Mac OS X Intel Build 8F1111

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif

Appleinsider points to recent developer updates to Mac OS X for Intel.

According to the rumor site, Apple has distributed Mac OS X 10.4.3 Intel Build 8F1111. The update is said to provide additional printer drivers, native version of Quicktime 7.0.4 and other improvements.

One component that saw significant updates included Rosetta - Apple's PowerPC emulation layer for the Intel Macs.

Rosetta included improved support for OpenGL as well as support for AltiVec. This report confirms a previous Page 2 report claiming the same.

[nagromme]

Rosetta is starting to sound really good. It may be slow in some cases... but if my apps at least will RUN, then it's a life-saving stopgap for me.

And my next (Intel) Mac will be quite a bit faster than my current one, which will help offset Rosetta's performance issues, while I await more native Intel apps.

[stoid]

Mac OS X 10.4.3 is build 8F46, right? Are build numbers comparable between architectures? Current 10.4.4 build seems to be 8G9. Are they building both at the same time? is there an Intel 10.4.4 8G9?

[Staffroomer]

I'm waiting to buy my new intel iBook.. Any developments make me a happy individual

[dansgil]

Well, if Rosetta supports Altivec, then there is no reason for me not to get the first Intel Powerbook. I think not having Rosetta support Altivec would deter many, many users from buying Intel Macs when they first arrive.

[andrewm]

Originally Posted by Macrumors

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif

...

Rosetta included improved support for OpenGL as well as support for AltiVec. This report confirms a previous Page 2 report claiming the same.

Seeing as this is still Page 2, perhaps the word 'confirms' should be replaced with 'corroborates'? Just splitting hairs.

Edit: Ah, scrummy. We've moved to Page 1, so never mind. Carry on!

And do hurry, Apple--I want to play with these new system when they come out, even if they act just the same! (Although don't hurry so much that you make mistakes... we're counting on you...)

[treblah]

Can we just skip December and go straight to MWSF?

[mad jew]

Originally Posted by dansgil

Well, if Rosetta supports Altivec, then there is no reason for me not to get the first Intel Powerbook. I think not having Rosetta support Altivec would deter many, many users from buying Intel Macs when they first arrive.

I've always wondered just how effective Altivec is though. I've always thought it was more of a marketing term rather than an engineering one.

[SiliconAddict]

The interesting thing is going to be on laptops. Only the most die hard fanbois would claim that the PowerBook is a match for the latest single core Pentium M's. Never mind the introduction of next year's dual core Yonah. For the rest of us who know better its going to be supremely interesting to see native apps on a 1.67Ghz PPC PowerBook go up against a dual core Yonah at 2.xGhz. I'm wondering what is the possibility that the dual core Yonah running apps in Rosetta could at least keep up, if not match, apps running natively on the 1.67Ghz PPC PowerBooks. Yes I know some of you scoff at the idea but the simple fact remains that the PowerBooks is not aging well and using two cores to aid Rosetta. . . well who knows.
Again I can't wait to see the first batch of benchmarks on FINAL Macintel PowerBooks. (None of this hack the prereleased OS onto Toshiba’s and lets see how it performs.)
Of course it won't really matter. By that time I will already have ordered mine, done a little jig, and started salivating in anticipation of the USP truck.

[mad jew]

Originally Posted by SiliconAddict

By that time I will already have ordered mine, done a little jig, and started salivating in anticipation of the USP truck.

Count me in for a small jig too. I've already promised myself an Intel iBook. I've just got six or so months to come up with a justifiable reason.

[SiliconAddict]

Originally Posted by treblah

Can we just skip December and go straight to MWSF?

Amen to that. Can I get a temporary coma of say 39 days? I hear they can induce comas via iv drips now a days. Wonder if my medical coverage would cover that?

[Lacero]

Originally Posted by treblah

Can we just skip December and go straight to MWSF?

Christmas, for me, happens in December and January.

Hopefully, this Quicktime update fixes the H.264 gamma display bug and makes general speed improvements to encoding, as well.

[stoid]

How can you tell that the PowerBook is dragging? My 2 year old 15 inch Aluminum PowerBook runs at 1.25 Ghz and still does great keeping up with a fresh out of the box top of the line current PowerBook. Until the higher screen res was introduced, my PowerBook was still almost indistinguishable from the new ones.

Go back two years before I got my PowerBook and you've got the very first G4 PBooks that ran at only 500-600 Mhz. Yeah, PowerBook development has slowed in the last few years, and a dual-core Yonah is going to be the kick that the PowerBook line NEEDS!

[toneloco2881]

Originally Posted by dansgil

Well, if Rosetta supports Altivec, then there is no reason for me not to get the first Intel Powerbook. I think not having Rosetta support Altivec would deter many, many users from buying Intel Macs when they first arrive.

Well considering that probably 90% of people don't even have a clue what Altivec is, I don't think it will make too much of a difference.

[dontmatter]

Originally Posted by treblah

Can we just skip December and go straight to MWSF?

Don't do that, December is when all the ipod sales will be!!

Yeah, no kidding. It's going to be so awesomely fantastic, or so utterly dissapointing. Either way, it'll be a big day.

[SiliconAddict]

Originally Posted by andrewm

Seeing as this is still Page 2, perhaps the word 'confirms' should be replaced with 'corroborates'? Just splitting hairs.

