OS X on a PC? [forward from a different list]

[Charles Martin]

Sorry to follow up to my own post, but there was another point that for 
some reason got left off of the post as published.

When thinking about the idea of OS X on Intel-compatible hardware, one 
has to remember something very fundamental. Even if Apple *did* have a 
complete version of OS X running in Intel-compatible hardware, *every* 
program for it would have to be *extensively* re-written to run on the 
new chip.

This doesn't apply to a fully G4-compatible chip like the IBM PowerPC 
970, which many suspect Apple will phase in as their main chip starting 
later this year.

IOW, if Apple was seriously going to make the leap to AMD or Intel 
chips, they would *have* to tell their developers. All of them. Years 
(or at least many, many months) in advance. Exactly the same way they 
were warning developers about the coming big changes in (what would 
become) OS X as far back as five years ago. Indeed, they starting 
warning developers about big chances in Rhapsody (the precursor to OS 
X) about than seven years ago IIRC.

Bottom line: if Apple ever decides to completely abandon the Gx 
compatible chips, you'll know about it way in advance of it actually 
happening.

_Chas_
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