Emulating the XO/Quick Start/Mac

Installing QEMU for MacOS-X

You should already have an ext3 variant XO build image.

The port of Qemu for MacOSX is called Q and can be found in kju-app.org. Download and install Q.app stable version 0.9.0a89. Other builds are here: kberg.ch/q/builds/

Setting up

Q.app

Click on the (+) button to create a new guest:

Create new Guest:              Name:  OLPC
                   Operating System:  Q Standard Guest
                -- click (Create PC) --

Proceed to configure its preferences:

 General Prefs | SMB Filessharing:  No file sharing
Hardware Prefs |              RAM:  256 MB
Hardware Prefs |       Sound card:  ENSONIQ AudioPCI ES 1370
Hardware Prefs |     Network card:  rtl8139 PCI network adapter
Hardware Prefs |        Hard disk:  Select your unzipped build image
Advanced Prefs |   QEMU Arguments:  -redir tcp:2222::22  (but I had to leave this blank to work --IanOsgood)
                -- click (Create PC) --

For all QEMU Arguments, see Emulating_the_XO/Quick_Start. At the time of writing, it e.g. mentions -net user -net nic,model=rtl8139 as well - are those not needed on a Mac?? Anyhow, they can change/evolve, so please check the Quick Start page for the latest recommended arguments!

Also no CD-ROM? And no RAM disk? --IanOsgood 11:24, 15 November 2007 (EST)

To obtain an appropriate DPI (you get 75 by default), follow the instructions to add a Monitor section to xorg.conf on Emulating_the_XO/Help_and_tips#Font_Size_correction. The settings for 200 DPI to match the XO are "DisplaySize 130 97.5". Settings for 170 DPI may work better in emulation: "DisplaySize 153 115".

Starting OLPC Environment

Double click on the newly created "OLPC" to launch a window for it.

NOTE

what follows may not be required. If you happen to do with or without it, please let us know in the discussion page (signing it) so this section can be updated accordingly.

— press "space" to get into GRUB

— choose "OLPC for Qemu Target",

— press "e" to edit commands,

— select "kernel" line, and press "e"

— add "single" option at the end of the line

— hit "return", then "b" to boot

Advanced

You may encounter some issues supporting USB devices.

You can run Q.app from the command line:

$ /Applications/Q.app/Contents/MacOS/i386-softmmu.app/Contents/MacOS/i386-softmmu -hda olpc/olpc-redhat-stream-development-devel_ext3.img -serial stdio

See comment above / Emulating_the_XO/Quick_Start for checking on all necessary qemu Q.app arguments.

Notes

This project is doomed unless you make the instillation process so simple that even a time-constrained soccer mom could do it. I don't know about windows or unix but in the history of mac not one singly piece of software that required more than a first click to download, a dragNdrop to the app folder to install, and a second click to run has ever survived. Every piece of software, no mater how fine, that has asked any more of the masses then this has sunk into oblivion with out a ripple.

Please don't let XO die, please make it brain-dead simple to install in emulation on the Mac and the PC, please make it easy to load onto the EeePC, the DS and the PSP and any other device... don't _just_ port it to the other platforms but make them easy to load and launch. Porting software to a platform is like building a ten mile long bridge to an island eleven miles off shore. Non-programers can't swim that last mile no mater how enticing the island. Complete the bridge by having someone make a "one-click" installer for the software.

Please.