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Aren't apps already submitted as bitcode? They don't have to emulate, just recompile.
by MrBuddyCasino 7y ago
Aren't apps already submitted as bitcode? They don't have to emulate, just recompile.
- nagisa 7y agoLLVM Bitcode is still architecture specific. That is, bitcode generated targetting x86 is not compatible with bitcode targetting ARM is not compatible with bitcode targetting aarch. The reason they are distributed as bitcode is to enable additional optimisations based on what exact chip will run the code (i.e. -march=native equivalent)
- pascoej 7y agohttps://www.highcaffeinecontent.com/blog/20190518-Translating-an-ARM-iOS-App-to-Intel-macOS-Using-Bitcode https://www.highcaffeinecontent.com/blog/20190518-Translatin... This article appears to successfully statically translate arm64 binary into an x86_64 binary using bitcode.
- imtringued 7y agoUsing LLVM IR merely solves the problem of being able to compile to a specific instruction. You still need a compatibility wrapper for all the platform specific APIs like wine or Windows on Windows. If Apple puts in the effort then it might work out.
- Wowfunhappy 7y agoOn Mac? I don’t think so, no, because you can move App Store apps to different machines on USB keys. Also, a considerable number of Mac apps don’t use the App Store for distribution.
- ken 7y agoNo, the Mac compiler target has never supported bitcode. And LLVM bitcode doesn’t work like that anyway.