Official Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard Thread & FAQ

Before installing anything, Snow Leopard's installer does indeed remove the PPC code from all universal binaries it finds receipts from. It's a bit scary to look at the full logfile during installation, when you read "reaping Mac OS X" or something like that. ;) ... But yes, the installer does this touted feature. However, it's a tad difficult to say how much space actually was saved (unless the logfile states it, I haven't checked), because one MORE IMPORTANT Snow Leopard feature steps in, as soon as you're booted into it: Mac OS X now shows gigabytes instead of gibibytes, i.e. my 320 GB harddrive now shows up as a 320.07 GB harddrive, and not something like 287 GB or similar.
 

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fryke said:
Before installing anything, Snow Leopard's installer does indeed remove the PPC code from all universal binaries it finds. . . .
Click to expand...

Will that kill my Palm Pilot?
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--J.D.

P.S. It appears the Palm Pilot is PPC based programs. The Intel happily runs them. If it only removes the PPC from binaries, I gather that will be fine.
 
Only UBs with receipts. I gather Palm's Desktop app is neither a UB nor a package installer that delivers a receipt, no? I could be wrong about how Apple's installer handles this, but I think it'll be safe. Don't use Palm's Desktop app myself, though.
 
"UBs with receipts."

Er . . . what is that?

I mean, obviously, I can clone everything, upgrade, try it out, if things do not work, I can go back.

--J.D.
 
UBs = Universal Binaries that contain both PPC and intel code. (So the installer can strip the app of its PPC code.)

Receipts = Small files or rather packages that contain a list of what was installed where. If you, say, install the OS, its receipt contains all the files and apps and drivers etc. and where they were put, along with their correct permission settings. (Disk Utility uses the receipt for repairing permissions.)
 
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Okay . . . so if I happen to have a PPC program--which my Intel Mac can read--under Startup Items it is listed as PPC--it will not be remov'd, expung'd, destroy'd?

You may have to type more slowly for me. . . .

--J.D.
 
Your assumption is correct: I have to type more slowly for you. :p ... No, I mean: You're correct, a PPC-only application won't be removed. At the upgrade process, check in "customize" that Rosetta is installed. (It's the interpreter for PPC apps.)
 
This might be the way to enable the 64 bit kernel

To try to boot x86_64 kernel on Macintosh, edit this file:
/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.Boot.plist
find there:
<key>Kernel Flags</key>
<string></string>
and change it to
<key>Kernel Flags</key>
<string>arch=x86_64</string>

But it might break all your 32 bit drivers so don't expect it to be smooth after
 
Captain Code: That won't work on unsupported hardware AFAIK. It only changes default behaviour of _supported_ hardware, i.e. Core2Duo Santa Rosa platform or better. But I think anyone with 4 GB RAM or lower shouldn't care _anyway_. And you still get 64bit applications with 64bit processors, even if the kernel and extensions are run in 32bit. It simply isn't something worth bothering too much about. Sure, in one or two generations all the Macs will simply use 64bit kernels, extensions and apps, but that'll come automatically. Just trust Apple on this one. ;)
 
True that -- there are a significant number of people saying, "But Apple SAID it would be 64-bit and my kernel isn't 64-bit in Snow Leopard!"

I wonder how many of those people are going to be detrimentally impacted by that fact, and how many of those are simply complaining about semantics, not even knowing what the difference between 32-bit and 64-bit is really.

"You mean this Ferrari only has a top speed of 160mph? But the advertisement said 170!"
...as if there were a place in the USA where that speed could actually be attained... :/
 
Please don't bring cars into this, or someone will say 32bit is like 4 cylinders and 64bit is like 8 cylinders and the discussion will be too far off within 2 or 3 comments! ;)
 
I was going to say two-wheel drive vs. four-wheel drive... or manual vs. automatic... or sunroof vs. moonroof...

Oh, fryke, you killed my buzz... ;) Hehe...

Seriously, I really believe that some of the "detractors" learning that Snow Leopard may not, in fact, run in full 64-bit glory are simply haggling over specs that have little-to-no bearing on their operating system in the first place.

We haven't heard any negative comments from Wolfram or Mathematica; arguably the most "64-bitted" of any of the applications offered on Mac OS X, so that leads me to believe that they're just complaining to complain.
 
I've laser-engraved "64-bit workstation" on my MacBook Air. :p (No, I haven't actually done that.)
 
I figure since my MacBook will be running a 32-bit kernel but be able to run 64-bit apps that I'm going to laser-engrave it "48-bit workstation." :O
 
Actually, it'll be a 32-bit PLUS 64-bit workstation, so that's a 96-bit workstation then. :)
 
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