Classic Mac Development
This is the page I’m using for a description of my Classic Mac development environment. This is how I make software for old Macintosh computers from the Macintosh SE to the titanium PowerBook G4.
Hardware
The era I’m targeting spans a vast array of hardware, with a vast difference between the minimum and maximum hardware something something
My main workstation is a Power Macintosh G3, desktop case, OS 8.6, with 544MB of RAM, and a BlueSCSI with a few different sized volumes. This is where the development happens, with testing on lower-spec systems: A PowerBook Duo 2300c and Duo 280c form my mobile fleet, representing the tail end of the M68k and beginnings of PPC eras. I need a mobile old mac for photography work, and Duos are the last ones with an easily reparable battery. BlueSCSI for the 280 and a very large Compact Flash card for the 2300. Finally, An SE/30 is the low end of my fleet, with 128MB of RAM and Gigabyte-sized volumes thanks to another BlueSCSI. I see no reason my software should target anything lower.
IDE & Other Tools
I’m using Metrowerks CodeWarrior Pro 4 because this seems to be the sweet spot for my rig. There is good support for OS 8/9 systems, while still allowing for cross-compilation to M68k platforms and the creation of a Fat Binary. Of course I’m using C++.
ResEdit also makes an appearance, but a lot of the resource-intensive (pun intended) work is being done with Resorcerer 2.2. This is a resource editor that adds support for new Appearance Manager controls introduced in OS 8.
MacTCP Watcher is used to debug internet connections…
Finally, Installer VISE creates an installer application for the finished app.
To talk to the outside world, I’m using a local FTP Server. Communicating with the outside world on vintage Macs is difficult, and while I could sneakernet files out of this ecosystem, the Duos don’t have a built-in floppy drive and this is an easier solution anyway. I’m using Transmit from Panic, yes the PlayDate Panic.
Combined, these tools represent something close to the state of the art around 1999. This is right around the time of the Blue & White G3, and OS 8.6, the beginnings of the not-beige era, while still allowing me to write something that will run on anything from Macintosh SE to a G4 Cube.
