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 major release of Mac OS X for Apple servers and desktop Macintosh computers. This is a free download for Mac OS X DVD in.DMG format. It can also be made bootable. Mac OS X Snow Leopard has many enhancements compared to the previous releases. The performance of Mac OS X has been enhanced greatly and there is a reduction in the memory footprints. The name Snow Leopard suggests greater improvements in the previous Leopard version.

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. 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. Essentials of strategic management gamble pdf to excel.

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.