Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard (SL) introduces 32 bit and 64 bit kernel, processes, and applications to the end user. But what does it mean and does it affect you?

Here are answers to some frequently asked questions. Note that OS X 10.4 and 10.5 also have 64-bit support for part of the system. (Did you know PowerMac G5 introduced in 2003, with 32bit Mac OS, can access more than 4GB of RAM? Mac OS isn't limited as much with 32bit 64bit issues as windows.) ----------------------- Common Questions ----------------------- 1. I don't understand 64 bit.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard is a glamourous operating system for your Mac that says good by to the old applications and is aimed to provide a more refined UI which is with some more performance improvements, a good gesture and a hub for next generation 64 Bit applications. Oct 2, 2013 - Mac OS X Snow Leopard is the seventh major release of Mac OS X, Apple's desktop and server operating system for Macintosh computers.

Why isn't my Mac booting a 64 bit kernel. How do I boot a 64 bit kernel under Snow Leopard. Why aren't all my applications 64 bit. How come my Mac crashes when running the 64 bit kernel. ----------------------- Answers ----------------------- 1. I don't understand 64 bit. You don't HAVE to know about 64 bit.

For most users of OS X, it won't matter. Shutochnie nominacii dlya nagrazhdeniya sotrudnikov detskogo sada. The Application delivery mechanism for future OSX Snow Leopard apps will still be Universal Binary, which will include BOTH 32bit and 64bit code if available. The default SL kernel is 32 bit which is more compatible. Note that the Snow Leopard 32 bit kernel can still run 64 bit processes that allows access to more memory, useful for some power users. The only reason you have to know about 32bit or 64bit is if you are running windows.

With Windows there is a 4GB total memory limit with 32 bit windows. Mac OS is different. Even Macs running Leopard can contain and use far more RAM than the 4 GB limit the '32-bit' qualifier might seem to imply. Yes, 64-bit kernel (K64) allows use of a very large number of RAM, 16 exabytes to be exactly, but do you have any apps that need more than a few GB of RAM? With Windows you need to download a different version of the app / program / driver for different version of windows os. On Mac OS, you download 1 Universal Binary which will work on all 32bit and 64bit (if available) installs for that Mac OS. Yes you are suppose to get higher benchmarks on certain artificial test for running K64, but in daily use you won't notice a difference for almost most users do on Mac OS X.

Why isn't my Mac booting a 64 bit kernel. The default behavior of Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard client is to boot into the 32 bit kernel.

Servers on the right hardware defaults to K64. Booting into 32 bit kernel for OS X client is to ensure maximum compatibility. Until every single app and driver are updated to 64 bit, most people should run the 32 bit kernel, as many older apps / drivers are 32 bit. The Snow Leopard 32 bit kernel can create 32bit and 64 bit processes. Even 32 bit Mac OS can use high amount of system RAM, and allocate more RAM than 32 bit windows. So with Snow Leopard, you have compatibility of 32 bit kernel and performance of 64 bit processes. Windows 32 bit is severely limited.

32 bit windows cannot do anything with 64bit and its RAM allocation is restricted. Note even for gamers who would benefit the most with 64bit windows, only about 30% of the high end windows market is running full 64bit. Windows NEED full 64bit because the 32bit windows is very limited.

Mac OS X is different, with 32bit kernel capable of launching 64bit processes. How do I boot a 64 bit kernel under Snow Leopard.

If you are absolutely certain you do not have 32 bit apps / drivers and you are not going to run 32 bit apps, you can boot into 64 bit kernel by holding the 6 and 4 key while you turn on your Mac. Of course, you can edit a file to set OS X to boot into 64bit automatically. But in that case you probably don't need a FAQ, as you would have already read the 23 page detailed technical review of SL.

Why aren't all my applications 64 bit. Developing apps take time. Note that OS X Snow Leopard is set up to be 64 bit development friendly.

It's likely that developer for your app is working on updating for 64 bit. It's just a matter of how long the development cycles are. Cocao apps need to be revised and tested to take full advantage of 64bit architecture. Old Carbon apps need to be rewritten for 64bit. Including most Adobe, Microsoft apps.

Some Apple apps are 64bit but Apple apps such as iTunes and Final Cut are still Carbon and 32bit. Those will take more time. Note Apple has tried to push developers away from Carbon for quite a few years. How come my Mac crashes when running the 64 bit kernel. If your Mac is crashing in 64-bit only mode you probably have some 32 bit drivers. Switch back to 32 bit kernel. And wait for your apps / drivers to be updated by their developers.