macOS Pop QEMU

Introduction

macOS Pop QEMU is an open-source project that allows running macOS 11 Big Sur on a variety of platforms, including Linux, Windows, and macOS itself. It is based on QEMU, a popular emulator and virtualizer, and Pop!_OS, a Linux distribution developed by System76.

Features

• Supports macOS 11 Big Sur
• Runs on Linux, Windows, and macOS
• Comes with a pre-installed version of Xcode, Apple's Integrated Development Environment (IDE)
• Allows running iOS simulator on non-Mac platforms
• Can be fully customized to match your preferences

Installation

To install macOS Pop QEMU, you'll need to follow these steps:

1. Download the latest release from GitHub
2. Extract the archive to a directory of your choice
3. Install QEMU and KVM if you haven't already (on Linux)
4. Open a terminal and navigate to the directory where you extracted the archive
5. Run the following command: ./jumpstart.sh

Usage

Once you have installed macOS Pop QEMU, you can start using it right away. Simply run the following command in your terminal to start the virtual machine:

qemu-system-x86_64 -enable-kvm -m 4G \
  -smp 2 -cpu host \
  -machine q35,accel=kvm \
  -drive if=pflash,format=raw,readonly,file=$VM_DIR/OVMF_CODE.fd \
  -drive if=pflash,format=raw,file=$VM_DIR/OVMF_VARS-1024x768.fd \
  -device isa-applesmc,osk="ourhardworkbythesewordsguardedpleasedontsteal(c)AppleComputerInc" \
  -smbios type=2 \
  -device ich9-intel-hda -device hda-duplex \
  -device ide-drive,bus=ide.2,drive=MacHDD \
  -drive id=MacHDD,if=none,file=$QEMU_DIR/big_sur.qcow2 \
  -netdev user,id=net0 -device e1000-82545em,netdev=net0,id=net0,mac=52:54:00:c9:18:27 \
  -m 6G \
  -audiodev id=snd0,driver=pa,server=/run/user/1000/pulse/native \
  -device ich9-intel-hda -device hda-output,audiodev=snd0 \
  -usb -device usb-kbd -device usb-mouse \
  -device usb-tablet,bus=usb-bus.0

This will start the virtual machine with the default settings. From here, you can interact with the VM using the window that opens or by connecting to it via VNC or SSH.

Conclusion

macOS Pop QEMU is a powerful tool for developers who need to test their macOS or iOS applications on non-Mac platforms. It provides an easy-to-use and customizable environment that allows you to run Apple's software stack on a variety of hardware. If you're a developer looking to improve your workflow, give it a try!