Re: Snow Leopard: A 64-bit Observation

Snit wrote:

"Daniel Johnson" <danieljohnson2@xxxxxxxxxxx> stated in post
OJudnWrhSbuZpZPUnZ2dnUVZ_ovinZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxx on 11/2/08 4:30 PM:

"Snit" <usenet@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:C53367D5.DDD4B%usenet@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Daniel Johnson" <danieljohnson2@xxxxxxxxxxx> stated in post
CZSdnenUoNRZY5DUnZ2dnUVZ_g6dnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxx on 11/2/08 12:25 PM:

Oh God, "underpinnings".

The OS X kernel is Mach; the userspace is largely Apple's own, but some
Unixy
utilities are included.

The Aqua UI does not depend on "Unix" in any sense that matters.

Aqua apps are scheduled via the Unixy goodness... and all that stuff.

They are scheduled by Mach.

I admit to not knowing how Mach is different from other Unix (or Unix
like)
kernels. I recall it has something to do with how it passes info from one
process to another... I think. I guess if I cared enough I could Google
it.

But in Apple's marketing, "Unix" is the name for the magical pixie dust
that makes OS X more stable and secure than Windows. Don't fall for
that sort of flim-flam.

Oh, OS X's memory management has always seems so-so to me... magical
pixie dust or not.

Memory management?

I have 4 GB of memory. Should be fine, even when I am running Windows in
virtualization. And it is... until my *inactive* memory gets real full...
then there is a definite slow down, at least with some things. It should
be
trivial to empty that memory as needed, right? Seems OS X struggles with
that, at least in some cases.

[snip]
For another, those people who are using the ever popular Carbon
applications.

Still able to use 64 bit goodness... just not for the UI. Carbon apps
can have Cocoa UIs... I think.

That's what we call a "Cocoa application"; it's quite typical for them to
have to turn to Carbon here and there.

Yes, the distinction is not that clear which is what.

Even users with a 64-bit CPU *and* Leopard *and* who use Cocoa apps
don't get much ability to use 64-bit apps: those apps pretty much just
don't exist. On Windows, they are still the exception- but they do
exist.

I have shown you some running on my Mac. Now. Personal web sharing...
not that the 64 bit goodness of it does anything for me other than makes
my heart swell with pride to be using an OS that handles 64 bit
programs... :)

If I recall right, that was Apache.

Yes.

[snip]
Ok, so none running, but if I do a command, one I got from some
arbitrary web page so I am sure it is fine to run in the terminal, I get
this list of
apps:

/Applications/Chess.app/Contents/MacOS/Chess
[snip- various minor utilities and such]

That list really spoke for itself.

What about third party apps?

You got the full list of the ones on my system, at least as far as I know.

I have not played Chess in some time, but I am going to play a game
*just*
to see if I can beat a 64 bit program! How would you do that on 32 bit
Windows? Can it even play chess on anything more than half a chess
board!
I bet it has to make each bit watch *two* squares. How... antiquated.

:)

Windows Vista 64-bit does, in fact, come with a 64-bit version of "Chess
Titans". So there. :D

Yeah, but on 32 bit Windows each bit has to watch *two* squares! How
pathetic! :)

You *can* have 64-bit Photoshop on Windows, today. 64-bit Maya as well.
On the Mac, not.

Is that just 64 bit Windows or the general version, too?

I'm afraid this will no longer fly. The figure MS has released
demonstrate that 64-bit Windows *is* a 'general version'; shipping to
consumers off the shelf, right now, in quantity.

[snip] This disparity is what leads me to say that Windows is ahead in
[the
64-bit transition- and it leads Apple-fans to say that 64-bit support
isn't much good anyway. :D

With OS X you can get 64 bit apps without needing to get a special or
different version of the OS. And your drivers still work. This is not
ideal, as the drivers are 32 bit, but it does make things easier for the
user. Then again, how many users need 64 bit programs (except for needing
to look at all the squares!)

For Photoshop it clearly can, at least in some situations, matter.

Well, that's not an admission I expected to get from you, I may say. :/

Especially with Photoshop working more and more with video and 3D objects
it
may matter a lot more than I had anticipated. And even though Adobe has
been kind, publicly, to Apple, I still think Apple made a mistake in
changing their story on 64 bit Carbon. There might be good reason for
this - the nature of tech is sometimes you get into a complex project and
you realize there are alternative ways which are better in the long run,
but that does not mean it was not a mistake.


It seems that daniel is just nit-picking over a nuance of 32-bit/64-bit
oses. The fact that OS X runs both types and that Vista will not run some
programs seems to stick in his craw. And when Apple improves things a bit
he'll nit pick some more.

Yet Apple is getting more attention from the younger generation now. The
notebook computers that Apple is selling seems to be pretty hot amongst the
teenagers these days. The only thing I'm wondering about, when is Apple
going to upgrade the iMac line? I've heard some rumours but haven't seen
anything yet announced.
As far as Snow Leopard, Apple still seems to be ahead of the game here.
With windows 7, there won't be any visual changes, but what takes place
under the hood. As long as M$ keeps it a secret, it allows marketing to
put any spin on the new product that they want. The proof will be in the
eating of the pudding in this case.

.

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