Umm its page one. Did they move it or something? *shrugs*

[obeygiant]

will intel mac be able to run windows software?
i know this sounds like a dumb question, but intel macs
technically wont run regular mac software without rosetta,
so will the new mactel machines be able to run ANYTHING
that not written for the exclusively?

[GFLPraxis]

AltiVec means Mac games will work. w00t!

will intel mac be able to run windows software?
i know this sounds like a dumb question, but intel macs
technically wont run regular mac software without rosetta,
so will the new mactel machines be able to run ANYTHING
that not written for the exclusively?

No, the same way Linux cannot run Windows applications.

However, CrossOver Office for Mac is under development, which should let you run most Windows programs on a Mac.

[SiliconAddict]

Originally Posted by stoid

How can you tell that the PowerBook is dragging? My 2 year old 15 inch Aluminum PowerBook runs at 1.25 Ghz and still does great keeping up with a fresh out of the box top of the line current PowerBook. Until the higher screen res was introduced, my PowerBook was still almost indistinguishable from the new ones.

Go back two years before I got my PowerBook and you've got the very first G4 PBooks that ran at only 500-600 Mhz. Yeah, PowerBook development has slowed in the last few years, and a dual-core Yonah is going to be the kick that the PowerBook line NEEDS!

That’s my point. A two year old PowerBook doesn't show a marked improvement over today’s top of the line PowerBook mainly because of the starved FSB. Apple has been able to pull some magic with utilizing more and more of the GPU in each new OS for the GUI to keep things relatively snappy but http://www.barefeats.com/ and their benchmarks show that speed increases from rev to rev of the PowerBook are minor. All the while Intel and the Pentium M have been gaining momentum. Not major momentum but enough that from revision to revision of not only the CPU’s but the chipsets they just keep slowly pulling further and further away form the PowerBook. It’s the damn FSB is what is/was killing the G4. What good is a 1.6Ghz CPU and RAM running at 333MHz when the FSB runs at 167Mhz? Like trying to drive water from a firehose through a straw.
Its not hard to do the math. I have zero doubt that the Freescale would have solved this dilemma and would have brought a breath of fresh air to the G4 but unfortunately we will never know just what kinda of performance boost it would have given. My sneaking suspicion is that it would have matched up well against the low end G5 PowerMacs. (Probably even beating them in some cases.) But of course that is pure speculation.

[SiliconAddict]

Originally Posted by GFLPraxis

AltiVec means Mac games will work. w00t!




No, the same way Linux cannot run Windows applications.

However, CrossOver Office for Mac is under development, which should let you run most Windows programs on a Mac.

It might be possible. If Windows is installed on a sep partition a app may be able to use the API's to run apps in OS X. Lindows or Linspire or whatever the heck they are calling themselves these days did this. I remember trying out Lindows when it first came out. The thing resized my system partition and installed itself alongside windows. I was able to run Internet Exploder, Office and numerous other apps through Linux.

[risc]

Originally Posted by obeygiant

will intel mac be able to run windows software?
i know this sounds like a dumb question, but intel macs
technically wont run regular mac software without rosetta,
so will the new mactel machines be able to run ANYTHING
that not written for the exclusively?

With universal binaries OS X apps run on the PPC and x86 platforms so yeah OS X x86 can run OS X apps, when you say "regular" Mac apps you mean old software that hasn't been recompiled for universal binaries? I'm sure as soon as the x86 Macs hit the market you'll see a flood of updates (just like any OS X update) and these new apps will all be universal binaries. The real question though is how soon can we expect 3rd party commercial apps to be upgraded, and how will this be handled brand new apps you need to pay for, or will they bring out universal binary upgrades for free?

As for Windows software of course not, it's an OS X box not a Windows one... I'm sure things like wine will be ported though.

[Mechcozmo]

Originally Posted by risc

As for Windows software of course not, it's an OS X box not a Windows one... I'm sure things like wine will be ported though.

Linkety

[EricNau]

I'm starting to get excited about the intel Apples. At first I never would have thought of buying one (for the first few years), but it sounds like Apple is working hard on making it "flawless." They know they can't blow it this time (Apple has a bad history of this).

Rosetta sounds cool also.

[iMeowbot]

Originally Posted by mad jew

I've always wondered just how effective Altivec is though. I've always thought it was more of a marketing term rather than an engineering one.

One thing that is very real is the push from Apple for developers to useSIMD, while in the Wintel world there has been more of a push from the marketplace to target relatively ancient processors.

Mac developers will be able to ignore legacy stuff from before 2005, and possibly even some of this year's limitations depending on what chips are available to Apple once real production machines roll out (for example, some say that we will only see SSE2 support, but that may simply be caution on the part of Apple in case Intel ship dates slip).

[Catfish_Man]

Originally Posted by mad jew

I've always wondered just how effective Altivec is though. I've always thought it was more of a marketing term rather than an engineering one.

It's real, it's effective, and it's an engineering term. If you want a less fancy name for it, use VMX. Really altivec-heavy apps are pretty rare, but it's used in smaller ways in all sorts of places. Unfortunately for the G4 (and to a much lesser extent the G5), it can't make up for crappy performance at other stuff.