macOS and 32bit apps

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NPCtom

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#248496 28-Mar-2019 15:48

What will app developers reaction be when Apple finally pushes that update that will kill ALL 32bit apps? Many applications I use are 32bit including uTorrent. What is everyone else's thoughts on this?

michaelmurfy

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#2206396 28-Mar-2019 16:05

All of the apps I run on my MacBook are 64bit.

Also instead of uTorrent use either Transmission or Deluge (both 64bit apps). There are alternatives for nearly everything.

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SirHumphreyAppleby

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#2206404 28-Mar-2019 16:20

I'm not an Apple user, but I for one welcome this move. It's long overdue.

AMD introduced their first processor with AMD64 extensions in 2003, >15 years ago. Had AMD not introduced AMD64, IA64 would likely have rid the world of the monstrosity that is x86, and we'd likely be in a better position for 64-bit development than we are now.

There is nothing wrong with 32-bit per se. Both 8-bit and 16-bit microcontrollers still have their place. As a mainstream desktop platform however, 32-bit should have been dead a long time ago. Microsoft et al should have killed it off once the majority of hardware supported AMD64. I'm not sure why Apple didn't go straight to 64-bit when they moved to Intel CPUs, but at a guess I'd say it was due to the state of the development tools. Open source 64-bit tool chains in particular spent many years playing catch-up. The situation has improved greatly over recent years however, so there isn't much excuse for not providing 64-bit builds of software now.

FineWine

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#2206443 28-Mar-2019 17:41

macOS Mojave (macOS 10.14) will be the last version to tolerate 32 bit apps. From macOS 10.15 onwards its all 64 bit. 32 bit just wont work end of story. Any 32 bit apps you use I strongly suggested you contact the app developer and have a serious word with them or just research for a compatible app. They have had plenty of warning, I mean Apple has slowly been weaning away from 32 bit since OS Leppard in 2007.

The simplest way to see all 32-bit applications (and 64-bit apps) on a Mac is to use System Information:

Hold down the OPTION / ALT key on your keyboard, then pull down the  Apple menu
Choose “System Information” from the top of the Apple menu list
In the System Information app, scroll down the left-side menu and look under “Software” and choose “Applications”
Look for the “64-bit (Intel)” option in the column header, and click on that to sort the column by 64-bit
Every app that says “No” is 32-bit, every app that says “Yes” is 64-bit

PS: macOS 10.15 will have the beginnings of a cross platform unification between iOS and macOS. In other words developers will write one major code which will work on macOS, iOS, tvOS & watchOS. Apparently this project is known internally as "Marzipan" and will fully kick-in in 2021. Apple will properly release more details concerning this at this years 2019 WWDC Monday, June 3 to Friday, June 7.

EDIT: tidied up

Whilst the difficult we can do immediately, the impossible takes a bit longer. However, miracles you will have to wait for.

antoniosk

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#2206459 28-Mar-2019 18:00

FineWine:

macOS Mojave (macOS 10.14) will be the last version to tolerate 32 bit apps. From macOS 10.15 onwards its all 64 bit. 32 bit just wont work end of story. Any 32 bit apps you use I strongly suggested you contact the app developer and have a serious word with them or just research for a compatible app. They have had plenty of warning, I mean Apple has slowly been weaning away from 32 bit since OS Leppard in 2007.

The simplest way to see all 32-bit applications (and 64-bit apps) on a Mac is to use System Information:

Hold down the OPTION / ALT key on your keyboard, then pull down the  Apple menu
Choose “System Information” from the top of the Apple menu list
In the System Information app, scroll down the left-side menu and look under “Software” and choose “Applications”
Look for the “64-bit (Intel)” option in the column header, and click on that to sort the column by 64-bit
Every app that says “No” is 32-bit, every app that says “Yes” is 64-bit
PS: macOS 10.15 will have the beginnings of a cross platform unification between iOS and macOS. In other words developers will write one major code which will work on macOS, iOS, tvOS & watchOS. Apparently this project is known internally as "Marzipan" and will fully kick-in in 2021. Apple will properly release more details concerning this at this years 2019 WWDC Monday, June 3 to Friday, June 7.

EDIT: tidied up

This is a really useful tip - just tried it now, and completely unsurprised to find the offensive apps are:

- Citrix
- Cisco Jabber
- Microsoft error Reporting
- Apple quickview 32-bit - so confident this will be retired

The first 2 were from software mandated by a former public sector customer, so quickly removed (although sometimes getting rid of citrix is like trying to pull a rootkit out)

________

Antoniosk