during this 2 week vortex did they ever answer their phone or respond to my e-mails. When I finally received the links I downloaded the disk images, requested the password to unlock them and guess what? The images were corrupt. I have tried to contact them no less than 25 time since then to no avail.



The Better Business Bureau in CA is also trying to contact them to resolve this complaint but these scam artists are doing a good job at avoiding them as well.



Beware. Once you do business with this company, you are on your own with no way to get your money back or to make things right if things aren't as promised. I wish I had done my homework before giving them my credit card#.



Thu Nov 2 13:23:46 2006:   cdhilliermaccom


I to have been burned by OpenOSX. If someone could please email me the password for opening the disk image I would much appreciete it. At least I'll recover my lost $25. I have opened a claim with PayPal but they refuse to cover this, so, I will be closing my PayPal account as well as my eBay account. So, if someone could do what Jeshua Lacock, the owner of OpenOSX can't do; be a man and do that right thing, and forward to me the password for the disk image. Please send it to cdhillier@mac.com



Thu Nov 2 13:33:24 2006:   TonyLawrence


I doubt you'd be happy anyway: Parallels is a much better product

http://aplawrence.com/Reviews/parallel.html





Mon Apr 30 20:59:30 2007:   anonymous


can u post the file



Mon Apr 30 21:01:05 2007:   TonyLawrence


No.

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