Apple’s Mac OS X Leopard is 64-bit done right, unlike Microsoft’s Windows Vista kludge

“Windows Vista will come in a multitude of flavours: six at the last count. And it’s said that all of these, bar the starter edition, will come with the added 64-bit support needed for modern CPUs – but the 64-bit versions will be completely different installable builds,” Dean Pullen reports for The Inquirer.

“The 64-bit installation will come with a 32-bit emulation layer called WOW (Window on Windows, and nothing to do with orcs and elves) which will, as you can probably guess, allow you to run your old 32-bit apps on your shiny new 64-bit Vista, via emulation. 32-bit hardware drivers will not work,” Pullen reports.

“There will be just one version of workstation-based Leopard (plus an accompanying server edition), and it will come with 64-bit and full non-emulated 32-bit support,” Pullen reports.

Pullen reports, “Starting with Xcode 2.4, the OSX Universal binary format has been extended to support 32-bit and 64-bit for both PPC and Intel processors inside the same file, giving OSX quad universal binaries. Users don’t have to choose between processor architectures nor 32-bit or 64-bit processors, either at the OS or application layers, it’s all abstracted away from them – as it should be.”

“Note that the non-emulated support in OSX is for applications and drivers. 32-bit programs on Vista 64 need to work on WOW emulation to run in Vista, and 32-bit drivers are a no-no. Lack of driver support is the main reason Windows XP x64 hasn’t been widely adopted, and why the Vista fudge will ensure hardware incompatibilities between the two Windows versions remain for sometime to come,” Pullen reports. “This is quite a boon for OSX, and one that should be highlighted frequently and often.”

Full article here.

42 Comments

  1. Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers! DEVELOPERS!!! DEVELOPERS!!! DEVELOPERS!!! DEVELOPERS!!! DEVELOPERS!!! DEVELOPERS!!! DEVELOPERS!!! DEVELOPERS!!! DEVELOPERS!!! DEVELOPERS!!!

  2. Well its Monday morning and another day at MDN where the propoganda is the same, Windows s*cks and Mac OS X is clearly superior.

    It’s the truth of course, but it doesn’t have to consume our lives. Only abot 1000 people visit this site daily and that’s not really doing anything to transform the Windows only landscape to something else like OS X.

    I’m leaving.

  3. News headline: 1 January 2010 – Microsoft has filed for bankruptcy protection due to the lack of interest and purchase of its bloated and constantly outdated operating system. It appears that it copy machine leases have run out and it can longer copy any of Apple’s life saving functions or operations.

    Well, we can hope!

    MDN = well.

    1st?

  4. So why are people waiting, barely able to contain their excitment like a 7 yr old on Christmas Eve for Vista? Oh that’s right they aren’t.

    Either MS is pulling the biggest Rope-a-Dope in human history or this thing is gonna suck so bad it’ll make Microsoft Bob seem like a good idea.

  5. Unfortunately, I see the potential for M$ to spin this, sazing something like, “We are way out ahead, requiring 64 bit… while the competittion sometimes still has to use the ‘old’ way.”

  6. Reality Checkmate,

    The world needs it pounded into them. Too many people still think Windows *is* a computer, and a computer without Windows doesn’t exist. They need a lesson, and MDN is providing the information.

  7. gzero,

    Ummmm, yeah, I think he know the name of the site. And apparently the “doorknob” that you refer to as hitting him on the way out is the door to your room. Upstairs. In your mom’s house.

    I think his point was that there are too many Mac-happy, Steve Job’s boxer sniffing losers who live here just to see themselves post and look cool to the geekbud sexless pals, who are in the same boat. His point was well made. Lighten the f**k up.

  8. Reality Checkmate:

    The above article was not written by MDN. It was supplied to MDN from outside sources or provided by their in-house staff. It’s a News service, after all. So, if you don’t want to read the MS bashing – don’t read the MDN Take or the comments sections. It’s that simple.

  9. Microsoft cares about it’s customers and is offering the customer choices.

    If I need a robust 64 bit os for a particular advanced scientific operation, I can purchase a 64 bit Vista™…

    If I am a home user I won’t have to pay for technology I don’t need…

    Apple doesn’t offer the consumer any choices. Take iTunes for an example the user is forced to use Apple’s .m4a files – at least with Windows I can be assured that my digital files will PlayForSure using a standards based audio file.

    With Microsoft the user has choices, ActiveX and .NET are just a few of the cutting edge technologies that Apple is not offer to its customers and that is why only 2% of pc users choose Apple computers.

    Have you ever seen the look on the face of a person thinking about switching to an Apple after you go to their favorite web site and explain to them that it won’t work because Apple computers don’t have IE !

  10. Isn’t it ironic that someone spends two whole paragraphs insulting you up and down with the usual Net inferences that you’re gay and then tells you to lighten up. Right. Insulting people never convinces them to see things your way, so what’s the point? The point is obvious (and transparently so).

  11. I had lunch on the weekend with the IT Manager of one of the largest Power Utilities with thousands of Windows boxes in all areas. “How will Vista affect you?” I asked. He replied there is nothing at all in Vista his organisation needs and wont even think of installing it for another three years. His site is controlled by applications, not the OS, as he moves to more open standards. He could move to MacOS with Parallels or BootCamp and not notice the bump.

  12. Sputnik, those sites are becoming fewer and fewer. I’ve been on an Apple since Dec. of 04 and have come across maybe 4 sites that didn’t work on safari, so I jump on firefox real quick. And 3 of those four sites were porn sites.

  13. I was having a conversation with friends yesterday but how uninformed the typical consumer is, believing the hype of all the mainstream companies.

    We weren’t in disagreement; in fact, I walked in on their conversation and jumped right in.

    What’s funny is how on one hand, they can talk about how the average consumer buys the marketing hype without really doing research and, in the 2nd breath, buy all new PC’s and constantly talk about how they’re “Vista capable.” Seems like, when talking about people whol blindly believe marketing hype, they just described themselves (as computer buyers, anyway). These guys are far from dumb.

  14. Sputnik: “Have you ever seen the look on the face of a person thinking about switching to an Apple after you go to their favorite web site and explain to them that it won’t work because Apple computers don’t have IE !”

    Scott: “Sputnik, those sites are becoming fewer and fewer. I’ve been on an Apple since Dec. of 04 and have come across maybe 4 sites that didn’t work on safari, so I jump on firefox real quick. And 3 of those four sites were porn sites.”

    Given this information, we can safely deduce Sputnik’s favourite websites!

    Hold on, this will get you: MW “girls”

  15. YankInOz wrote:
    > …it copy machine leases have run out…

    LOL, when I read this, and knowing Leopard will have a feature called Time Machine, I thought a funny new feature for Vista would be Copy Machine –everything in OS X will tried to be copied, but just really badly… <hehehe>

    ds. =)
    Los Angeles, CA

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