[eAkGBG]

Hi ok emulation octane was a dead end.
so I'm wondering if anyone knows a good way to use for example VMware fusion on Mac with a vm unix or linux with old libs to test run code and hopefully it's possible to compile it on my octane after the code has ben developed?
so I can follow the old documentation from late 90's test run it and if it works I can transfer it to my octane and compile it. because I'm old now and the fan noice is simply to loud for me. Now that I'm used to completely silent MacBook Air.

[Raion]

There's a method to cross compile from a modern OS to IRIX, but no emulation/virtualization at this time that can be used to "test" code. Qemu-irix exists, but it was only ever used to run the compiler IDO 5.3 not run any code

I find that cross compilation is basically useless unless you really don't want to put wear and tear on your system and are okay with the limitations (GCC only, many coding limitations)

I find many of the limits annoying/useless for me, and I have access to enough systems that I can do it whenever I want on a fast system that is only 30-40 mins slower than a modern Linux box at compiling GCC

[eAkGBG]

ok i installed debian 13 with open motif. I can run my particle life code. I'm not that interested in cross compiling. my main goal is for it to run old compatible libs. so I can follow the documentation test runt it on my vm. when it feels good enough I can scp over to the old machine compile and run it there. so how to define my question better?

I want my linux or unix virtual machine to be library compatible? so I can code compile test. then transfer and compile on the octane. ofcourse special libraries will not be accessible. but I want to learn OpenGL 1.1 and use my modern keyboard that does not force me to fold my hands 3times over tu type simple characters like {} (Swedish pc keyboard not good for that if it's not Mac keymap.)

[Raion]

Hmm, well for user space APIs older GNU/Linux circa 1999-2001 should be reasonably compatible. For anything that touches system or I/O best test on Solaris 9 or 10 tbh.

Otherwise that's your practical limitations.

[eAkGBG]

ok I see. would be nice to build the ultimate vm image for arm64 that can be as compatible as possible. with minimal if any code modifications that can compile on the sgi system. perhaps it could be used to support cross platform for multiple retro unix systems.

[Raion]

Arm64 is so far from sgimips though.

[eAkGBG]

yes it is. so installing an old version of linux or bsd is probably out of the question. don't know for how long aarch64 been around? I guess that is the name for arm64 that can run inside a virtual machine in macOS. I installed gtk 2 in macOS. it should exist for irix 6.5. so can try reading some tutorials for that also. SDL version available in irix is 1?

[Raion]

GTK2 is trash on IRIX. Due to how it shapes text using harfbuzz, it burns through CPU.

I would highly recommend fltk for c++ and for C, Fox or Motif.

[vishnu]

and for C, Fox or Motif.

I've had Fox on my personally owned computer since forever, it's an outstanding widget set, but a work we're sticking with Motif due to our many decades of dependance on it. I'm one of the idiots who actually bought Motif for Linux back around 1998 or so, when ICS was offering it for non-commercial/personal use for 200 dollars US.