[vlc-devel] [RFC] Dropping support for OS X 10.5

[SciFi]

Hi,

I've read this entire thread (via Gmane).

I saw the commits already put in place because of this thread.

Please permit me to say some related things.

I have a model "iMac6,1" which seems to be kin to "MacPro1,1"; there might be other models in similar vein.

The problems we have in common is that Apple won't upgrade our 32-bit EFI/BIOS to provide 64-bit mode in the kernel and kexts etc.
N.B.:
We _do_ have full 64-bit processors in our hardware.
So other than the kernel/kexts, most apps themselves _do_ decidedly _run_ in 64-bit mode on our hardware.
(My iMac has the Core-2-Duo CPU; the Pro1,1 line have Xeons, if I'm not mistaken.)
I feel our EFI/BIOS can be flash-upgraded to provide full 64-bit mode.

Shame on Apple for "forgetting" us.

There are the Chameleon and the rEFIt projects which might help us-hackers to get full 64-bit code support.

However, and to possibly correct previous postings here, I am quite sure 10.7 _will_ boot and run on the 32-bit EFI/BIOS systems (they did not kill 32-bit kernel/kexts there; as long as the CPU has 64-bit support itself).  [Yes I know of some horror stories related to 10.7; I do have access to the Lion install disk, but these horror stories are in-fact what's keeping me on 10.6.  However, my upgrading to 10.7 is how I would get the intended full business-cycle usage (7-years) out of this hardware.]

It is 10.8 that we will not be able to run (without the Chameleon hack) since _10.8_ is the OS that expressly killed 32-bit support _entirely_.

And we peons cannot change the Dictates of such a Huge Corporation That Apple Now Is.™

And now come various projects <*ahem*> that also want to axe 32-bit support.

So we are becoming all alone in this world.

I dare say shame on you-all, too.

(I say this on behalf of all the 32-bit-only users still out there that don't/won't know of this ploy until it's too late for them.)

So much for that.  Let me get back on-topic here.

Just a bit about myself to help explain why I'm writing this.
• I am medically disabled / retired with nearly 40-years work on record.
• I am involved with various open-source projects, mainly to keep my brain sharp.
• I use many open-source projects under OSX, and want this capability to continue especially for other users.
• Over the years I feel I've contributed some deep-down knowledge to the community as well as to the vendor itself.
• I don't use a pkg-manager of any kind; I build things myself (the "old-fashioned" way), thus I'm usually "more current" than e.g. Fink, MacPorts, Homebrew, etc.  (Part of the "fun" is acquiring the relevant "requisites" and building them all by hand hopefully in a proper sequence. <grin>)

Instead of a sob-story, I have a better plan for myself, now that things are forced upon me.
• I am presently unable to afford another commercial-quality computer (new or used).
• Instead of spending for Apple's profitability^Wmachinery, I am already planning to go with a full open-source system (my "dream machine"), and taking the time to see what-all is out there, what is entailed, etc. (I feel my paid job has partially trained me in this).


A few final notes:

For now, the droppage of "i?86" (32-bit) might be weighed against what I've learned on <https://dl.dropbox.com/u/176364/welcome.html> and other places.  Yes there ares significant savings when running things in 32-bit mode when possible.

If for the future VLC is planning to only support 64-bit mode in all realms, I need to implore you-all to increase the version-number upwards, this change _is_ that important.  Also, I'd say be sure to update the 32-bit versions of VLC for as long as is possible (taking into consideration e.g. the "all-in-one" boards that want to be able to use VLC) even if this requires starting another/specific branch and soliciting more volunteers etc.


Thank you.


[p.s.  I'm the dude who popped-into irc yesterday, asking about the lack of current nightly builds for us; hope this situation will get resolved soon.]