is software different for x86 and non-x86 versions of os-x?

[Poe]

are there different sets of software for the x86 OS and for the non-x86 OSes? or are they interchangeable?

 

so if i happen to stumble across a piece of software that's not labeled for x86 or otherwise, will it work on a hackintosh?

[theofan1960]

Hi,

 

You can run anything piece of software that has been made for Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger on your hackintosh or any other real Intel Mac BUT if they are not compiled for Intel using a Universal Binary they will be executed through an emulator built-in the OS called Rosetta and you'll be able to use it like any piece of software but with some lower performance than the real PowerPC. A good example is Office 2004 for Mac.

 

Hope this helps,

[dashaund]

are there different sets of software for the x86 OS and for the non-x86 OSes? or are they interchangeable?

 

so if i happen to stumble across a piece of software that's not labeled for x86 or otherwise, will it work on a hackintosh?

 

If the software is marked "Universal" it will work with your hackintosh. Yes, there are different version of software. Before Apple switched to Intel chips, we ran on PPC (or PowerPC) architecture. So, if you see "PPC only" then it won't run on your hackintosh. But if it says Intel (or Universal), it will.

[sarahbau]

If you see "PPC only" then it won't run on your hackintosh. But if it says Intel (or Universal), it will.

 

Not necessarily true. Most PowerPC software will run on Intel Macs or Hackintoshes even if it isn't written for Intel. As thefanof1960 mentioned, this software will run under Rosetta. I've yet to run into anything that didn't work.

[munky]

Anything that requires a G5 or makes heavy use of AltiVec may fail, otherwise it should work. Rosetta emulated a G3 processor in the early days, but now emulates a G4 equivalent, albeit without full AltiVec.