Running macOS on Linux: A Blast from the Past

In the late 1990s, Apple acquired NeXT, a company founded by Steve Jobs after he left Apple in the 1980s. The acquisition was seen as a strategic move to bring in new talent and technology to revitalize Apple's struggling products. However, it's often overlooked that BeOS, not NeXTSTEP, was initially considered the primary candidate for Apple's next operating system.

At the time, BeOS was gaining popularity among creative professionals and power users due to its impressive multimedia capabilities, robust file system, and innovative user interface. Its focus on the creative media market aligned with Apple's vision of becoming a major player in this space. In contrast, NeXTSTEP, which would eventually evolve into macOS, had a more enterprise-focused background.

Apple reportedly offered BeOS a significant amount of money to acquire the company, but Be Inc. demanded what they considered an unreasonable price. As a result, Apple turned its attention to NeXT and acquired it instead.

In hindsight, it's intriguing to consider how different things might have been if Apple had acquired BeOS. Many engineers would have likely spent several years adapting BeOS into a new operating system for Apple, potentially resulting in a more seamless transition than the eventual development of macOS.

As someone who used both BeOS and Linux as desktop operating systems during this time period, I can attest to the advantages of BeOS over Linux. The nascent app ecosystem was already robust, with applications like Gobe Productive (an office suite), Pe (a code editor), and e-Picture (an image editor) offering features and functionality comparable to those found on macOS.

While some may argue that the lack of developer support and limited market share doomed BeOS from the start, I believe there was a certain charm and appeal to using BeOS as a full-time operating system. Its unique approach to file management, multimedia capabilities, and innovative user interface made it an attractive option for those seeking a more creative and intuitive computing experience.

In conclusion, running macOS on Linux is not only possible but also a fascinating thought experiment that allows us to imagine an alternative timeline where BeOS became the foundation of Apple's operating system. While this scenario may never have come to pass, it's important to remember that there were people who ran BeOS full-time and experienced its unique benefits firsthand.

Mac on linux 9.2.2