PowerPC A2

[rabidz7]

Thinking of building a system based on the PowerPC A2. Does anyone here know if it is a socketed cpu and what motherboards support it.

[MultiFinder17]

The PowerPC A2 is an extremely expensive, specialized CPU made for IBMs current push into the supercomputer market. They're not available to the general public, nor are motherboards that support it available from anyone aside from IBM.

[666sheep]

You'll get more success with building Snow Leopard for PowerPC.
You'll become PPC god, you know?

[Imixmuan]

...maybe he is a god already. Compiling Snow Leopard for PPC would take god-like abilities and would certainly draw the ire of the gods of Cupertino. I bet they actually have Snow Leopard for PPC somewhere, tucked away in the "just in case" drawer. Snow Leopard ran like crap on my 2006 intel mini with 2 gb of RAM, probably would have run like crap on anything other than a quad G5.

I doubt they even bothered to build Lion or Mountain Lion for PPC.

[SuperCyborg]

FYI, Snow Leopard is just Leopard with all PPC code removed from the kernel.

[justperry]

Originally Posted by SuperCyborg

FYI, Snow Leopard is just Leopard with all PPC code removed from the kernel.

From the whole system (OS) you mean, not only the kernel.

[MultiFinder17]

Originally Posted by SuperCyborg

FYI, Snow Leopard is just Leopard with all PPC code removed from the kernel.

Really? Tell that to the army of new APIs that were introduced in Snow Leopard, Grand Central Dispatch and OpenCL being the biggies.

[SuperCyborg]

Originally Posted by MultiFinder17

Grand Central Dispatch

That only makes it easier to build multithreaded apps. Multithreaded apps work equally as well on PPC machines.

and OpenCL being the biggies

Not really a "biggie", next to nothing uses it.

[Henriok]

There is no "PowerPC A2" processor, it's just a processor core, currently used only in two different processor applications; the PowerEN wire speed processor, tailored to do extreme network routing and analysis, and the Blue Gene/Q supercomputer processor.

The PowerEN is available for mere mortals to get their hands on, but probably only on a PCIe daughter card. This is not an off the shelf product so you'll probably need some special connections with IBM to manage to get one.

The BGQ-processors comes as a part of a larger Blue Gene/Q supercomputer node which smallest package is a full rack that starts at $1 million or something like that.

So no, you won't be able to buy or make a computer with PowerPC A2 cores in it.

[Intell]

Originally Posted by SuperCyborg

FYI, Snow Leopard is just Leopard with all PPC code removed from the kernel.

This is very incorrect. Snow Leopard is a very much overhauled upgrade to Leopard. One of the bigger changes is a Cocoa based Finder as opposed to Leopard's slower Carbon based one. Most, if not all, of the built in apps have seen upgrades. Even the kerenel itself is a complete rewrite, not Leopard's without the PowerPC code. Other new things include QuickTime X and the corresponding media framework that is now standard across Apple's operating systems. Snow Leopard has support for Microsoft Exchange, where as Leopard didn't support it at all. Lastly the greatest difference between the two is the 64-but kernel in Snow Leopard. That was only possible through a complete rewrite of the kernel by Apple. Maybe before making such a blatantly incorrect statement, you should think about what you're typing.

[rjcalifornia]

Originally Posted by Intell

This is very incorrect. Snow Leopard is a very much overhauled upgrade to Leopard. One of the bigger changes is a Cocoa based Finder as opposed to Leopard's slower Carbon based one. Most, if not all, of the built in apps have seen upgrades. Even the kerenel itself is a complete rewrite, not Leopard's without the PowerPC code. Other new things include QuickTime X and the corresponding media framework that is now standard across Apple's operating systems. Snow Leopard has support for Microsoft Exchange, where as Leopard didn't support it at all. Lastly the greatest difference between the two is the 64-but kernel in Snow Leopard. That was only possible through a complete rewrite of the kernel by Apple. Maybe before making such a blatantly incorrect statement, you should think about what you're typing.

Cool. I kinda hate that SL not for PPC. I mean, it would be like Windows 7 not being compatible with AMD or VIA processors. Plain wrong... Would it be slow? Perhaps? But do you really need a Super Machine to run an OS?

[SuperCyborg]

Originally Posted by Intell

This is very correct.

Thank you.

Snow Leopard is a very much overhauled upgrade to Leopard.

Correct.
Removal of all PPC code is "overhauling".

One of the bigger changes is a Cocoa based Finder as opposed to Leopard's slower Carbon based one.

If you can detect any speed difference when opening a folder window on a multi-GHz computer, you're delusional.

Most, if not all, of the built in apps have seen upgrades.

All of which can be used on Leopard.

Even the kerenel itself is a complete rewrite

Proof to back up your opinion?

Other new things include QuickTime X

Complete garbage.
Quicktime 7 Pro is better in every way.

Snow Leopard has support for Microsoft Exchange

Complete garbage, legacy software.
Entourage 2004 supports Microsoft Exchange in Leopard.

Lastly the greatest difference between the two is the 64-but kernel in Snow Leopard.

