4 ms·

How long will this project be relevant considering that apple is planning on switching its processors from intel to some apple unique processor soon? If it is s

How long will this project be relevant considering that apple is planning on switching its processors from intel to some apple unique processor soon? If it is similar to the switch they made when switching to intel, nothing will be compatible.

SG- 14y ago
It doesn't really matter, it's a research project. And second of all your statement that nothing was compatible with the Intel switch is completely false. PPC binaries worked just fine for years. Lastly, there aren't any plans to switch Macs to ARM, it's a rumor.
- justincormack 14y ago
  And even if there were, Linux runs fine on ARM, so this project could.
fleitz 14y ago
The project will never really be relevant. If you have a serious need to run OS X probably already have OSX and a Mac. If you need to simultaneously run Linux you install it in a VM. This project like WINE for the most part will always be a "look what I can do" type project. It's never going to be a rosetta type system designed to bridge ecosystems as the VirtualBox / VMWare bridge already works quite well.
- stcredzero 14y ago
  Having been disgusted by security holes in Preview and the lack of viable alternatives to Preview/Adobe Reader on OS X, I installed WINE and Foxit Reader on my Macbook Pro. (And used Automator to have it launched as an OS X app.) Google Chrome is ok for a PDF reader much of the time, but there are some really annoying bugs in its PDF functionality. (Which especially impact comics.)
  - redial 14y ago
    Just out of curiosity, which security holes in Preview are you referring to?
    - stcredzero 14y ago
      Google OS X PDF security holes.
      - micampe 14y ago
        doesn't seem a situation so dire that it warrants being disgusted to the point of installing wine to me. http://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvekey.cgi?keyword=apple+coregraphics+PDF http://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvekey.cgi?keyword=apple+coregr... no vulnerabilities in 2012, one in 2011 and two in 2010.
        stcredzero 14y ago
        Note that Apple doesn't discuss vulnerabilities until after they are patched. Will unpatched ones even show up there?
        micampe 14y ago
        so you are disgusted by something that may or may not exist? CVE is public and collects both patched and unpatched known vulnerabilities reported by vendors and independent parties.
      - redial 14y ago
        Every application reports security holes, http://www.foxitsoftware.com/Secure_PDF_Reader/security_bulletins.php#0602 http://www.foxitsoftware.com/Secure_PDF_Reader/security_bull...
  - bitwize 14y ago
    Why not X11 + xpdf? Ugly but works.
- kzrdude 14y ago
  I think WINE is relevant now, after very many years of work and bugfixes (Imagine the number of quirks they have found and addressed).
- skywalk 14y ago
  After becoming somewhat disappointed with silverlight running in a win VM on linux (constant crashes, no reporting, buggy video driver usage) and being pleasantly surprised by the ease of running netflix desktop (http://www.compholio.com/netflix-desktop/ http://www.compholio.com/netflix-desktop/) - I would say this couldn't be any farther from the truth. It's at least one instance of wine that has brought a previous inaccessible web app to the linux mainstream.
elteto 14y ago
Is that confirmed? Last time I checked those were only faint rumors, and switching to a proprietary architecture is not gonna help their bottom line, unless they want to get rid of the PC / Laptop division.

SG- 14y ago

It doesn't really matter, it's a research project. And second of all your statement that nothing was compatible with the Intel switch is completely false. PPC binaries worked just fine for years. Lastly, there aren't any plans to switch Macs to ARM, it's a rumor.

justincormack 14y ago
And even if there were, Linux runs fine on ARM, so this project could.

fleitz 14y ago

The project will never really be relevant. If you have a serious need to run OS X probably already have OSX and a Mac. If you need to simultaneously run Linux you install it in a VM. This project like WINE for the most part will always be a "look what I can do" type project. It's never going to be a rosetta type system designed to bridge ecosystems as the VirtualBox / VMWare bridge already works quite well.

stcredzero 14y ago
Having been disgusted by security holes in Preview and the lack of viable alternatives to Preview/Adobe Reader on OS X, I installed WINE and Foxit Reader on my Macbook Pro. (And used Automator to have it launched as an OS X app.) Google Chrome is ok for a PDF reader much of the time, but there are some really annoying bugs in its PDF functionality. (Which especially impact comics.)
- redial 14y ago
  Just out of curiosity, which security holes in Preview are you referring to?
  - stcredzero 14y ago
    Google OS X PDF security holes.
    - micampe 14y ago
      doesn't seem a situation so dire that it warrants being disgusted to the point of installing wine to me. http://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvekey.cgi?keyword=apple+coregraphics+PDF http://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvekey.cgi?keyword=apple+coregr... no vulnerabilities in 2012, one in 2011 and two in 2010.
      - stcredzero 14y ago
        Note that Apple doesn't discuss vulnerabilities until after they are patched. Will unpatched ones even show up there?
        micampe 14y ago
        so you are disgusted by something that may or may not exist? CVE is public and collects both patched and unpatched known vulnerabilities reported by vendors and independent parties.
    - redial 14y ago
      Every application reports security holes, http://www.foxitsoftware.com/Secure_PDF_Reader/security_bulletins.php#0602 http://www.foxitsoftware.com/Secure_PDF_Reader/security_bull...
- bitwize 14y ago
  Why not X11 + xpdf? Ugly but works.
kzrdude 14y ago
I think WINE is relevant now, after very many years of work and bugfixes (Imagine the number of quirks they have found and addressed).
skywalk 14y ago
After becoming somewhat disappointed with silverlight running in a win VM on linux (constant crashes, no reporting, buggy video driver usage) and being pleasantly surprised by the ease of running netflix desktop (http://www.compholio.com/netflix-desktop/ http://www.compholio.com/netflix-desktop/) - I would say this couldn't be any farther from the truth. It's at least one instance of wine that has brought a previous inaccessible web app to the linux mainstream.

elteto 14y ago

Is that confirmed? Last time I checked those were only faint rumors, and switching to a proprietary architecture is not gonna help their bottom line, unless they want to get rid of the PC / Laptop division.