64bit by default

[LemmycautioN]

Okay, so as of right now only the newer Xserves boot in 64bit by default. Other newer machines are capable of 64bit booting - and can if you do the 64 startup - but it's not default.

So my question is, when will 64bit booting become default? I know that I have a few 32bit extensions but once they're updated will 64bit booting be default or what? Do the frameworks have to be 64bit?

 

[maflynn]

Okay, so as of right now only the newer Xserves boot in 64bit by default. Other newer machines are capable of 64bit booting - and can if you do the 64 startup - but it's not default.

So my question is, when will 64bit booting become default? I know that I have a few 32bit extensions but once they're updated will 64bit booting be default or what? Do the frameworks have to be 64bit?

It won't become the default until 10.7 or later. SL is a transitional OS, most of the changes are under the hood. This will give the developers time to develop 64bit apps using the new frameworks and subsystems provided by SL, so much so you'll not see the 64bit kernel until 10.7 or later

you can always add nvram boot-args="arch=x86_64" to make it the default if you really want it.

 

[LemmycautioN]

It won't become the default until 10.7 or later

Really?? I don't mean like a mandatory 64bit, but as a default for people who can support 64bit; you really think nothing until 10.7 ?? 64bit vista has been out and available for years; even 64bit XP was out before that, not to mention the many 64bit Linux distros.

 

[J the Ninja]

Really?? I don't mean like a mandatory 64bit, but as a default for people who can support 64bit; you really think nothing until 10.7 ?? 64bit vista has been out and available for years; even 64bit XP was out before that, not to mention the many 64bit Linux distros.

64bit Windows may have existed for years, but driver support has only been out of the "sketchy" category for since around the beginning of 2008. And this is Windows that we're talking about here. "Good driver support for a wide variety of hardware" is one of the best things I have to say about it. 64bit OS X drivers will take time. Btw, OS X supports PAE and 64bit apps on top of a 32bit kernel. (client) Windows supports neither, so a full 64bit OS if a lot more important on that side of the fence.

Linux is used mainly in servers, where 64bit is much more important, so of course it will support x64 before other OS's do. Linux supports a lot of weird things due to it's server use, as illustrated in this xkcd: http://xkcd.com/619/ Many of them trickle down to the desktop-focused distros like Ubuntu because the work is mostly done, and there is really no reason not to just go for it.

 

[Middling]

I suspect that 10.6 point releases will enable K64 as an option to more and more machines until every Mac with a Core 2 processor is capable of it, but that no more machines than already boot K64 by default will default to it.

Then when 10.7 rolls around K32 will be dropped completely, rendering older Core Macs obsolete, and every Core 2 Mac will default to K64.

I'm expecting ZFS (or perhaps BTRFS) to be the default filesystem in 10.7 too.

 

[MRU]

Really?? I don't mean like a mandatory 64bit, but as a default for people who can support 64bit; you really think nothing until 10.7 ?? 64bit vista has been out and available for years; even 64bit XP was out before that, not to mention the many 64bit Linux distros.

Do you honestly think that your Unibody MBP is going to be that much faster because of it ?

All your 64 bit applications are running in 64 bit even when the 32bit kernel is loaded.

Applications on Mac OSX can address more than 4GB anyway.

So what 'real' benefit are 'you' going to see by booting up-to 64bit 'kernel' by default?


With windows 64bit the memory limit WAS/IS the main reason to switch from 32bit. With OSX unless your upgrading to 32GB any difference is negligible. Apple know this and that is the reason why it defaults to 32bit.

You are not missing anything.

The grass is not always greener on the other side.

 

[maflynn]

I suspect that 10.6 point releases will enable K64 as an option to more and more machines until every Mac with a Core 2 processor is capable of it, but that no more machines than already boot K64 by default will default to it.

It is an option now, just hold the 6+4 keys, or issue the nvram command.

 

[Bill Gates]

It is an option now, just hold the 6+4 keys, or issue the nvram command.

Not for all machines.

 

[maflynn]

Not for all machines.

True but for many of the core 2 duo boxes its possible and there's work around on other capable machines to boot into k64, so the vast majority of 64bit capable machines can be booted into 64bit mode.

 

[Bill Gates]

True but for many of the core 2 duo boxes its possible and there's work around on other capable machines to boot into k64, so the vast majority of 64bit capable machines can be booted into 64bit mode.

If it's not easily possible then it's completely unsupported and there is little hope of driver support. If Apple were to do as Middling suggests, there would be full driver support from Apple for older machines with a 64-bit kernel. I don't just mean "it works;" I mean actual support.