Mac OS X Hints: Run Classic from a disk image. I am doing this myself, and it is quite cool. It allows Mac OS X users (like me) who don’t actually need to reboot into OS 9 (which I don’t) to run Classic applications without having a bootable OS 9 installation, thus avoiding all the security risks associated with a mixed OS 9/OS X machine. OS 9 does not know anything about OS X users or permissions, so booting into OS 9 gives you root access to everything on the machine. Booting into OS X and using OS 9 applications through Classic respects permissions, though, since the Classic environment is really just another OS X application. Naturally anyone with physical access to a machine can still get root access if they know how (single-user mode, Reset Password option from the OS X install CD, or just booting off their own firewire drive or CD), but this is a nice trick to make OS 9 more manageable. Classic doesn’t work? Throw away the disk image and replace it with a fresh copy.
Update: this even works if you choose to Start Classic automatically on login
. Jaguar automounts the disc image and starts the Classic environment. Did this work in 10.1? It solves so many problems. I will be recommending this to my students.
