Mac Software Compatibility

[Scott]

Is software for pre-Intel based Macs compatible with the new Intel-based iMacs? For example, would this be compatible with the new iMacs?

The compatibility specs say:

System Requirements :

Mac OS X 10.4.8 or later
PowerPC G4/G5 1.6GHz or faster
512 MB RAM
64MB VRAM
DVD Drive
Mouse
Keyboard

 

[jfschultz]

Anything that is written for Mac OSX should work on an Intel Mac. Most Mac applications are Universal Binaries that contain both PPC (Power PC) and Intel code. If it only has PPC code, it will run under Rosetta for emulation with a performance hit.

Programs for the Mac OS 9 and earlier will not run on an Intel Mac. (Well there is an old Mac emulator program out there, but it might be easier to get an old Mac to run the old code.)

 

[Scott]

Cool, thanks