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On Windows, testing different OSes is made simple using VMs. Is there a simple way to do something similar for Mac testing, where I might need to run on Tiger/Leopard/Snow Leopard to verify functionality?
AFAICT, to run OS X in a VM you need OSX server or buy multiple Macs - is that what folks out there do? Or are there other cheaper options?
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The Server. app for OS X Mavericks has a price tag of $19.99. Some websites mention it to be free for Developers who joined as iOS Developer or Mac Developer.
It's possible to install two different operating systems and dual-boot your Mac. This means you'll have both versions of macOS available and you can choose the one that suits you on a day-by-day basis.
As of April 21, 2022, Apple has discontinued macOS Server. Existing macOS Server customers can continue to download and use the app with macOS Monterey.
Yes you can, within limits. For example, if with your Mac Pro you wanted to upgrade to Lion you would have to install Snow Leopard first because the Lion download requires SL.
Due to the license, you must use Mac OS X Server if you'd like to virtualize. If you get an early Intel mac that will run 10.4, you could partition the disk and install 10.4, 10.5, and 10.6 simultaneously, though rebooting in to each OS can be a hassle.
These days there are more Mac OS X variants to test than just major OS releases. Depending on your target customers, you might also want to test on PPC, i386, and x86_64 architectures.
If you're lucky enough to live near Cupertino, Beijing, or Tokyo, and you're an ADC Select or Premiere member, you can use the ADC compatibility labs for this sort of testing.
That said, you could probably pick up a couple of older machines pretty inexpensively and get somewhat varied hardware.
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