What is PearPC?
PearPC is an open-source emulator that allows Intel x86 personal computers to run PowerPC platform operating systems, applications, and games. It emulates a PowerPC processor, memory, devices, and peripherals to provide a compatible environment for PowerPC software.
Some key features of PearPC include:
- Emulation of PowerPC G3 and G4 processors for compatibility with a variety of PPC software
- Supports running major operating systems like Mac OS X, LinuxPPC, OpenBSD, FreeBSD, and NetBSD
- Emulation of common PowerPC-based hardware like IDE/ATA, Ethernet, GPUs, PCI, and USB devices
- Reasonably good performance and compatibility with many PowerPC apps & games
- Available for Windows, Linux, and other x86 platforms
While performance and compatibility is not perfect, PearPC provides an accessible way for x86 computer owners to try out PowerPC operating systems and software. It can be a useful tool for developers looking to test PPC apps without needing real Mac or PowerPC hardware.