Can I legitimately / legally run OSX in a virtual machine?

JonJ678 · 4 Dec 2013 at 21:57

What I've been able to find online suggests "no".

I write code. It's really useful to push the code to a build server which runs a series of tests on it. Buying a dozen servers is a bit extreme, so I tend to test on a number of virtual machines. Windows and various *nix derivatives.

I now have a shiny new macbook and am considering adding OSX to the supported environments. For that to be viable, I need an OSX build server - all it has to do is compile and run a load of C and Fortran periodically.

Buying a license is fine but doesn't seem to be sufficient to let me install OSX on non-Apple hardware. Buying a license and then installing a slightly shady hacked copy doesn't seem ideal. Am I missing something here?

shine · 4 Dec 2013 at 22:07

The OSX license only allows you to run it on Apple branded hardware. If you want to virtualise it you have to do it on your macbook.

JonJ678 · 4 Dec 2013 at 22:13

That's roughly what I was worried about. The build server is not an apple computer and is unlikely to be one any time soon

InfiniteNoise · 6 Dec 2013 at 09:02

Legitimately, no. Legally? Maybe.

You can run them on non Mac hardware but you won't get any support at all.

ChrisD. · 6 Dec 2013 at 10:01

It's against Apple's EULA however it is not illegal from an article I read a few months ago.

I would also not be surprised if this thread is pulled as I think it falls into the 'Hackintosh' category.

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18037424

Rilot · 9 Dec 2013 at 10:36

Sorry, the legalities are very wooly.