Quick news

• The source code of SheepShaver is now hosted on GitHub.

General information

What is SheepShaver?

SheepShaver is a MacOS run-time environment for BeOS and Linux that allows you to run classic MacOS applications inside the BeOS/Linux multitasking environment. This means that both BeOS/Linux and MacOS applications can run at the same time (usually in a window on the BeOS/Linux desktop) and data can be exchanged between them. If you are using a PowerPC-based system, applications will run at native speed (i.e. with no emulation involved). There is also a built-in PowerPC emulator for non-PowerPC systems.

SheepShaver is distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL). However, you still need a copy of MacOS and a PowerMac ROM image to use SheepShaver. If you're planning to run SheepShaver on a PowerMac, you probably already have these two items.

Supported systems

SheepShaver runs with varying degree of functionality on the following systems:

• Unix with X11 (Linux i386/x86_64/ppc, NetBSD 2.x, FreeBSD 3.x)
• Mac OS X (PowerPC and Intel)
• Windows NT/2000/XP
• BeOS R4/R5 (PowerPC)

Some of SheepShaver's features

• Runs MacOS 7.5.2 thru 9.0.4. MacOS X as a guest is not supported.
• Color video display
• CD quality sound output
• Access to floppy disks, CD-ROMs and HFS(+) partitions on hard disks
• Easy file exchange with the host OS via a "Host Directory Tree" icon on the Mac desktop
• Internet and LAN networking via Ethernet
• Serial drivers
• SCSI Manager (old-style) emulation

Download SheepShaver

Precompiled binaries

For announcements of prebuilt binaries for Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows, head over to the E-Maculation Forums.

Getting the source code

The source code of SheepShaver (and Basilisk II) is hosted in a Git repository on GitHub:

• Main page of the GitHub repository
• Download the most current source code as a zip file (~2MB)

To download the current version of the repository via Git:

$ git clone https://github.com/cebix/macemu.git
$ cd macemu/SheepShaver
$ make links

The last command creates links inside the "SheepShaver" source tree to files in the "BasiliskII" tree which are shared between both emulators.

After downloading and setting up the repository you can, for example, try to compile the Unix version of SheepShaver:

$ cd macemu/SheepShaver/src/Unix
$ ./autogen.sh
$ make

Help and support

Mailing lists

• The Basilisk II developer's mailing list basilisk-devel can be used for development-related discussion.
• You can receive notices about Git commits by watching the repository on GitHub.

Forums and tutorials

• E-Maculation - Information and support for SheepShaver and other Mac emulators

Links

Some random links

• Basilisk II
• SheepShaver for x86 (日本語)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Didn't I already see this years ago?

Yes, SheepShaver originally appeared for BeOS in 1998 as a commercial application (first as shareware, then via the now long-defunct BeDepot). Due to the demise of Be, it has been re-released in 2002 as Open Source software under the GPL.

Can I run MacOS X applications under Windows with this?

No, MacOS X doesn't run under SheepShaver.

What's with the silly name?

It's a pun on “ShapeShifter”.