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Tennberg · Apr 3, 2003, 11:46 AM

Hi everyone,

With all the rumors going around about the next release of OS X (10.3, Panther, or whatever you want to call it) being 64-bit, my one concern is its ability to run on current or older hardware.

My company is making the big push right now to OS 10.2.4 on older and somewhat current G4s. Once OS 10.3 (as I'll refer to it) is released and if it is indeed 64-bit, will that exclude it from being installed on ANY 32-bit processor (G4s, G3s)? Or will Apple release both a 32-bit and 64-bit version of OS 10.3?

I would hate to see my company make this big push to 10.2.x only to see 10.3 being released a few months after and not being able to use it on any current hardware.

Thanks for any insight.

pat++ · Apr 3, 2003, 12:16 PM

Panther will run on both 32-bit and 64-bit (not confirmed yet) CPUs. They can't drop support for 32-bit CPU which represent 100% of their users. This will probably be the case for years.

mitchell_pgh · Apr 3, 2003, 03:02 PM

It wouldn't make sense to deliver an OS that would only work on brand new computers. (talk about suicide).

Apple should support all G3 computers for at least another few years considering they are still selling them...

nsxpower · Apr 4, 2003, 04:40 AM

I am expecting 10.3 to run on my 1Ghz TiBook faster or at least at the same speed as 10.2. If Apple makes it any slower then it already is ... then good bye Apple Inc., because I would sell the TiBook and switch to the dark side. But Apple would not do that, since that would be equivalent of a suicide.

Eriamjh · Apr 4, 2003, 06:22 AM

There is word that Panther will be faster than 10.2 on the G4 hardware that is currently supported because more optimization has been done. Hopefully my DP800 will continue to improve in speed as it ages! I also heard of a Cocoa finder, but I don't really know what that means.

Be warned, though, that with each OS release, the oldest supported Hardware of the previous release tends to get dropped. Would you like to sit around Apple writing and testing an OS on a 5 year old Mac or develop it for the new 970 machines?

I thought so...

I think that means no more Beige G3 support in Panther. Not that it won't run kludged on it (much like OSX can run on a 604e machine), but "officially" it may not be supported.

Of course, I base these comments on nothing but my own ignorance.

sniffer · Apr 4, 2003, 07:33 AM

I don't worry about such an issue at all. Os ten is supposed to be relative easy to go with different hardware. I could image the 970 64 bit (note: 970 also support 32 bit) support can be implented just as smooth as going from g3 to g4 with altivec, and both 32 and 64 bit code can live side by side in the same apps->And this will also make it possible to run future mac os'es and apps on older 32bit cpu'es. But'll guess there are many with more knowledge on this issue than me.

wadesworld · Apr 4, 2003, 09:47 AM

However, users should note that Apple didn't promise to support all G3's on all versions of OS X forever and ever.

They haven't said anything about dropping support for older machines, but that day will come. And then of course we'll hear the whines about how Apple "lied."

Wade

philzilla · Apr 4, 2003, 10:30 AM

Originally posted by mitchell_pgh:
Apple should support all G3 computers for at least another few years considering they are still selling them...

is this the same Apple who released iMovie 3, which won't run on clamshell iBooks, because it requires a minimum of 1024 resolution? they sold that machine on being able to edit digital video on the move. lame.

anoetic · Apr 4, 2003, 11:07 AM

They didn't say that they would make every new piece of software for movie editing compatible with it. You can still use your clamshell with older versions of the software.

Spheric Harlot · Apr 4, 2003, 08:51 PM

Originally posted by philzilla:
is this the same Apple who released iMovie 3, which won't run on clamshell iBooks, because it requires a minimum of 1024 resolution? they sold that machine on being able to edit digital video on the move. lame.

Well it still does!

iMovie 2 runs just fine on it.

Judging from the way iMovie 3 runs on my 12" powerbook, I'm not really sure I'd want to try that on a sub-500-MHz anything, anyway.

It's just the natural development of stuff.

All those people who bought a toilet-seat iBook for video editing and have been doing that for the past three years don't need to throw it away just because the latest and greatest software won't run on it anymore.

I don't see you complaining that Photoshop 7 won't run on the IIfx Apple sold you back in 1990 for image editing.

-s*