Operating systemsApple Classic Mac OS › Mac OS 9

Mac OS 9

1999

The 1999 final release of the classic Mac OS, adding multiple users, Keychain, Sherlock 2 and a bridge toward Mac OS X.

Reference & documentation

External technical references for programming Mac OS 9 and for writing emulators.

ResourceTypeNotes
Mac OS Runtime Architectures (System 7 to Mac OS 9) ↗FormatPEF/CFM executable container format, sections, relocations
Technical Note TN1150: HFS Plus Volume Format ↗FormatComplete on-disk HFS+ volume format with structs
PowerPC Programming Environments Manual (32-bit) ↗Instruction setFull PowerPC instruction set, registers, addressing modes
Mac OS Runtime Architectures ↗Memory mapA5 world, jump tables, 68k/CFM calling conventions
Inside Macintosh: Memory (Memory Manager) ↗Memory mapHandles, heaps, A5 world, master pointers, compaction
Inside Macintosh: Macintosh Toolbox Essentials ↗ProgrammingCanonical Toolbox Manager API reference, with assembly summaries
Inside Macintosh: PowerPC System Software (Code Fragment Manager) ↗ProgrammingFragment loading, shared libraries, connections, closures
Macintosh ROM Archive (dumped chips) ↗ROMsDumped Mac ROM chip collection for emulation research
Inside Macintosh (full online archive) ↗ReferenceComplete Inside Macintosh API/Toolbox reference, browsable HTML
cebix/macemu: Basilisk II & SheepShaver ↗SourceReference open-source 68k and PowerPC Mac emulators
The Official SheepShaver Home Page ↗ToolPowerPC emulator running Mac OS 7.5.2-9.0.4
SheepShaver setup guide (E-Maculation) ↗ToolConfiguring SheepShaver with ROM and Mac OS 9