Keep snow leopard. I still run that on a 2010 mac mini. Still a good OS. BTW, I used to have the same mac pro you have. I changed out the processors to 2.33ghz quad core processors. They are cheap now if you can find them, probably ebay. Suggest you upgrade to get a nice boost. Not hard to do.
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OS X 10.6 how long can i use it
- Thread starter jcollinsphotog
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Keep snow leopard. I still run that on a 2010 mac mini. Still a good OS. BTW, I used to have the same mac pro you have. I changed out the processors to 2.33ghz quad core processors. They are cheap now if you can find them, probably ebay. Suggest you upgrade to get a nice boost. Not hard to do.
It seems SL has been left out recent security updates.
I'd keep a few more precautions, then: stop using built-in Safari, Mail, don't install Flash. These are simple security measures to generally avoid un-updated software and download alternatives that are, such as Firefox and Thunderbird. Also removing admin privileges to your main account as described there may help you maintain a secure system, even if Apple doesn't patch it.
Any other ideas?
Rosetta was understandably a problem for Apple.
Rosetta was emulating a PowerPC processor, but that's it. It didn't do anything like take an PowerPC Cocoa call, and translate it into a Intel Cocoa call. That means every release of OS X with Rosetta needed an entire PowerPC version of Cocoa, an entire PowerPC version of Carbon, a PowerPC version of every system library install on an Intel Mac as well. That basically meant Apple had to continue supporting the PowerPC long after they stopped supporting the hardware.
It also got more difficult because as the appearance and workings of OS X changed they would have to go back and update the PowerPC versions of these libraries and system technologies. If Apple had to code Mavericks for PowerPC in addition to Intel it would have added a lot of extra time. The PowerPC libraries also ate up a ton of disk space.
This is why you're likely to never see Rosetta restored by a third party to OS X. Getting the Rosetta emulator with nothing to emulate running is one thing. Re-porting modern Cocoa and all the system libraries back to PowerPC is simply impossible for a third party.
Fortunately, you can put 10.6 in a VM which includes the PPC compatible libraries and Rosetta.
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How do you square the word "appears" with "there's no AFAIK about it!?"
The opening paragraph of the article you cite opens with: "Apple appears to have pulled the plug on support for OS X Snow Leopard, leaving a fifth of Macs vulnerable to attack." At least journalists have objective standards.
Most accounts incorrectly point to the February security release by Apple which did not include a Snow Leopard component as "proof" of their contention that there will be no more updates to Snow Leopard.
The fact of the matter was that the security flaw fixed in that release was not present in Snow Leopard and hence there was no reason to release a Snow Leopard security release for that problem.
Since that time, Apple has released two updates to FaceTime for Snow Leopard (1.0.4 and 1.0.5). "No more support Period!?!"
Never say never! It is soooooo easy to contradict!
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Anyone still using Snow Leopard and /or PowerPC applications should call Apple immediately and purchase the $20 Snow Leopard Server and put it up on the shelf for the day it will be needed in virtualization!
Apple's recent 95% reduction in price will disappear when they stop selling it and outlets like Amazon and eBay return the price towards its old $499 retail price!
I wasn't aware of its innards. Since PowerPC software aren't produced anymore, it would have been safe to freeze on the last version, then stop developing it. Or, again, open the source for others to tinker upon. Or deliver OS X 10.5, PowerPC version, to be emulated on any Intel Mac.
PearPC is another PowerPC emulator that unfortunately doesn't exist in MacPorts.
Unfortunately my scanner doesn't behave in VirtualBox. It's the only USB peripheral that would crash it, frequently bringing the kernel with him. So virtualization is still bad. I'd rather have an Apple-developped version.
Apple licensed the underlying technology behind Rosetta from a third party source before their conversion to the Intel CPU platform around 2005-6. That license expired with the release of Lion and thereafter.
IBM acquired the rights to that underlying technology and it is doubtful that they would relicense it to Apple any on reasonable financial terms, even if Apple or some other third party were likely to do so.
Have you tried Snow Leopard Server in Parallels, instead of some free virtualization product, like VirtualBox?
I have counseled many legacy scanner users successfully with the use of SLS in Parallels. This is one specific example
Parallels offers a 14 day free trial
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I knew that.
I'll go with the free trial, but I don't usually favor proprietary software when proper FOSS alternatives exist. And I don't feel like paying another $100 bucks to run a scanner.
I don't think that's the primary reason. What I detailed in my post above is a more substantial reason.
The Rosetta emulator itself is the smallest development problem Apple has with running PowerPC apps.
I'm not sure you could freeze PowerPC Cocoa and mismatch it with an OS version. Too much dependencies between the two I would assume. I wish you could.
Cleanest implementation of that would be something like Classic where you emulate 10.6 from front to back, which is what a VM will basically do.
Stick with Snow Leopard and don't hold your breath for the "Apple developed solution."
When your Mac fails and your new Mac will not boot Snow Leopard, perhaps you will have purchased SLS for $20 and put it on your shelf. Or perhaps a new scanner with modern drivers will appear on the market...
At least they could re-license it to allow for non-server version to be run in a VM, and help vendors solve some issues.
Oh I had this SL a long while ago back when I had my first Mac, so I can't say it hasn't been used. Just that I don't see the point of being either 1- forced to buy a new scanner and trash a perfectly working one 2- purchase a commercial VM while a FOSS one exist, just to run Snow Leopard.
I am not sure what you are saying here.
If your point is that Apple should relicense the technology underlying Rosetta; then there's just not enough money in the marketplace for Apple to relicense anything to do with Rosetta. Furthermore, IBM now dominates the PowerPC platform technology and licensing it at any reasonable price to Apple just doesn't fit into their plans.
If your point is that Apple should allow the client version of Snow Leopard to be run in a VM, they already do!
It was a common Urban Myth that the Snow Leopard EULA does not allow it to be run in virtualization in Lion, Mt. Lion and Mavericks on a Mac. That myth has been debunked over the last three years.
The debate, to the extent that is still exists, has been rendered mostly moot by the fact that Apple dropped the price of Snow Leopard Server by 95%, to the same $20 as Snow Leopard client.[/QUOTE]
Apparently you have that option! Many of the legacy specific function scanner owners that I have advised do not have that option, as noted by the one I linked to earlier.
No one's telling you to buy anything: continue to run your scanner in Snow Leopard.
When your Mac fails and you purchase a new Mac that only runs the version of OS X relevant to that day, you apparently have the option to purchase a new scanner.
Not sure why you are making a big point of the "Rosetta in a post-Snow Leopard world" of Macs since July, 2012, since it clearly does not affect you!