The mysteries of the PowerPC Internet Explorer and Netscape

About SheepShaver, a PPC Mac emulator for Windows, MacOS X, and Linux that can run System 7.5.3 to MacOS 9.0.4.

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Why does Internet Explorer crash SheepShaver on launch? (no one is sure yet)

It's Microsoft code trying to run on a Mac emulator
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No votes
SheepShaver hates ActiveX
0
No votes
Internet Explorer is evil! EEEVIIIIIIIIIILLLLL!
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33%
Duh, it's just asking for more than SheepShaver has.
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67%
 
Total votes: 3
CoplAUXX
Student Driver
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed May 09, 2012 2:53 am

The mysteries of the PowerPC Internet Explorer and Netscape

Post by CoplAUXX »

The reasons why the PowerPC versions of Internet Explorer and Netscape crash SheepShaver could be many mysteries forever. Out of those mysteries, I think I've only solved one. It doesn't seem like Netscape itself begins with some esoteric code which crashes SheepShaver on launch, it seems like some lower-level code which it attempts to load at launch (but doesn't depend on) is responsible, and if there's any esoteric code right in the Netscape PowerPC binary, it's somewhere in the middle. The same might also be true for Internet Explorer (who knows?)

Right now, I have configured SheepShaver with an Old World ROM, 256 MB RAM emulated, the "Basilisk II Slirp" Ethernet emulation, the JIT Compiler and built-in 68k DR Emulator enabled, and the following Custom Mac OS 9 installation:
  • Mac OS 9 - Customized Installation:
    • Core System Software
    • Network & Connectivity: ONLY Open Transport
  • Internet Access - Recommended Installation
In SheepShaver with this configuration, Netscape worked to the point where I could send it to http://download.info.apple.com/Apple_Su ... te.smi.bin and download files right in the emulated Mac OS 9 (but not actually browse the web for more than a minute; maybe for now we can just use it just to install Classilla without futzing around with HFVExplorer, priorly making sure our OS 9 system is connected to the Internet, by pointing Netscape directly to the Classilla .sit file). The PowerPC version of Internet Explorer, however, still didn't work at all.
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adespoton
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Re: The mysteries of the PowerPC Internet Explorer and Netsc

Post by adespoton »

Is this a Windows SS build issue? I don't recall seeing this on the OS X build.
yksoft1
Master Emulator
Posts: 394
Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2007 4:32 pm
Location: People's Republic of China

Re: The mysteries of the PowerPC Internet Explorer and Netsc

Post by yksoft1 »

Try downgrading Open Transport extensions to those Mac OS 8.x versions.
By the way, IE 5.1.x will certainly work in Sheepshaver.
vasi
Tinkerer
Posts: 54
Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2009 11:46 pm

Re: The mysteries of the PowerPC Internet Explorer and Netsc

Post by vasi »

Are you running SheepShaver in 64-bit mode? The slirp networking code is known to be buggy on 64-bit. It will sometimes work, but it's only a matter of luck. It's definitely on the list of things to fix.
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