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| Author | I'm ready to start learning Classic Mac OS programming (Read 234 times) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ShinobiKenobi
256 MB  Posts: 362 System 7 fan 
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on: January 22, 2026, 01:23
I swapped my CRT monitor for an LCD for now, so that I could use my 7200 to program on. I know programming for classic Mac OS (I'll just call it Mac OS to make it easier, since we all know this isn't for Mac OS X.) is different than for other systems. The API is in the toolbox (ROM?). I've started reading Cashed's programming FAQ here. I know Pascal was used to write most of the first systems. But since I'm quite familiar with C, I'll start with that. But I'm using CW5 Gold, since I found the ebook (modern browser) for Metrowerks Code Warrior Programming 1995, which is what they use. The first apps I make probably won't be useful, since pretty much everything already exists for Mac OS, but I'm just trying to get familiar with it. |
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Last Edit: January 22, 2026, 02:28 by ShinobiKenobi
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ShinobiKenobi
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256 MB Posts: 362 System 7 fan
Reply #1 on: January 22, 2026, 03:15
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Alright, my first question. On page 19 (actually page 39) of the book, it shows that they added MacOS.lib for a 68K project. I did the same thing. However, when I get to page 21, when I run the program, a message pops up saying: 'MacOS.lib' is not a valid library file. What am I doing wrong here? Update: I was following along, but in the PPC C compiler (facepalm). When I redid everything in the 68K compiler, it worked. Please disregard. Thank you
Last Edit: January 22, 2026, 03:38 by ShinobiKenobi
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Bolkonskij
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Administrator 1024 MB  Posts: 2023
Reply #2 on: January 22, 2026, 09:56
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Haha, I actually enjoyed reading your comments, ShinobiKenobi! I wish you good luck with your programming endeavors. Please feel free to keep us updated and post your questions and the roadblocks you run into here. We may not be able to answer all questions but it'd make an interesting journey to document. CodeWarrior can be a beast of its own at times, Knezzen and I had quite some "fun" with certain quirks of it. It does work, but the age shows compared to modern programming IDEs if you ask me. Which makes the work done by older programmers even more impressive. I personally prefer Think C for coding in C with a 68k target (sadly, no PPC support) but I find the environment so much more uncluttered and friendly, the debugger more helpful etc. If you should decide to give Think C a try, Joshua Stein (of Wallops, Amend etc fame) has done a programming series where codes on a Mac Plus with System 6 in Think C and films it. It requires a modern machine to watch, but it gives you the opportunity to watch "over his shoulder" as he illustrates writing a bare-bones application, adding pictures to it etc. Find it over at: https://jcs.org/system6c
Last Edit: January 22, 2026, 09:58 by Bolkonskij
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ShinobiKenobi
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256 MB Posts: 362 System 7 fan
Reply #3 on: January 22, 2026, 12:07
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Thanks for that. It sounds so cool, I'll definitely check it out after I wake up. Well I think I learned about the basics, the toolbox, various managers, and stuff like that. I started reading Inside Macintosh and other books, TextEdit, etc., and it looks like I should start learning Pascal maybe; there are some examples with a syntax I don't recognize. Seems pretty cool.
Last Edit: January 22, 2026, 13:26 by ShinobiKenobi
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Bolkonskij
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Administrator 1024 MB Posts: 2023
Reply #4 on: January 23, 2026, 06:43
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Tastes are different. To me, Pascal was always that 1980's programming-on-the-Mac thing. Which isn't true, as Mac software was written in Pascal way into the 90's (Ingemar Ragnemalm's stuff immediately springs to mind). But if you're looking for good programming examples, sources and tutorials, I found all the good Pascal stuff dating back to the 1980's and System 6 and earlier. Which is fine if that's what you're aiming for. But with System 7 and higher, you most certainly end up with C stuff. Since you already know C, why not continue using it? (unless you'd feel it'd add thrill to your personal journey if you'd learn a new programming language like Pascal  )
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ShinobiKenobi
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256 MB Posts: 362 System 7 fan
Reply #5 on: January 24, 2026, 02:25
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That would be wonderful! I do plan on learning Pascal sometime. Right now, though, I'm using C. I have lots of questions. I didn't bother asking them on the forum, because it's usually fairly slow here lol. Usually I can figure them out on my own faster, or use search engines to find my answers faster than waiting for replies, but that hasn't worked in this case. Do any programmers here use Hotline?
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lauland
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512 MB Posts: 674 Symtes 7 Mewconer!
Reply #6 on: January 27, 2026, 16:22
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Awesome you're trying this out! I'm sending you encouraging brain waves! I've tortured and been tortured by CodeWarrior quite a bit, so will be more than happy to give hints or help if you get stuck. The libraries are pretty confusing, it would've been lovely if they were "fat" and the same ones could be used for both m68k and ppc. They (and the linker) are radically different because ppc uses "code fragments" while standard m68k uses "code segments", but usually you don't have to worry about the difference.
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ShinobiKenobi
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256 MB Posts: 362 System 7 fan
Reply #7 on: January 27, 2026, 19:22
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Thanks lauland! This morning I started reading Inside Macintosh: Operating System Utilities. Chapter 9 is interesting. It explains how the Mac starts up.
Last Edit: January 28, 2026, 02:23 by ShinobiKenobi
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