jdiamond

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jdiamond
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  • Why Apple's move to an ARM Mac is going to be a bumpy road for some

    For me, all the pain already happened with the move to Catalina. I already lost all the software that isn't already being actively developed, which for me was most of it. (And this wasn't old software either - dang that 2006 decision to have one Mac made with a 32-bit x86.). And actively developed software shouldn't have much difficulties hitting the ARM button on XCode. So AFAIK, Catalina is already forcing 99% of the transition. And I'm sure Apple is thinking they can plug software gaps with iOS apps. FWIW, x86 emulators on ARM do exist. So if Apple wanted to give us a Rosetta, they could. And once the Unix stack gets boot strapped, all the other Linux stuff should hopefully just compile. Hopefully the kinds of small utilities that are so valuable already exist for ARM chips and should appear quickly on Macs. Here's hoping Apple leverages this to go all out - like a Macbook Pro with 256 ARM Cores and 256 Megabytes L3 cache running at 15 watts. :)
    GG1
  • First ARM Mac said to arrive in 2021 with custom Apple chip

    knowitall said:
    It will be the best move of Apple, ever.

    It is also important to do it as fast as possible, late 2020 is already a bit late.
    Maybe no one sees this coming but competition from opensource hardware and software designs will be intense.

     
    Yeah - it's a shame  - if Apple weren't so heavily invested in ARM they could've gone with RISC-V.  I think that had it not been for AMD's fire storm of a comeback, x86 would already be on the way out.  That's what prompted all the huge companies to create business server ARM CPUs in the first place.  It would also be nice if Apple shifted to a non-binary delivery model to make ISA shifts less painful in the future.
    tommy65watto_cobra
  • You need a backup plan before you move to macOS Catalina

    A good reminder that we should hold off buying new Mac Hardware when Catalina is first released until we have a proven set up working with Catalina - 'cause new Macs won't support Mojave. 

    And I can't spread this news enough - running your old 32-bit MacOS apps in an emulator DOES NOT WORK, so if this is your backup plan, abandon it now.  The reason is that Apple doesn't provide an accelerated 3D API to emulators like VMWare Fusion and Parallels, and there is no software fallback API.  I've found than even some of the simplest 2D apps I've tried simply crash and exit, 'cause they all still try to do something graphical.  This is an unfortunate move by Apple, who could easily provide an emulator, but I assume it's to give developers an impetus for people to move iOS apps to Mac, just as having only USB-C plugs gives manufacturers a reason to make USB-C devices.

    For current software under active development, this is not an issue.  But I've found most developers, even if still active, can't even recompile their older software let alone fix it.  Sad sounding, but just the way it is.  


    mwhiteFileMakerFellerwatto_cobra
  • Review: Kanex iAdapt is the best iPad Pro USB-C hub & better with iPadOS

    So glad you wrote this article - glad to find out about this hub.  Certainly looks less "Hideous" to me than the other hubs out there.  You missed two important features of the hub, though:

    1) You can hook a hard drive up to the USB-A port and charge at the same time.  There is no penalty - it reads and writes files at the same speed, whether on the USB-C port or the USB-A port, both at 5 gigabits (USB 3.0 speeds).  And USB-C to USB-A cables are ubiquitous.

    2) It not only supports HDMI, but the USB-C port also supports Displayport 1.2 with HDCP!  (But only up to Full-HD resolution.) . But now you really can't charge at the same time. :)

    williamlondonjahbladewatto_cobra
  • Questionable report claims iPhone SE, iPhone 6, iPhone 5s won't support iOS 13

    My experience is that the user experience nose dives long before Apple officially pulls support.  I upgraded to a 6S because iOS 10 ran unbearably slow on my 5S.  And iOS 12 has reduced my 6S's battery life to about 90 minutes, max.  (Or 15 minutes with a 3D game. :smile: ) This is opposite of my experience with MacOS, where high end, older models can run new MacOSes fine even though they need to be hacked to allow it.  Probably because each Mac line covers a huge range of performance, while each iPhone is just one.
    williamlondon