Lake of Intel Support - A12Z

Pauliez3 wrote:

I Like to use Visual Studio (Intel based). Other than a special version of windows, what other software supports arm processors? Not MSSQL or many others.

Apple is moving away from Intel x86-64 processors, which means those us dependent on that combination get to make some decisions, for the required apps thar are dependent on Windows on Intel on Mac.

Whether that’s migrating away from Apple hardware, or migrating to Microsoft Windows and related Arm software on Apple Silicon (and that’s up to Microsoft to port), or migrating to different software and tools?

The Dell x86-64 business-class laptop gear runs Microsoft Windows just fine.

SuperMicro has solid servers. Servers are an area that Apple exited with Mojave, too.

For Microsoft SQL Server, there’s Azure SQL database. And many other alternatives.

For processor performance, the fastest supercomputer in the world is Arm-based; Arm, and a whole lot of GPUs.

The next two years is the transition to Apple Silicon, per Apple. Check back when Apple Silicon systems past the current A12Z-based developer kit are announced, maybe? See what’s available from Apple and from Microsoft then?

ps: Apple Rosetta 2 works with apps for macOS on Intel. Rosetta 2 will not be useful with apps for Windows on Intel. The Microsoft Windows equivalent for Arm might be useful (as would Arm-native App ports), but that Windows Arm translation was also limited to Intel Win32 apps when last checked.

We’re other users, and not Apple.

Log your feedback with the folks that work for Apple: Product Feedback - Apple

Microsoft already offers an Arm version of Microsoft Windows, and can choose to add support for Apple Silicon. Log feedback with them, too.

Or have a look at what Apple is offering, once that becomes available. Existing (2018) Apple Silicon is already fast.

You should understand more about Rosetta 2 in Big Sur. When you install an Intel based application, it will be dynamically converted to ARM code by the Rosetta technology, and run just like a native Intel application on the ARM CPU(s). Apple demoed this at WWDC with applications installed right from the Mac App Store, and an ARM version of MS Office for Mac, and Adobe Photoshop.

Apple used Rosetta previously in the PowerPC to Intel transition. They know what they are doing with Rosetta 2, and yes, some fringe applications may not work as expected, which is why Apple has a solution for developers to recompile their applications in Xcode 12. Time not speculation will tell…

Pauliez3 wrote:

I believe a large percentage of MacOS users have the extra memory and storage or even the Mac itself for virtualization purposes along with development for the iPhone and iPad. This is true for most people I know with Macs.

Beware selection bias.

I too know of other developers with guests installed and I have Kali and occasionally other operating systems installed.

But the vast majority of folks I have met and those have worked with either don’t know what a virtual machine is, or don’t have one installed.

Given notarization and related Gatekeeper checks, Apple also knows what’s installed on a Mac, too.

Again, call back in a year or so, particularly as the Mac Arm systems are available, and with their performance and capabilities characterized, as well as information on what apps and what guests might be available.

I'll find an alternative if I have to. It is just a tool.

Virtualization of Windows should still work.