CherryOS

CherryOS was a PowerPC G4 processor emulator for x86 Microsoft Windows platforms, which allowed various Apple Inc. programs to be operated on Windows XP. Announced and made available for pre-orders on October 12, 2004, it was developed by Maui X-Stream (MXS), a startup company based in Lahaina, Hawaii and a subsidiary of Paradise Television. The program encountered a number of launch difficulties its first year, including a poorly-reviewed soft launch in October 2004, wherein Wired Magazine argued that CherryOS used code grafted directly from PearPC, an older open-source emulator. Lead developer Arben Kryeziu subsequently stated that PearPC had provided the inspiration for CherryOS, but "not the work, not the architecture. With their architecture I'd never get the speed."

After further development, CherryOS 1.0 was released in its final form on March 8, 2005, with support for CD, DVD, USB, FireWire, and Ethernet. It was described as automatically detecting "hardware and network connections" and allowing "for the use of virtually any OS X-ready application," including Safari and Mail. Estimated to be compatible with approximately 70 percent of PCs, MXS again fielded accusations that CherryOS 1.0 incorporated code from PearPC. MXS argued CherryOS was "absolutely not" a knockoff," and that though "certain generic code strings and screen verbiage used in Pear PC are also used in CherryOS... they are not proprietary to the Pear PC product." Shortly afterwards the creators of PearPC were reported to be "contemplating" litigation against Maui X-Stream, and on April 6, 2005, CherryOS was announced to be on hold. A day later, CherryOS announced that "due to overwhelming demand, Cherry open source project launches May 1, 2005."