If apple does make the switch to intel chips, does that mean we can just use any regular video card on the market? that would help costs a lot i think and would be good news for everyone.
Yes, if they switch to Intel and use x86 bios or extensible firmware interface.
This is what I was hoping for about a year ago, but it didn't have anything to do with switching completely to x86. Couldn't they have just emulated some of this at some underlying hardware level?
Yes, one of the CHRP specifications called for the ability to use VGA video cards. Apple never implemented it. Pegasos PowerPC systems can and do use PC video cards.
It shouldn't hurt performance. The bios makes the card available at boot time and until a OS driver is loaded. With Linux PowerPC you can use a VGA card, but it is not available until the OS loads. Once there it would work the same. Apple's current drivers look for specific make and model codes in the open firmware expansion roms to match the drivers, negating the possibility of using any old Radeon or Geforce.
The open firmware vs. BIOS interface is largely irrelevent -- the real complexity and difficulty is at the driver level support OpenGL. This is hugely complex and essential on modern video cards, and not carried on the video card but instead installed in the OS.
Graphics card compatibility has to be in part a priority on Apples minds right now. They know this issue is huge among switchers, and hardcore users alike. I'll bet we see plug, and play right off the bat with a large amount of cards that were not (are not) available before (now). I would say Quadro's would be very high on that list for Apple to look as spectacular as possible in June of 2006.
The open firmware vs. BIOS interface is largely irrelevent -- the real complexity and difficulty is at the driver level support OpenGL. This is hugely complex and essential on modern video cards, and not carried on the video card but instead installed in the OS.
What?! Supporting OpenGL with video drivers in an OS is difficult?
I'm not a techie, just a user with a general sincere question:
Is it feasable that a Mac could run a Windows .EXE file application once OSX is ported to an intel machine?
Is that the big deal which might move hoards of PC users, make them switchers, and allow them to run their old apps without Windows, and more importantly, without Virtual PC?
I'm not a techie, just a user with a general sincere question:
Is it feasable that a Mac could run a Windows .EXE file application once OSX is ported to an intel machine?
Is that the big deal which might move hoards of PC users, make them switchers, and allow them to run their old apps without Windows, and more importantly, without Virtual PC?
Can this work?
Will it happen?
No on .exe. You would have to run it under windows. .EXE's suck!
A PC X800 uses the same driver as a Mac X800, etc. So there is no driver problem.
Actually the driver is not the same. The Mac driver is already in the system. It came in through software update. You cant load the PC driver in, and have it work. The Firmware is obviously different, but that much is obvious as previously noted.
Comments
Originally posted by FotNS
Yes, if they switch to Intel and use x86 bios or extensible firmware interface.
This is what I was hoping for about a year ago, but it didn't have anything to do with switching completely to x86. Couldn't they have just emulated some of this at some underlying hardware level?
Originally posted by Programmer
The open firmware vs. BIOS interface is largely irrelevent -- the real complexity and difficulty is at the driver level support OpenGL. This is hugely complex and essential on modern video cards, and not carried on the video card but instead installed in the OS.
What?! Supporting OpenGL with video drivers in an OS is difficult?
Please explain.
Originally posted by wmf
A PC X800 uses the same driver as a Mac X800, etc. So there is no driver problem.
So tell us why you can't drop the PC card right in.
Is it feasable that a Mac could run a Windows .EXE file application once OSX is ported to an intel machine?
Is that the big deal which might move hoards of PC users, make them switchers, and allow them to run their old apps without Windows, and more importantly, without Virtual PC?
Can this work?
Will it happen?
Originally posted by onlooker
So tell us why you can't drop the PC card right in.
Different Firmware
Originally posted by jonboy
I'm not a techie, just a user with a general sincere question:
Is it feasable that a Mac could run a Windows .EXE file application once OSX is ported to an intel machine?
Is that the big deal which might move hoards of PC users, make them switchers, and allow them to run their old apps without Windows, and more importantly, without Virtual PC?
Can this work?
Will it happen?
No on .exe. You would have to run it under windows. .EXE's suck!
Originally posted by wmf
A PC X800 uses the same driver as a Mac X800, etc. So there is no driver problem.
Actually the driver is not the same. The Mac driver is already in the system. It came in through software update. You cant load the PC driver in, and have it work. The Firmware is obviously different, but that much is obvious as previously noted.