Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post

aarchaon · 06-07-2005, 06:59 PM

I fell as though this is a huge step forward for the Mac platform and Apple. IBM couldn't deliver what they promised, and with the XBOX 360 using PowerPC processors, the chances of IBM keeping up are that much smaller. It was a do-or-die decision for apple and I think that in the long-term it was a good decision.

Why I think OSX is so stable and well-made is because of the smaller amount of hardware that it has to be compatible with. I don't think that changing processor architecture is going to change anything. In the video of the WWDC it was shown that software can be compiled for both architectures with xcode 2.1 to make universal binaries, and that 10.5 will be released with both PPC and x86 compatibility.

I think the biggest benefit for the end consumer will be the emulation potential of having OSX made for x86. Something similar to WINE for OSX would be incredibly useful for people who want to use OSX but still need to have the option of using some Windows programs. Also, I am sure that there will eventually be a way to run OSX on non-apple hardware, whether it be via a cracked version of OSX with whatever checking mechanism they use disabled, or through a new version of PearPC that is re-written with the PowerPC emulation code removed, running on a minimalist Linux setup.

I am sure Microsoft will be able to have their users install Longhorn on the x86 Macs, it just makes business sense to sell as many copies of their software as they can. I don’t think Mac will try to be a direct competitor with Microsoft in the software department. Windows is too powerful but I think that OSX could take a significant share of the market. It would be a huge gamble, and for this reason I can’t see OSX being able to be officially supported and legally installed on any non-apple PC.

Regarding the hardware switch, do any of you think that the phasing out of the PowerPC architecture will have a noticeable negative effect on hardware sales for the next year? I can imagine people being scared away from buying the PowerPC based systems at the moment, but in the WWDC video it was mentioned that software and 10.5 will be compatible with both. I think that by the time the PowerPC based systems that are out now are no longer supported, they will be hideously out of date anyway. I would say it will be at least 3 years before you see any signs of incompatibility between the PowerPC systems and new software.

06-07-2005, 06:59 PM	#25 (permalink)
aarchaon Insane	I fell as though this is a huge step forward for the Mac platform and Apple. IBM couldn't deliver what they promised, and with the XBOX 360 using PowerPC processors, the chances of IBM keeping up are that much smaller. It was a do-or-die decision for apple and I think that in the long-term it was a good decision. Why I think OSX is so stable and well-made is because of the smaller amount of hardware that it has to be compatible with. I don't think that changing processor architecture is going to change anything. In the video of the WWDC it was shown that software can be compiled for both architectures with xcode 2.1 to make universal binaries, and that 10.5 will be released with both PPC and x86 compatibility. I think the biggest benefit for the end consumer will be the emulation potential of having OSX made for x86. Something similar to WINE for OSX would be incredibly useful for people who want to use OSX but still need to have the option of using some Windows programs. Also, I am sure that there will eventually be a way to run OSX on non-apple hardware, whether it be via a cracked version of OSX with whatever checking mechanism they use disabled, or through a new version of PearPC that is re-written with the PowerPC emulation code removed, running on a minimalist Linux setup. I am sure Microsoft will be able to have their users install Longhorn on the x86 Macs, it just makes business sense to sell as many copies of their software as they can. I don’t think Mac will try to be a direct competitor with Microsoft in the software department. Windows is too powerful but I think that OSX could take a significant share of the market. It would be a huge gamble, and for this reason I can’t see OSX being able to be officially supported and legally installed on any non-apple PC. Regarding the hardware switch, do any of you think that the phasing out of the PowerPC architecture will have a noticeable negative effect on hardware sales for the next year? I can imagine people being scared away from buying the PowerPC based systems at the moment, but in the WWDC video it was mentioned that software and 10.5 will be compatible with both. I think that by the time the PowerPC based systems that are out now are no longer supported, they will be hideously out of date anyway. I would say it will be at least 3 years before you see any signs of incompatibility between the PowerPC systems and new software. __________________ Green. Yellow. Blue.