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All OS X is 64-bit, right? Flash player is 32-bit, so perhaps they didn't see an advantage to compiling it 64-bit?
by cloudwalking 16y ago
All OS X is 64-bit, right? Flash player is 32-bit, so perhaps they didn't see an advantage to compiling it 64-bit?
- chc 16y agoMore to the point, you can't use the plug-in with an application that is 64-bit.
- cloudwalking 16y agoIf you're writing an application that needs to play Flash, it's an issue. But I think the browser is, by far, the most common use-case. Popular browsers have no problem with a 32-bit plugin.
- chc 16y agoAnd old, creaky computers are the most common use-case for old, creaky software. These fossils don't generally have any problem with programs written for archaic operating systems with CPU-specific quirks in mind, because they're the exact case the software was written for. Everything works best in the environment where it's most commonly used. It's almost tautological. That doesn't mean the environment isn't unnecessarily limited.
- bound008 16y agoThe majority of the time, when you see 32bit vs 64bit on the mac, the issue of what works and doesn't work all boils down to direct hardware access... If you are booted in 64bit, this version is useless to you, even if it runs. Other similar example: Transmit 3 has an extension that lets you access files on ftp servers in the finder. Doesn't work when you are in 64 bit mode since it acts as if its a hardware device. Fitbit doesn't sync on 64 bit because the driver the use for USB->serial didn't have a 64bit driver when they made it, even though it does now, and has had for months. These companies need to get their stuff together and at least release beta versions to see how many people are using 64 bit versions. Flash has one, but it didn't do anything better for me (and probably leaves open security holes.)
- jrmg 16y agoYou're mixing up two concepts. By "booted 64-bit", you mean running a 64-bit kernel. It doesn't matter if you're running the 32-bit or 64-bit kernel from a userspace app's point of view - 32-bit and 64-bit userspace apps can run on either kernel. All Apple's apps that ship with Snow Leopard are 64-bit (Safari included). A 64-bit Flash would run in 64-bit on all Intel 64-bit capable systems regardless of kernel - reducing memory footprint, because the 32-bit frameworks, currently loaded to service 32-bit Flash* would not need to be loaded into RAM any more. If you're interested in which userspace apps you run are 32-bit vs 64-bit, Activity Monitor has a "Kind" column - or in 'top' in the terminal, the 32-bit apps will have a '-' before their name. The 'extensions' you refer to are kernel extensions. By default, Snow Leopard still runs, on all systems, with a 32-bit kernel. A 64-bit kernel is available (and will presumably be the default in the future), but most third-party kernel extensions are shipped only in 32-bit form. Unlike userspace apps, 32-bit kernel extensions can't be run in the 64-bit kernel, so Apple still uses the 32-bit kernel by default so that people's kernel extensions will still work. * and iTunes if you're running it, but that's another story...