You can give SheepShaver a try.
SheepShaver is an Open Source PowerPC Mac OS run-time environment. That is, it enables you to run PowerPC Classic Mac OS software on your computer, even if you are using a different operating system. However, you still need a copy of Mac OS and a PowerMac ROM image to use this program. SheepShaver is distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL).Features:
- SheepShaver runs Mac OS 7.5.2 through Mac OS 9.0.4
- PowerPC G4 emulation on non-PowerPC platforms, direct execution otherwise
- Basic but portable JIT engine (x86, x86_64, mips)
- Copy and paste of text between Mac OS and the host OS
- File exchange with the host OS via a Unix icon on the Mac desktop
- Color video display with support for run-time resolution switching
- Run-time depth switching from 1 bpp to current host depth settings
- Native QuickDraw 2D acceleration for BitBlt and FillRect operations
- CD-quality stereo sound output
- Networking: SheepShaver supports Internet and LAN networking via Ethernet and PPP with all Open Transport compatible MacOS applications
If you are using a PowerPC-based system, applications will run at native speeds (i.e., without any emulation involved). On other systems, SheepShaver provides the first PowerPC G4 emulator, though without MMU, to enable the execution of Mac OS Classic. Performance with the current CPU emulator using basic just-in-time (JIT) translation techniques is roughly 1/8-th of native speeds.
The following platforms are currently supported: Linux (i386, ppc, x86_64), MacOS X (i386, ppc), Darwin, NetBSD 2.0, FreeBSD 5.3 and Windows for x86. Please note that I am pretty careless of the Windows version since I am not a Windows developer. You are heartily invited to join the effort!
It looks as if it will be very slow. . .
Thanks. Slow is relative if all you want to do is open something or export it. Data accessibility is the big thing.
I know that 10.6 is also a cutoff point for certain OSX apps, too, though I don’t know why. I want to integrate everything but I don’t want to spend a bazillion dollars on app upgrades that I don’t need.
The possibly more expensive, but less work, version would be to connect a PowerPC box to your network, install a VNC server on it, and run it remotely. If it’s capable of running Leopard or later, Apple’s Screen Sharing works well. G4 iBooks and Mac Minis are routinely under $100, and sometimes as little as $20, on eBay, and you can do cheaper or free if you’re patient enough.