Macintosh (68k) Software

If you look for an old Mac OS version, you can still find it by visiting Apple - even after almost 30 years ... amazing, isn't it ?

Start with Apples "older software list" and look for "older_system" there.
(Meanwhile Apple deleted their offer - but you can still find it at archive.org)

68k Macs running Mac OS up to 8.1 (there was also a Mac OS 8.2 beta).

<more links will follow soon, feel free to send me links/URLs for that>

Not really known: A/UX is the first UNIX-based OS with a GUI for Apple Computers, NOT Mac OS X

Btw. .... Apple's Workgroup Server 95 is based on the A/UX operating system.

A/UX is Apple's implementation of Unix (it's Apple's Unix) for various Macintosh computers. A/UX merges two computing environments, Unix and the Macintosh Finder OS, and provides the full functionality of both. A/UX is based on ATT Unix System V.2.2 with numerous extensions from V.3, V.4 (such as streams) and BSD 4.2/4.3 (such as networking, the Fast File System, job control, lpr, NFS with Yellow Pages, SCCS and sendmail 5.64). It also provides full POSIX compliance. A/UX provides SYSV, BSD and POSIX compatiblity switches and libraries. A/UX is fully compiant with the System V Interface Definition (SVID).

A/UX provides all three standard shells: sh, csh and ksh. X-Windows is also a provided standard.
A/UX 3.x.x incorporates System 7 for the Macintosh allowing for the use of the vast majority of Macintosh applications under A/UX. System 7 and Unix and fully integrated under A/UX 3.x.x with the Unix file system being seen as a disk drive by the Finder.

Mac OS & A/UX are living together

Copied from http://support.apple.com/kb/TA30071?viewlocale=en_US:

A/UX Issues
-----------------
Question: What is the "Mac environment" in A/UX? How large is it?

Answer: The Mac environment (or virtual Macintosh) is a UNIX process that provides the operating system services required by Macintosh applications. These services include the System 7.0.1 Toolbox, so any well-behaved, 32-bit clean, System 7-aware application can run on the AWS 95 (A "well-behaved" application does not access hardware directly; the A/UX security model prevents user-level access.). The default size of the Mac environment is 16 MB in all configurations, but all UNIX processes run in virtual memory so the available memory can be much larger. This default size of the Mac environment can be changed using the "Virtual Memory" setting in the Memory Control Panel.

What do you need for running A/UX ? (The HW Requirements article text is copied from the disappeared web site aux-penelope.com:)

A/UX Hardware Requirements

A/UX was designed for the legacy Macintosh (those based on the Motorola 680x0 line of processors), and was never ported to the PowerPC. If you're trying to install on a PowerPC, stop now... It will not work. Similarly, none of the PowerBooks, LC's, or AV Macs are supported. A/UX bypasses the Macintosh Toolbox, and communicates directly with the hardware, so changing the gestalt (system ID code) will not let you install on an unsupported model. Unfortunately, this also rules out any of the current Macintosh emulators. None of them reproduce the CPU, PMMU, FPU, and SWIM chips well enough to fool A/UX.

The chart below shows all fifteen supported Macintosh models, and what versions of A/UX they will run - Green indicates a supported combination. Note that A/UX requires a PMMU (Programmed Memory Management Unit) and an FPU (Floating Point Unit). The PMMU is integrated in all but the original Mac II. The Centris 610/650, and some low-end Quadra 610's shipped with a 68LC040 processor (no FPU). Before installing on one of these models, you will need to replace the LC040 with a full 68040 processor.

Note: While the Mac II, IIx, IIcx, IIci, IIsi, and the SE/30, will run A/UX 3.1.1, performance will be less than spectacular. The "wicked fast" Mac IIfx would probably be okay, but I would recommend a 68040-based Mac for A/UX 3.1.1. The Mac SE/30 will run A/UX 1.1, but it was not officially supported. The IIcx may be able to run A/UX 1.0.1 - but there is no documentation to confirm or deny.

A complete installation of A/UX 3.0.1 will require about 80MB of hard drive space (160MB recommended), and 8MB of RAM (16MB recommended).

Meanwhile you can try running A/UX (3.x) by using an emulator. Look for it at >Peter Rutenbars emulator files at github<.

Software: Of course you need A/UX itself also.

You can try to get A/UX >here< or >here< or at >macintoshgarden<.
A/UX 2.0 may be found also >here< or at >macintoshgarden< or at >winworldpc.com<.
I'm not aware of any A/UX 1.1.1 (or older) source.
I have listed these sites not for spreading "warez" or similar, but I am not aware of any reason why Apple does not offering any of them officially, because they also offer officially MacOS 7.5 for example, and this is exactly the same time frame.
I am 100% sure there is also no commercial reason left for using A/UX - it's for educational purposes only !

It may help to take a look at themacarchive.net also, an info page about access for it is located >here<.

For more information about A/UX 3.0 or later, try >here< or you may try >archive.org<.
You may try >archive.org< for more detailed information about A/UX 2.0.
There was also an interesting A/UX article at applefritter, still available at  at >keycorner.org< or better take a look at >archive.org< again or may be >here< also.

Software (for example gcc) compiled for A/UX 3.x can be found >here< and >here<.

A more generic article about the history of A/UX (and the end of it) can be found at >macgui.com<

An installation guide (and some other infos) can be found >here< (a PDF file) and >here< (not PDF).

How to recover from a crash: >Infos<

Info and Patch for HD SC Setup 7.35 (to formatt any non-Apple SCSI HD) >here<

Last but not least you can take a look at my former blog entry about A/UX.