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[dankcomputing]

I used the install CD from here and the OpenFirmware commands from here. The hard drive is a 120GB SSD and OSX 10.5 is installed on a separate partition. OS9 restored correctly from the CD and didn't boot properly until I removed the Multiprocessing folder from the Extensions folder (as expected).

It's almost usable. I haven't tried sleep but I was suprised sound just works and doesn't have the glitch everyone keeps mentioning where the function of the headphone/speaker jack switch is reversed. USB just works, the keyboard and trackpad just work.

The big headache is video. I'm stuck in 1024x768 (not so bad) but the bit depth is either stuck at 256 colors (livable) or Millions (not livable). I hear it's still a big problem with these systems, that there's not even basic controls implemented for the GeForce FX Go5200. I don't think the lack of 3d acceleration is so bad (the CPU is so fast that anything old enough to not just have an OSX native port would probably run fine in software rendering) but the lack of bit depth changing... that's a problem. The trick of going back into OSX and changing it doesn't work either (it won't let me pick 256 colors for the screen depth).

[dankcomputing]

Oh and there's another real big problem with the GeForce graphics that's not being mentioned and it's the real dealbreaker here: even though it gets stuck at 256 colors, palette changes will not work. So tons of games are going to have garbled graphics. The same thing happens in greyscale as that is also a palette change.

3D acceleration isn't so important since most Mac games from the OS9 era can live without it entirely. Just getting the palette upload + bitdepth + resolution change working for the 5200 Go would be enough for the vast majority of OS9 use cases.

[joevt]

If the GPU doesn't have an ndrv built into it's PCI Option ROM, and there's no ndrv for the GPU in the OS, then you need to make your own.

Here's a crazy idea: create an ndrv that includes an implementation of Open Firmware. Then you can run the fcode of a Mac GPU in Mac OS 9. The fcode will have the ability to change colors. It may also include the ability to change resolutions.

[dankcomputing]

There was talk of hacking together an ndrv based on the one for the regular GF5200 but there were setbacks.

Me, I rescued this powerbook from the trash and it's in insane shape. It's size and relative durability vs older plastic-shell systems would make it an ideal PPC-era retro Mac gaming laptop if it wasn't for the OS9 problem. Tons of these machines are being passed over because of this and I'd happily contribute to some crowdfunding effort to get someone to take a look at doing a hack or two.

Granted, reproducing the build environment for stuff like this has gotta suck, and not many people would contribute so it's probably not happening. Damn shame. I'll hand this machine over free to anyone willing to try regardless.