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It's a bit different. WOW64 is a compatibility layer that intercepts calls into system libraries from 32-bit apps and translates them into calls to 64-bit libra
by wat10000 10mo ago
It's a bit different. WOW64 is a compatibility layer that intercepts calls into system libraries from 32-bit apps and translates them into calls to 64-bit libraries. macOS shipped both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of all system libraries, no translation involved.
- mr-ron 10mo agoSeems like also 16bit apps????
- throwaway2046 10mo agoYes, as of Wine 10.16 (the version number is a lucky coincidence!) 16-bit Windows applications can run on 64-bit Linux without any special libraries.
- wat10000 10mo agoApparently the real WOW64 doesn’t, but WINE’s version of it does. Wow indeed.
- TMWNN 10mo agoSo Microsoft continues to support something that is presumably harder to maintain than Apple just continuing to ship existing 32-bit libraries?
- wat10000 10mo agoI’m not very familiar with the Windows side, but it sounds harder to create but easier to maintain. Once the 32->64 translation shims are implemented, you’re done. They’ll keep working. If you’re not adding new 32-bit APIs then there’s no more work to be done. Maintaining a parallel set of libraries means each change has to work on both targets.