If you’re a Gadgetbox reader, you’ll know I’ve been engaged in a battle over getting a USB thumb drive. I love the idea of having one, but I haven’t quite managed to acquired one yet (mainly because I’m cheap). Meanwhile, the useful things you can do with them continue to mount up. Here’s the latest in a long line: make a Mac-on-Stick.
The idea is to use emulation software to run the Classic Mac OS off a thumb drive, allowing you to run it anywhere you want. The example used boots System 7.0.1 (though up through System 7.5.5 are available from Apple) and lets you install other software onto your virtual Mac (MacWrite II, anybody?). You can then run the Mac-on-Stick on Linux, Windows, or OS X.
This is kind of a great idea. I just came across a bunch of old software for my old Classic-based Macs that I can’t run anymore (how I miss Might & Magic II); this might be an interesting way of resuscitating them. While it works on flash drives as small as 32MB, a 1GB drive could probably hold a ton of classic Mac software.
Ah, I’m getting nostalgia flashbacks just looking at the screenshot.
[via Infinite Loop]
What do you think about the idea of Windows XP or other operating systems booting with the same idea using Parallels or Boot Camp (perhaps in the Leopard version)?