dingusppc README

The project's README from github.com/dingusdev/dingusppc. As one markdown file: README.md.

DingusPPC

Written by The DingusPPC Development Team

(who are Divingkatae, maximumspatium, joevt, mihaip, kkaisershot, Cacodemon345, Wack0, et. al. Check CREDITS.md for more info)

Be warned the program is highly unfinished and could use a lot of testing. Any feedback is welcome.

Philosophy of Use

While many other PowerPC emus exist (PearPC, Sheepshaver), none of them currently attempt emulation of PowerPC Macs accurately (except for QEMU).

This program aims to not only improve upon what Sheepshaver, PearPC, and other PowerPC Mac emulators have done, but also to provide a better debugging environment. This currently is designed to work best with PowerPC NuBus and Old World ROMs, including those of the Power Mac 6100, 7200, and G3 Beige.

Implemented Features

Several machines have been implemented to varying degrees, like many Old World PowerPC Macs, early New World PowerPC Macs, and the Pippin.

This emulator has a debugging environment, complete with a disassembler.

How to Use

This program currently uses the command prompt to work.

There are a few command line arguments one can enter when starting the program.

-r, --run

Run the emulator. Currently only goes to an interpreter.

-d, --debugger

Enter the interactive debugger.

-b, --bootrom TEXT:FILE

Specifies the Boot ROM path. It otherwise looks for bootrom.bin.

-m, --machine TEXT

Specify machine ID. Otherwise, the emulator will attempt to determine machine ID from the boot rom otherwise.

As of now, the most complete machines are the Power Mac 6100, the Power Mac 7500, and the Power Mac G3 Beige.

To go into to the debugger regardless of how you started the emulator, press Control and C on the terminal window.

How to Compile

You need to install development tools first.

At minimum, a C++20 compliant compiler and CMake are required.

Clone the repository using the appropriate command:

git clone https://github.com/dingusdev/dingusppc

If this is from a mirror, replace the argument with the source you want to use instead.

You will also have to recursive clone or run

git submodule update --init --recursive

This is because the CubeB, Capstone, and SDL2 modules are not included by default.

For SDL2, Linux users may also have to run:

sudo apt install libsdl2-dev

macOS users can use Homebrew or MacPorts to install SDL2.

CLI11 and loguru are already included in the thirdparty folder and compiled along with the rest of DingusPPC.

For Raspbian, you may also need the following command:

sudo apt install doxygen graphviz

To build the project in a Unix-like environment, create a build folder, change the directory to the build folder, and use cmake to create the Makefile files in that build folder. Use make to do the building. You don't need to execute cmake again unless you add/remove/change options or source files.

mkdir build
cd build
cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release ..
make

You may specify another build type using the variable CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE. Each build type should have its own build folder.

mkdir build-debug
cd build-debug
cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug ..
make

Testing

DingusPPC includes a test suite for verifying the correctness of its PowerPC CPU emulation. To build the tests, use the following terminal commands:

mkdir build
cd build
cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DDPPC_BUILD_PPC_TESTS=True ..
make testppc

Intended Minimum Requirements

dingusppc (dingusdev/dingusppc)

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410 ·GitHub
Dingusppc
What is this?DingusPPC is an experimental emulator for PowerPC Macintosh computers, aiming to accurately emulate Old World and early New World PowerPC Macs (and the Pippin) with a focus on accuracy and debugging rather than just compatibility.
How is this different from other PowerPC Mac emulators like PearPC or Sheepshaver?Unlike PearPC and SheepShaver, DingusPPC specifically targets accurate hardware-level emulation of PowerPC NuBus and Old World ROM Macs, and ships with a built-in interactive debugger and disassembler instead of just running software.
How do I run it?It's a command-line program: you launch the compiled binary with command-line arguments to pick the Boot ROM path and machine ID (or let it auto-detect from the ROM), and it drops you into an interpreter unless the debugger is requested.
How finished is this emulator?The project is explicitly marked as highly unfinished and needs a lot of testing; only the Power Mac 6100, 7500, and G3 Beige are the most complete machines so far, and other supported machines are implemented to varying degrees.
Which operating systems can run it?It targets Windows 7+ (64-bit), Linux 4.4+, and Mac OS X 10.9+ (64-bit), needing at least an Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM, and 2GB disk space.
Which Mac models does it emulate best?The most developed machines right now are the Power Mac 6100, Power Mac 7500, and Power Mac G3 Beige, representing both Old World and early New World PowerPC Macs.
Does it have any debugging tools built in?Yes, DingusPPC includes an interactive debugger with a disassembler; you can drop into it at startup or at any time by pressing Control+C in the terminal window.
Is there a test suite to verify CPU emulation?Yes, it includes a dedicated test suite for verifying the correctness of its PowerPC CPU emulation, buildable with its own set of terminal commands.
What are similar projects?pcsx2, ares, dolphin, ProsperoEden, pwndbg, rr, widemelon, TheSimpsonsGameRecomp
Which topics is it in?gui-automation, debugger, emulation, emulator, hardware, c++, command-line, gplv3, terminal, cli, cross-platform, windows
Creator
dingusdev
Size
6.1 MB
Stars
410
Updated
CommitOct 17
Age
7y
Commits · 90 Days