Re: Mac OS X Snow Leopard and 64-bit applications
Re: Mac OS X Snow Leopard and 64-bit applications
- Subject: Re: Mac OS X Snow Leopard and 64-bit applications
- From: Eli Bach <email@hidden>
- Date: Sat, 29 Aug 2009 01:18:05 -0700
On Aug 29, 2009, at 1:03 AM, Tim Seufert wrote:
FYI, from some forum discussions I've been reading, it's not EFI32
vs. EFI64. Some EFI64 Macs can't boot the 64-bit kernel either.
Given that the 64b kernel is only enabled by default on XServe, it
appears that Apple is deliberately soft-launching the 64b kernel.
This is an eminently sensible thing given that 3rd party suppliers
of KEXTs need time to catch up before Apple flips the switch and
makes all but the earliest Intel Macs boot the 64b kernel. The flip
side of that coin is that with such a plan, Apple need not make sure
every 64b Mac can boot the 64b kernel on day 1. Given the eternal
scarcity of engineering resources and the high demand crunch time
puts on same, I suspect that's all that is going on here.
I tried to describe that these are two separate things, namely:
1. The arbitrary limitation that if your computer 'only' as EFI32,
Apple prevents you from booting into the 64-bit kernel.
2. For the set of computers that Apple enables the capability of
booting into the 64 bit kernel (namely Intel Mac's with EFI64
firmware, and perhaps some other limitations), only a limited subset
currently boot by default into the 64-bit kernel.
2 makes complete sense, as the vast majority of those computers are
used by end-users with a variety of peripherals, of which only some
have 64-bit drivers. Booting by default into the 32-bit kernel for
the next couple of point releases for maximum compatibility makes
total sense.
1 is more of an arbitrary limitation, with no technical reason for it.
Eli
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