Infinite Mac now lets users run multiple PowerPC versions of BeOS in a browser, alongside preinstalled applications, Internet Archive CD-ROMs, and a drive for saving files. BeOS offered a fast, multimedia-oriented alternative to Mac OS and was once considered by Apple as a possible foundation for its future operating system. Bringing it to the emulator required fixing numerous hardware-compatibility issues in DingusPPC, including keyboard input, display modes, video memory, disk formatting, and ROM mapping. The work also enabled SheepShaver, a Mac emulator that originated on BeOS, and improved emulation accuracy beyond Mac OS’s particular behaviors. Special handling makes early BeOS Developer Release 8.2 boot despite its expired date restriction, while browser-sized display settings are generated for each session.
Using BeOS today, the developer finds it impressively responsive, with a capable Unix-like shell and distinctive features such as its attribute-based filesystem and searchable live queries. But the system also feels unfinished and developer-centered: many bundled programs are demonstrations, and much third-party software seems rudimentary, though Gobe Productive stands out. Its interface mixes Mac- and Windows-like conventions, with window tabs and a hand cursor that can make ordinary interactions less precise. Compared with NeXTStep, BeOS also had practical limitations: software had to be distributed separately for different processor architectures, and PowerPC and Intel installations could not share BFS-formatted discs. The update additionally adds screen capture and video recording to Infinite Mac, and expands its CD collection, including systems the emulator cannot yet run.
Summary generated by AI from the linked article. hn.today is not affiliated with Hacker News or Y Combinator.
HackerTube uses 6,454 YouTube videos recommended in Hacker News comments from 2007-2026 to create a curated video site. It offers topic browsing, custom recommendations without accounts, keyboard shortcuts, and downloadable data for building personal versions. (karpathy.bearblog.dev)
Delivery Hero moved most users to HTTP/3 and tuned its mobile networking stack with Cloudflare’s help, cutting home-screen response time by 17 percent. The switch targeted slow secure handshakes on unreliable networks, where connections in Pakistan could take nearly a second to establish. (theregister.com)
CSS’s emerging `@custom-media` rule lets developers name and reuse media queries, with presets for detecting device capabilities such as input type. Browser support remains limited, so container-query alternatives and processing tools offer ways to use the presets today. (blog.master.dev)
Mastodon 5.0 redesigns its web interface with simpler navigation and a pop-out post composer, aiming to make the service easier for newcomers while retaining power for longtime users. The redesign prioritizes clarity, accessibility, and room for future features, while acknowledging that technical limits mean some improvements will come later. (blog.joinmastodon.org)
MoneyPouch is a self-hosted expense tracker. Its demo page says the browser is unsupported and asks visitors to upgrade. (demo.moneypouch.app)
Using a personal domain with an independent email provider can make it easier to leave Gmail or Outlook without losing your address. Purelymail is one option, charging $10 a year for unlimited inboxes, and tools like Imapsync can help transfer old messages. (manualdousuario.net)
Today's best Hacker News stories, summarized and screenshotted, one email a day.