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A universal binary is, in Apple parlance, an executable file or application bundle that runs natively on either PowerPC or x86 (Intel)-based Macintosh computers. The Apple Intel transition was the process of changing the CPU of Macintosh Computers from PowerPC processors to Intel X86 The Apple-Intel architecture is an unofficial name used for Apple Macintosh Personal computers developed and manufactured by Apple Computer that use Boot Camp is a utility included with Apple Inc 's Mac OS X v10 Rosetta is a lightweight dynamic translator for Mac OS X distributed by Apple. Apple Inc, ( formerly Apple Computer Inc, is an American Multinational corporation with a focus on designing and manufacturing Consumer electronics In Computing, an executable (file causes a computer "to perform indicated tasks according to encoded instructions," as opposed to a file that only contains Application software is a subclass of Computer software that employs the capabilities of a computer directly and thoroughly to a task that the user wishes to perform Under NEXTSTEP, Mac OS X and GNUstep, a bundle is a directory that allows related resources such as Software code to be PowerPC is a RISC Instruction set architecture created by the 1991 Apple – IBM – Motorola alliance known as AIM See also X86 assembly language The generic term x86 refers to the most commercially successful Instruction set architecture in the history of Personal Macintosh, commonly nicknamed Mac is a Brand name which covers several lines of Personal computers designed developed and marketed by Apple Inc It was introduced at the 2005 WWDC as a means to ease the transition from the existing PowerPC architecture to systems based on Intel processors, which began shipping in 2006. Universal binaries typically include both PowerPC and x86 versions of a compiled application. PowerPC is a RISC Instruction set architecture created by the 1991 Apple – IBM – Motorola alliance known as AIM See also X86 assembly language The generic term x86 refers to the most commercially successful Instruction set architecture in the history of Personal The operating system detects a universal binary by its header, and executes the appropriate section for the architecture in use. This allows the application to run natively on any supported architecture, with no negative performance impact. Xslimmer is a program used to reduce the size of such applications by removing the portions of the code that user's system will not use.
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Motivation
There are two general alternative solutions. The first is to simply provide two separate binaries, one compiled for the x86 architecture and one for the PowerPC architecture. However, this can be confusing to software users unfamiliar with the difference between the two, although the confusion can be remedied through improved documentations, or the use of hybrid CD. A Hybrid disc is a CD-ROM that has multiple file systems so that it can be used on various system software for example both Apple Macintosh and Microsoft Windows based The other alternative is to rely on emulation of one architecture by a system running the other architecture. An emulator duplicates (provides an emulation of the functions of one System using a different system so that the second system behaves like (and appears to This approach results in lower performance, and is generally regarded an interim solution to be used only until universal binaries or specifically compiled binaries are available (see Rosetta). Rosetta is a lightweight dynamic translator for Mac OS X distributed by Apple.
Universal binaries are usually larger than single-platform binaries, because multiple copies of the compiled code must be stored. The size of the resulting universal binary is usually not double as a significant portion will be non-executable resources which are shared between the two architectures. They do not require extra RAM, however, because only one of those two copies is loaded for execution.
History
Apple previously used a similar technique during the transition from 68k processors to PowerPC in the mid-1990s. The Motorola 680x0 / m68k / 68k / 68K is a family of 32-bit CISC Microprocessor CPU chips and was the primary These dual-platform executables were called "fat binaries", referring to their larger file size. A fat binary (or multiarchitecture binary) is a Computer program that is native to multiple instruction set architectures (ISA and thus can be run on multiple
NEXTSTEP, another predecessor of Mac OS X, supported the fat binary so that one application bundle could be run on multiple architectures, including Intel, Sparc and PA-RISC. Nextstep was the original object-oriented, multitasking Operating system that NeXT Computer developed to run on its range of proprietary computers Mac OS X (mæk oʊ ɛs tɛn is a line of computer Operating systems developed marketed and sold by Apple Inc, the latest of which is pre-loaded on all currently In fact, the binary format underlying the universal binary is exactly the same as the one for the fat binary in NEXTSTEP.
Apple's Xcode 2. Xcode is a suite of tools for developing software on Mac OS X, developed by Apple. 1 supports the creation of these files, a new feature in that release. A simple application developed with processor-independence in mind might require very few changes to compile as a universal binary, but a complex application designed to take advantage of architecture-specific features might require substantial modification. See also Software portability In Computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created Applications originally built using other development tools might require additional modification. These reasons have been given for the delay between the introduction of Intel-based Macintosh computers and the availability of third-party applications in universal binary format. Apple's delivery of Intel-based computers several months ahead of their previously announced schedule is another factor in this gap.
Apple's Xcode 2. Xcode is a suite of tools for developing software on Mac OS X, developed by Apple. 4 takes the concept of universal binaries even further, by allowing four-architecture binaries to be created (32 and 64 bit for both Intel and PowerPC), therefore allowing a single executable to take full advantage of the CPU capabilities of any Mac OS X machine. Mac OS X (mæk oʊ ɛs tɛn is a line of computer Operating systems developed marketed and sold by Apple Inc, the latest of which is pre-loaded on all currently
Universal applications
Many software developers have provided universal binary updates for their products since the 2005 WWDC. As of January 2008, Apple's website now lists more than 7,200 Universal applications. [1]
On April 16, 2007, Adobe announced the release of Adobe Creative Suite 3, the first version of the application suite in a Universal Binary format. Adobe Creative Suite is a collection of Graphic design, Video editing, and Web development applications made by Adobe Systems. [1]
As of March 2008, all high-profile applications for Mac OS X have been ported to Universal binary, including QuarkXPress, Apple's own Final Cut Studio, Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office 2008, and Shockwave Player beginning with version 11. QuarkXPress ("Quark" is a computer application for creating and editing complex page layouts in a WYSIWYG environment Final Cut Studio is a professional video and audio production suite for Mac OS X from Apple Inc Adobe Creative Suite is a collection of Graphic design, Video editing, and Web development applications made by Adobe Systems. Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac is the most recent version of the Microsoft Office productivity suite for Mac OS X. Adobe Shockwave (formerly Macromedia Shockwave) was Macromedia 's first and most successful multimedia player prior to the introduction of Macromedia Flash (now Non-Universal products will run on Intel Macs (in most cases), but with non-optimal performance, since they must be translated on-the-fly by Rosetta. Rosetta is a lightweight dynamic translator for Mac OS X distributed by Apple.
See also
References
- ^ Macintosh Products Guide: Universal Applications. The Apple-Intel architecture is an unofficial name used for Apple Macintosh Personal computers developed and manufactured by Apple Computer that use The Apple Intel transition was the process of changing the CPU of Macintosh Computers from PowerPC processors to Intel X86 A fat binary (or multiarchitecture binary) is a Computer program that is native to multiple instruction set architectures (ISA and thus can be run on multiple Apple Computer. Apple Inc, ( formerly Apple Computer Inc, is an American Multinational corporation with a focus on designing and manufacturing Consumer electronics Retrieved on 2008-01-16. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 27 BC - The title Augustus is bestowed upon Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian by the Roman Senate.
External links
- Apple's "Universal Applications" page and listing of current Universal applications
- Apple Developer Transition Resource Center
- Apple Universal Binary Programming Guidelines
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