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Don't kid yourself. Classic MacOS under MacOS X beta is emulation. It's very well integrated, and it allows you to continue running older applications, but it's an emulated environment similar to Mac-on-Linux on the PPC/Linux operating system. So how do the two compare regarding speed and features? You'll be surprised at the results.

What are they?

The new MacOS X beta is based on a BSD Unix-like kernel. It's underpinnings are as different from MacOS 9 as Windows and Linux are. In order to provide an easy transition while applications are updated for the new OS, the Classic Environment emulator was written. Double-clicking an older program launches the emulator and the Classic application runs on the same desktop as MacOS X beta.

Mac-on-Linux (MOL) is an Open Source project headed by Samuel Rydh. The emulator runs under PPC/Linux and recreates the standard MacOS 9 desktop.

Similarities?

Both emulators boot off a normal MacOS 9 System disk installed on either an HFS or HFS+ partition. The majority of System Extensions load and behave exactly as they do under native MacOS.

Neither is a perfect reproduction of the native environment. Many low level features are missing from both. The video is not accelerated and serial ports are not functioning. There is no sound input, but sound output works. (MOL needs an additional extension for this). You can access the internet, Appletalk, and other network services through ethernet.

Differences?

Classic Mac runs on the same desktop as MacOS X beta. It retains the Platinum appearance which can be a little confusing when mixed with the Aqua interface. Depending on which application is in front, the traditional Apple Menu appears and disappears. An advantage to Classic is that the MacOS X beta Finder is used for file management. It handles copying, deleting, and managing files. This provides a big speed boost over MOL which has to perform the same functions under emulation.

Mac-on-Linux uses another 'console' in Linux. The result of this virtual desktop is that the MacOS environment if reproduced in its entirety. After a few minutes of web surfing, you forget you're in an emulator. With a key stroke, you can switch between Linux and Mac on the monitor.

Classic Mac shares its IP address with MacOS X beta. Mac-on-Linux requires a separate IP number in the TCP/IP control panel; this is a problem not easily solved with IP Net Masquerading under Linux.

The Speed Tests.

The tests outlined below were run on a Powerbook 2000/500. The same standard MacOS 9 system folder was used for emulation. Each test was run three times and then averages for the final result. Vitural Memory was off in the macOS 9 System setting.

For the Scrolling test, the 6.1M pdf titled MacintoshToolboxEssentials was used. This is an area where both emulators suffer - video speed. MOL takes a beating here with a time almost twice that of native MacOS 9. MOL's results can be improved by a few percent be running it from a console command line without an X-server running.

Test	Classic Mac under MacOS X beta	Mac-on-Linux under PPC/Linux	MacOS 9.0.4 Native
Scroll through 900 page pdf	25	35	19
Launching/Booting	28	33	47
Photoshop Filter (Crystallize 8.6M file)	13	13	18
Scroll Finder Window (81 items in list mode)	NA	13	4
Copy 254 items, 100M	45	44	30
Marathon Infinity	Playable	Audio Latency	Playable

Time to launch was timed from the double-click of the emulator's icon, to the launch of Netscape with an empty window. In the case of booting native MacOS 9 on the hardware, the clock started when the small smiling Mac icon appeared on the screen. I suspect the native booting of the machine too longer than the emulators because of the initialization of hardware devices. MOL was the first to finish displaying the startup extensions, but lost the race when it had to load the normal Finder compared to the pared down Classic Finder.

The only test I ran twice under all conditions was the Photoshop filter. I cannot account for the fact that this test took longer with the of running native. I am open to suggestions. Because this test is dependent only on processor speed, the two emulators tied.

The Finder window scroll, similar to scrolling the pdf, shows the liability of not having accelerated video in Mac-on-Linux. This test did not apply to Classic Mac because MacOS X beta handles all its file functions.

The results of the file copy test were a surprise. Because MacOS X beta handles the copying, I was very surprised that it took as long as Mac-on-Linux. The expected time should have matched native MacOS 9. Perhaps Apple has a little work to do with the MacOS X beta disk drivers.

The final test involved playing Marathon Infinity. The results were purely subjective. Video frame rates felt the same in all three conditions, but under Mac-on-Linux, audio was delayed by up to half a second. This made game play a little distracting.

Other Pros and Cons.

Obviously, the big advantage of Classic is its integration with MacOS X beta. The fact that it uses a slimmed down Classic Finder and that the file/disk functions are handled by the MacOS X beta give it a speed advantage. It loses points for the hodgepodge user interface. Even running Classic with an Aqua Theme file doesn't smooth over the clunkiness of two window and menu styles.

The fact that Mac-on-Linux boots to a full screen MacOS 9 mode makes for a much more comfortable working environment. After all, this is the standard desktop many of us have been using for years.

A new feature of MOL is the ability to save the environment in a snapshot, very similar to the way VirtualPC shuts down. Depending on how many applications are open, the "Saved" session can range in size from 60 to 130 megs of disk space. Relaunching a session can be as fast as 5 seconds. Like VirtualPC, this snapshot feature only restores if all the partitions to be mounted have not been changed. So be careful, if you save a snapshot in MOL, then mount those same partitions in native MacOS, the snapshot will not restore.

What is most impressive about Mac-on-Linux is that it is an Open Source project. It is free to download, and you can get the source to modify the application, or join the project. A group of developers around the world donate their time and effort to make it better, and they do such a good job MOL can compete with a company like Apple.

In the coming months, many traditional Mac users will be closely watching the development of MacOS X beta. If switching to this new OS proves undesirable, some will look to PPC/Linux. It's reassuring to know that if that the switch is made, they can still run their MacOS software under another Operating system.

Related Links:

Mac-on-Linux Homepage
Interview with Samuel Rydh, Lead Programer of Mac-on-Linux