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Mac OS X Snow Leopard Drops PowerPC Support
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And let the b*tching begin...
If you insist.
This sucks.
So much for trusting that Apple will support your box for a reasonable period of time. I have to say, this definitely puts a damper on my apple purchases for a while - if I can't count on support, I'm going to have to stretch things out as long as possible and wait for major chip updates to avoid getting stuck with something that won't be supported.
And for the record, I know machines have to lose support at some point. This is just a much shorter window of support than apple usually provides.
And I know my machine can keep running 10.5, but there will undoubtably be apps that will be 10.6 only.
At least this isn't coming until mid 2009 instead of January as initially rumored. Hopefully it will run late like Leopard daid.
Two years is not "quite a while".
Doesn't vista support machines going back more than two or three years?
The PPC user's also need to remember that Snow Leopard (as of yet) is not going to have any major feature differences. So basically this is just a version of Leopard (that currently runs just fine on G4s and G5) that is optimized for the Intel processors. So no one should fee left out (except for 800mhz and slower G4s). And as others have stated, this is just the next step that was bound to happen.
Yeah, I think it would suck if you got a Mac in 2006 - particularly a PowerMac G5 - hardly the longest support lifecycle (i.e. less than 3 years).
It's not as if you can't run Leopard on those. Also, by the time this comes out--realistically first or second quarter 2009, is anything that you used to need cutting-edge stuff for still going to be any good on those?
Those machines won't explode and die when Snow Leopard comes out.
Snow Leopard may drop PPC suport but maybe Apple will continue to support Leopard for some time with security fixes and so on PPC users can stay with Leopard they would gain nothing with Snow Leopard anyways.
I doubt the final release will drop PPC. I think the real reason for this new "smaller" OS is to suport the new line of very low-end CPUs that are going into portible devices like iPod and the iPhone. Untill now each OS release could assume the "CPU Power" would be noplace but up but now Apple needs the OS to run well on pocket size computers. Apple does ot want to have two OSes, they'd rather have one that runs on both the iPod Touch and the Mac Pro.
Cutting down the number of processors supported does NOT make the OS smaller. Look at both Linux and BSD Unix. These both support a huge number of processors, from micro controlers to huge super computers. Linux even runs on the iPod. But yet both Linux and BSD Unix are smaller and faster then Mac OS X. What happens is the build process on those systems builds binaries that are processor specific. I can't understand why Aple went with "fat" Universal Binaries. Why not put two binaries on the disc and have the installer pick the corect one. Users would never know
I doubt the final release will drop PPC. I think the real reason for this new "smaller" OS is to suport the new line of very low-end CPUs that are going into portible devices like iPod and the iPhone. Untill now each OS release could assume the "CPU Power" would be noplace but up but now Apple needs the OS to run well on pocket size computers. Apple does ot want to have two OSes, they'd rather have one that runs on both the iPod Touch and the Mac Pro.
Cutting down the number of processors supported does NOT make the OS smaller. Look at both Linux and BSD Unix. These both support a huge number of processors, from micro controlers to huge super computers. Linux even runs on the iPod. But yet both Linux and BSD Unix are smaller and faster then Mac OS X. What happens is the build process on those systems builds binaries that are processor specific. I can't understand why Aple went with "fat" Universal Binaries. Why not put two binaries on the disc and have the installer pick the corect one. Users would never know
Well that also solves the 64-bit only debate. Clearly, it will run on all intel macs, 32-bit or 64-bit.
I have no problems with this. Keep in mind that 10.6 Snow Leopard is at least a year away from release. At that point, even the oldest PPC Macs are in the 3-4 year old range and as the year goes on, more and more of those PPC macs are being retired. There simply won't be enough PPC Macs left for Apple to commit resources to keep up-to-date.
I have no problems with this. Keep in mind that 10.6 Snow Leopard is at least a year away from release. At that point, even the oldest PPC Macs are in the 3-4 year old range and as the year goes on, more and more of those PPC macs are being retired. There simply won't be enough PPC Macs left for Apple to commit resources to keep up-to-date.
I think this "Snow Leopard" thing is ********. They say that their focus is on performance and stablility for this next operating system. Translation? We've just been focusing on throwing a bunch of new, mostly useless, features in to OS X and not on the whole thing.
They should've made it fast the first time they put it out. Instead of rushing and essentially making me pay $258 for one operating system.
They should've made it fast the first time they put it out. Instead of rushing and essentially making me pay $258 for one operating system.
Huh? In what warped sense is this Apple's "Vista"???
Vista was a bloated, ginormous eye-candy filled piece of **** that was coded so poorly that you had to have the very best hardware just to make it run slowly...
Snow Leopard is a lean, trim, mean massively multi-cpu aware OS that requires multiple cpus. To keep it lean and trim, they are shaving off PPC support...
How in the WORLD is that the same?
Steve did say "it'll have a much smaller footprint, more space for photos etc"
And where does this space come from? Dropping PPC support.
Such a crying shame. I got into Macs in the G3 days and I always see the PPC macs as "true macs". Now they're useless. ouch.
And where does this space come from? Dropping PPC support.
Such a crying shame. I got into Macs in the G3 days and I always see the PPC macs as "true macs". Now they're useless. ouch.
This is pretty much what I have to say. Just like the iPhone SDK wasn't supported on PPC macs until the 3rd or 4th beta, this could be the case here as well...
Nope. Just Dual Cores and Quad Cores (2xDual Cores).
I have the 2.0GHz Dual Core PowerMac G5, the last gen of PowerMacs, and I have to say I think this is BS to drop PPC G5 support. If anything, drop G4 support. The Dual Core G5 PPC is a perfectly capable chip to run what ever Apple wants to throw at it.
It would make zero sense to inject PPC in a later preview build. That would defeat the purpose of it being a developer build. Yes, the applications say "Universal" instead of "Intel" but those file sizes are awfully small.
It's called "Snow Leopard" and has no new features other than taking advantage of new technology... what would the benefits to PowerPC owers be?
It's called "Snow Leopard" and has no new features other than taking advantage of new technology... what would the benefits to PowerPC owers be?
Yeah, it does. Hence, Apple, by cutting PPC, is putting out something that is LESS COMPATIBLE THAN VISTA!
It is in the computing world. Also the intel transition was announced 3 years ago.
Anyone who bought a PPC Mac after the transition started (especially in 06 after some intel macs were already shipping) should have thought about it more carefully. Expecting Apple to support these machines for the long haul was stupid.
Because we are getting snowed by Apple again. This is a big one but arguably the biggest Apple Snow Job would be "we'll use intel chips when hell freezes over" while testing EVERY iteration of os-x on intel along side power since 10.0.
Seriously now, this seems totally logical but my biggest concern is how long will Apple support Leopard on power with security updates and bug fixes.
If Leopard support for power evaporates when Snow is released then Apple will again add to its long list of loyal customers left in the cold (no pun intended) to achieve the next level.
Perhaps os-x on non Apple hardware is a solution.
Unlikely, even if they were to "trim out Carbon" there would still be POSIX and Java.
Sebastian
That makes me wonder if I won't re-install Tiger on my PPCs...
Leopard is ok on my Intels but not as good as Tiger was on my PPCs.
I know, we're only on .3 but still... And if Snow is Intel only and supposed to be an "Leopard enhanced" version...
Time will tell!
Leopard is ok on my Intels but not as good as Tiger was on my PPCs.
I know, we're only on .3 but still... And if Snow is Intel only and supposed to be an "Leopard enhanced" version...
Time will tell!
Do you really think that Apple wouldn't charge us $129 for this? It's Apple, for Godssake!