Only on Machines that support it natively, which is zero in PPC and why Leopard never got a 64-bit kernel. PPC BARELY supported 64-bit apps and only in the PowerMac G5.

That was only possible through a complete rewrite of the kernel by Apple.

Recompile, not rewrite.

Maybe before making such a blatantly incorrect statement, you should think about what you're typing.

Please follow your own advice before embarrassing yourself again.

----------

Originally Posted by rjcalifornia

But do you really need a Super Machine to run an OS?

No, you need an architecture capable of executing the code though.

[Lil Chillbil]

Originally Posted by rabidz7

Thinking of building a system based on the PowerPC A2. Does anyone here know if it is a socketed cpu and what motherboards support it.

we've had this thread before and I swear its from the same guy

[Intell]

Originally Posted by SuperCyborg

Thank you.

You seem to have misread the "incorrect" as "correct"

Originally Posted by SuperCyborg

Correct.
Removal of all PPC code is "overhauling".

Removal of all PowerPC code is not overhauling. It is called slimming. Not only here on MacRumors, but in Apple developer documentation.

Originally Posted by SuperCyborg

If you can detect any speed difference when opening a folder window on a multi-GHz computer, you're delusional.

On a system with the Intell GMA950 and one with a Nvidia 8800, there is a noticeable difference. The Cocoa based Finder not only makes window opening faster, it makes Finder much more stable and uniform with the system. It also enables Finder to be a 64-bit application because Carbon apps cannot be 64-bit.

Originally Posted by SuperCyborg

All of which can be used on Leopard.

Really? You can't take any 10.6.X apps, move them over to any 10.5.X system and expect them to work. Even after you edit the minimum system requirements, the still crash. Because Leopard lacks the proper API hooks and kernel modules.

Originally Posted by SuperCyborg

Proof to back up your opinion?

Look at the GNU source code and revision notes posted to opensource.apple.com. All your proof is there.

Originally Posted by SuperCyborg

Complete garbage.
Quicktime 7 Pro is better in every way.

While Snow Leopard's QuickTime X isn't very feature complete, Lion's is much better. And because of the framework introduced with it, apps can be more easily be converted from iOS apps to Mac apps.

Originally Posted by SuperCyborg

Complete garbage, legacy software.
Entourage 2004 supports Microsoft Exchange in Leopard.

Exchange is not legacy software. It is still extremely relevant in the work place and is a requirement for many businesses. Apple included it to make Macs more appealing to the business sphere. Entourage hardly counts. It's Exchange support is only for the version of Exchange Server that corporations with its own version. Where as Snow Leopard's Exchange support includes support for 2007+.

Originally Posted by SuperCyborg

Only on Machines that support it natively, which is zero in PPC and why Leopard never got a 64-bit kernel. PPC BARELY supported 64-bit apps and only in the PowerMac G5.

Leopard never got a 64-bit kernel because Apple didn't want to introduce feature creep into an already delayed OS and because the Cocoa Finder wasn't ready yet. G5's have very good 64-bit support, with some Linux distros working in complete 64-bit mode.

Originally Posted by SuperCyborg

Recompile, not rewrite.

A recomplie isn't enough to include 64-bit support. The notes in the 10.6.0 source code explicitly state rewrite.

Originally Posted by SuperCyborg

Please follow your own advice before embarrassing yourself again.

I haven't embarrassed myself. Only you've made a fool of yourself. I'm also not banned.

[rabidz7]

Originally Posted by Henriok

There is no "PowerPC A2" processor, it's just a processor core, currently used only in two different processor applications; the PowerEN wire speed processor, tailored to do extreme network routing and analysis, and the Blue Gene/Q supercomputer processor.

The PowerEN is available for mere mortals to get their hands on, but probably only on a PCIe daughter card. This is not an off the shelf product so you'll probably need some special connections with IBM to manage to get one.

The BGQ-processors comes as a part of a larger Blue Gene/Q supercomputer node which smallest package is a full rack that starts at $1 million or something like that.

So no, you won't be able to buy or make a computer with PowerPC A2 cores in it.

wow.

[Jethryn Freyman]

SL may look like Leopard with the PPC stuff stripped out, but it's the stuff underneath that is a great deal of different...

[rabidz7]

How about other power architecture stuff. Freescale?

[goMac]

Originally Posted by rabidz7

How about other power architecture stuff. Freescale?

I don't think there are currently any new PowerPC processors targeted at end consumer use.

[rabidz7]

I thought freescale made low power consumer chips that no one uses.

[skateny]

Originally Posted by Intell

I haven't embarrassed myself. Only you've made a fool of yourself. I'm also not banned.

Funny. I was wondering how long it would take for his passport to be revoked.

[Intell]

Originally Posted by skateny

Funny. I was wondering how long it would take for his passport to be revoked.

Same. People that like to spout excessive amount of inaccurate information or ones that can be labeled as a troll don't last very long in the PowerPC sub-forum. We're a tight knit bunch of people that don't take such matters lightly.

[skateny]

Originally Posted by Intell

Same. People that like to spout excessive amount of inaccurate information or ones that can be labeled as a troll don't last very long in the PowerPC sub-forum. We're a tight knit bunch of people that don't take such matters lightly.

Amen to that.