I've read some documents by Apple that Carbon applications, ie. applications designed to run on Mac OS X will run on Mac OS 8.1 onward. But since the CarbonLib is only available and Apple said that it could only be use with Mac OS 9, how could Mac OS versions prior to 9 run Carbon applications? It is possible that Apple will develope Carbon libraries for use on all Mac OS from 8.1 to 9?

[ZooTV]

Yes, Apple will write Carbon libraries for Mac OS 8.1 and up, but they haven't been released yet.

[cfoster611]

You can use the Carbon Lib from Mac OS 9 on a OS 8 machine without any problems. The Carbon SDK has the libary, and if Apple was smart, it would alow developers to include it with their carbon programs. Or at least give a link to the sdk.

I've tried a beta for simpletext 2, which uses carbonlib. The CarbonLib file was in the same folder as the application (it wasn't already in my system folder)

It seemed to work fine and the exsistance of a beta carbonLib for 8.5/8.6 suggests a proper version is likely.

By the way, if you are using Mac OS 9, you have an easy way to create Mac OS X applications. The Apple Script Editor, in the AppleScript folder, now give you the option of saving AppleScripts as Mac OS X applications. These applications as well as the Apple Script Editor will run only if the CarbonLib is present in the Extensions folder. Applications created for a regular Mac OS are now called classic script.

[penginkun]

I've used the carbon libs with MacOS 8.6.

They work just fine.

YMMV.

Users of Mac OS 8.1 to 8.6 may be interest to know that the current CarbonLib SDK version 1.0.2b9 has the CarbonLib library which Apple said is compatible with those Mac OS versions and enable them to run Mac OS X applications. This CarbonLib is newer than the one that came with Mac OS 9 and OS 9 can use it as well. Currently, the CabonLib SDK is available to developers but I think when the software is fully developed, Apple will distribute it widely for users of Mac OS 8.1 to 8.6 to use. By the way, you can come to my page at http://members.xoom.com/langua/ and get some carbon files to try on your Mac.

[This message has been edited by Seagull (edited 01-28-2000).]

On the subject of Carbon applications, the author of the Nintendo 64 emulator "1964" had made a carbon version of the program as well as a regular version. The address to go there is http://mac1964.gerrit.net/ and you can download a copy there. If you are using Mac OS 8.1 to 8.6, you will need the CarbonLib file which you can get by clicking the link on my last message to go to my page and get it. Mac OS 9 users may also like to get this newer file as well.

From running some sample carbon programs, I think that they are slower on a regular Mac OS than on Mac OS X and slower than regular Mac OS programs on a regular Mac OS. So, I think processor intensive carbon programs may not be good running on a regular Mac OS.

I also think that when Mac OS X is released and many more carbon programs are available, we would find that many of them will not run on a regular Mac OS even though the CarbonLib is installed. So I think this transition may not be as good as it sound and it is probably best if we use Mac OS X to run carbon applications. The reason I said that is because there are vast differences between a regular Mac OS and Mac OS X. Even the small transition between Mac OS 8.6 and 9.0 made some software not useable, so making carbon applications run on a regular Mac OS is not so simple. What do you think?

By the way, the author of "mac1964" had removed the carbon version from his website "to avoid confusion".

[This message has been edited by Seagull (edited 01-28-2000).]

It's not as hard as you think. It's only hard if you have programs that have a lot of their own stuff inside. Adobe, even to this day do not use Apples own Navagational services. This the the problem that makes carbonizing difficult. And this was very similiar to why ATM didn't work either. It's was treading on things that usually shouldn't be tread on.

Incompatibity should be at a minium because carbonizing forces codes to follow certain rules I believe, so its should not be a problem for Apple to make sure Carbonlib work because the apps have to follow certain guildlines.

~Kuku