Developer Skylar Taylor-Barrick released gbos-vm, an open-source project enabling Googlebook OS to run in a GPU-accelerated virtual machine on Apple Silicon Macs.
Learn how the installer modifies vendor partitions using Cuttlefish and QEMU, along with current hardware limitations and requirements.
Developer Skylar Taylor-Barrick has created an open-source project called gbos-vm, which allows the operating system to run in a virtual environment on Macs with Apple Silicon processors. The system boots using the power of the graphics.
How is the installation done?
The process involves using a macOS installer that downloads a recovery image from a Dell XPS Googlebook laptop, modifies the appropriate part of the software using components from the Cuttlefish project, and runs it through a virtualization program.
What works and what are the problems?
As the project is in its early stages, there are some limitations. Bluetooth frequently crashes, the display is limited to 60Hz, and an encryption service stops working on startup. However, the Chrome browser works normally and the 3D graphics take advantage of the computer's graphics card.
Other developers have already managed to run the system on models such as the M1 Pro, M2 Max and M4 Mac Mini, while the possibility of working with older Intel computers is also being considered.
The creator warns that the system is not secure, due to the collapse of the encryption service at startup, and should be used exclusively for testing by developers. It should be noted that Googlebook laptops can now also be used with Samsung phones.
