FAQ: PPC->Intel Switch : Please read before posting new threads.
Here is the FAQ switch forum.
Most common question asked about the switch from PPC based mac to Intel base ones will be there, and updated as we get furthers informations.
This thread is closed but you can add informations by PM a mod.
Most common question asked about the switch from PPC based mac to Intel base ones will be there, and updated as we get furthers informations.
This thread is closed but you can add informations by PM a mod.
Comments
- Steve says "It's True."
Will Windows Run on Intel-based Macintosh computers?
- Hackers will try and Phil says Apple won't try to stop them.
Will OSX work on non-Apple Intel hardware?
- Hackers will try and Phil says Apple will try to stop them.
Will Apple ship WINE (or some other OS abstraction layer) or a Windows emulator be shipped with OSX to allow Windows compatability?
- There has been no indication that this will happen.
Will someone else come out with one in the future?
- Let me call the Psychic Friends on that one, sparky.
When are the first Intel-driven Macs expected to hit the market? What models?
- Steve says 2006, starting with the low-end products and moving up to being "mostly done" by mid-2007.
Is this a good move?
- Of course it is, didn't you watch the Stevenote? Silly boy.
Will my PowerPC Mac be supported in the future?
- By Apple? Definitely. They will undoubtedly include PowerPC support for all their own software products for many many years to come. They've been doing both since 2000, why not keep it up?
- By 3rd party developers? It's really up to them, but with the PowerPCs installed base it would be unreasonable to expect major developers to shun the PowerPC. Though it is also unreasonable to think they will keep up PowerPC support as long as Apple will. Anything involving hardware-specific coding will go Intel-only much faster than software that does not have such optimizations.
No. Viruses use holes in software to attack. Windows viruses attack Windows only - Linux on Intel isn't open to Windows viruses, neither would MacOS X on Intel be.
What about my old software?
All of Apple's software will run natively on the new system. Third party developers will have various amounts of work to do to move their products to native, ranging from trivial to significant.
How trivial?
Some developers are already done, from reports coming out of WWDC.
Does that mean they've abandoned the PowerPC?
No, this isn't a one-way trip by any means. The developers are working to make sure that their applications run on both types of Mac.
What about those that are abandoned and never turned into Intel versions, like older software?
Many of them will run on the new system without change. The Rosetta technology allows most PowerPC apps to run on MacOS X/Intel without modification. They won't be as fast, in general, but they will work.
Is that the Universal Binary I'm hearing about?
No. Universal Binaries are a way for a developer to ship *one* application on *one* CD, and the user can run it on either MacOS X/PPC or MacOS X/Intel. Both versions of the application are included internally. You can even move the application file from one type of machine to the other, and it will still work.
So how is that different than Rosetta?
Rosetta lets PowerPC apps run on MacOS X/Intel by pretending that it is a PowerPC processor. This slows down the application through emulation. Universal Binaries will work on both types of Mac, natively. No slowdown.
Are you saying Rosetta is just a transition tool?
Exactly. Think of Rosetta like Classic on MacOS X, but even more transparent. It will get you to the new system, but it's not something for long term planning.
It sounds like I won't even know the difference...
Now you're getting it. The developer will send you the app, you'll put it on your machine, it will run. Your old apps (with a few exceptions) that you have on your hard drive now will run as well.
No, not at all. When the PowerPC was launched, it was that much faster than Intel's Pentium offerings at the time. It has been the faster chip in many cases.
So that's not the case now?
Not so much. The Intel offerings have made leaps and bounds, and Motorola and IBM haven't. Intel has been catching up, slowly but steadily. Today, it's pretty much a toss up as to which CPU is faster, and wholly dependent on what task you're doing. Some things are faster on one, some things are faster on the other. We've hit a parity between hardware.
Sounds like I should hold off on buying a Mac until the Intel ones come out then.
No, that'd be silly. If you need a machine now, you need a machine now. The PowerPC Macs are still the fastest Macs on the market... being the only Macs on the market. There's no worry about them suddenly becoming boat anchors when the Intel Macs come out, they're going to be supported for a number of years yet. (See above regarding Universal Binaries... see, it's not a one-way street for a reason!)
Okay, but how come the x86 is suddenly better?
No one said it was. What Apple stated is that looking down the road they're not happy with where PowerPC is going, but Intel's roadmap looks better to them, offering products they want, so they can make the products they want to make.
I thought Cell was going to be the next Mac CPU?
There was the possibility, but Cell, while a kick-ass gaming chip, isn't really designed for general CPU use.
But... I hate Intel!
Tough. As a consumer, you shouldn't have to care what chip is at the heart of your computer, only that it does what you want, at the speed you want. Leave the ideotechnological gnashing of teeth to the developers who have to deliver the products to you, and enjoy the fruits of their labor. The Mac will still be the Mac... you just might see it popping up in places you didn't expect.
The developper machine is basically a P4 in a G5 case
The P4 is a P4 HT 3,6 ghz with 2 MB of L2 Cache and a 800 mhz front bus.
The HD is a 160 GB Maxtor with NCQ commands. The interface is SATA 2
The DVD writer is a DVR-109
The memory is 533 Mhz DDR2 double channel : there is 4 memory slots
The integrated video card is the GM 900 : you can add an other mobo, but currently none driver exist for such cards
There is one firewire 400 bus and 5 USB 2
There is no audio section
It seems that this mobo use a 915 Intel nortbridge, but has a tweaked Apple's soutbridge (that's why there isn't audio) who feature a boot ROM.
From Mac Bidouille