PowerPC Reference Platform

PowerPC Reference Platform (PReP) was a standardized set of specifications for PowerPC-based computer systems (as well as a ) developed at the same time as the PowerPC processor architecture. Published by IBM in 1994, it allowed hardware vendors to build a machine that could run various operating systems, including Windows NT,, , Taligent and AIX.

Description
One of the stated goals of the PReP specification was to leverage standard PC hardware. Apple Computer, wishing to seamlessly transition its Macintosh computers to PowerPC processors, found this to be particularly problematic. As it appeared no one was particularly happy with the PReP standard, the Common Hardware Reference Platform (CHRP), was developed and published in late 1995, incorporating the elements of both PReP and the Power Macintosh architecture. Key to CHRP was the requirement for Open Firmware (also required in PReP-compliant systems delivered after June 1, 1995), which gave vendors greatly improved support during the boot process, allowing the hardware to be far more varied.

PReP systems were never popular. Finding current, readily available operating systems for old PReP hardware can be difficult. and still maintain their respective ports to this architecture, although developer and user activity is extremely low. The real-time operating system provides a board support package for PReP which can be run utilizing the QEMU PReP emulator. This provides a convenient development environment for PowerPC-based real-time, embedded systems.

Successor
At the 2005 Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced that the company would switch to Intel processors, effectively abandoning PowerPC for future Macs. In the fourth quarter of 2006, published specifications for a newer  (PAPR) to provide a foundation for the development of -based computers running the Linux operating system.