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> Classic Mac OS is also much simpler Debatable. :) It's certainly less sophisticated, but I'd argue that it was a much weirder system architecture than OS X,

> Classic Mac OS is also much simpler Debatable. :) It's certainly less sophisticated, but I'd argue that it was a much weirder system architecture than OS X, and that's probably discouraged some reverse engineering. (For instance: parts of the OS were interpreted 68k code, and were interworked with native PowerPC code; significant components of the OS were patched in during system startup; there was a multitasking kernel but almost nothing used it...)

epcoa 3y ago
> For instance: parts of the OS were interpreted 68k code, and were interworked with native PowerPC code In the grand scheme of computing devices, not particularly weird, I mentioned Palm OS for a reason, and I don’t think it changes my stance about the overall simplicity of reversing those old systems with modern tools and someone with some experience in this area — the time and the inclination are the real barriers. “… So I had to actually do a lot of reverse engineering for this project - a lot of boring reverse engineering of very boring APIs …” is a key quote by the regular HNer doing rePalm. Yes you need special skills, but it’s the time that gets you in the end. Especially for hobby projects. No one is getting rich on this stuff.