How can I run a single Mac app inside a virtual machine without installing Mac OS X?
3 Answers
You can't. You simply cannot run just a Mac app in a VM without installing OS X. Installing OS X in a VM is also against the Mac OS X Software License Agreement where it is stated:
"you are granted a limited non-exclusive license to install, use and run one (1) copy of the Apple Software on a single Apple-branded computer at a time.
Which rules out VMs. You could of course try to find a cross-platform alternative and use that.
You almost certainly need the operating system installed for your application to work. It has to make at least some kind of system calls to do even the most basic I/O, let alone all the layers of frameworks and system services required to make a GUI app function.
No.
However, you might want to look into OS X's support for application sandboxing:
http://techjournal.318.com/security/a-brief-introduction-to-mac-os-x-sandbox-technology/