Alot of developers buy MacBook Pro’s with extra storage and memory to virtualize Windows for software development. Without Intel processors, there is no incentive to buying high-end laptops. You can develop for iPhones and iPads on low end MacBooks. We need Intel to make money.
Mac Pro
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.
FYI Microsoft Arm version of Windows is a limited version (Not full version).
I think you are worrying about nothing.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/uwp/porting/apps-on-arm
I use VSCode every day and I am not worried in the least.
Do you use an Arm based computer?
Not yet. There is no rush. I have a Surface Pro and those are now or will soon be ARM. So maybe soon.
I said I have a Surface Pro. I use VSCode every day on my MacBook Pro running Windows in Boot Camp. I have no fear that this capability will go away.
The emulator is supposed to run x86 code.
To summarize your posts, you want Apple to continue to provide hardware with x86-64 processors, as your development efforts are dependent on third-party software and tools that are currently based on the x86-64 processor architecture.
Log your feedback with the folks that work for Apple, and for Microsoft.
x86-64 is not the future that Apple has announced for Mac. And Apple is undoubtedly aware that there are the folks that run other operating systems. All of which will either need to be ported to Apple Silicon, and/or re-hosted to Intel- or AMD-based x86-64 systems from different computer hardware vendors. Or to emulation or translation. And Apple is reportedly not signing non-Apple operating systems software for booting on Mac on Arm, which will further constrain the options. (To virtualization and/or emulation and/or translation, etc.)
After you’ve logged your feedback, then consider purchasing sufficient Mac systems with Intel to last for the duration of your transition, at least until Microsoft adopts Arm, or you adopt Dell or other x86-64 hardware vendors, or until the x86-64 emulation on Arm or the available native tools meet your requirements on Mac Arm configurations.
Apple has announced the Apple Silicon transition will last about two years. That’s a long time. In 2020, six months is a long time.
And having watched this with Microsoft Windows ported to and booted on other architectures with Windows on Alpha and Windows on Itanium among the other formerly-supported architectures, the app vendors will be uninterested in supporting translated and/or emulated apps. Virtualization alone won’t be sufficient, here. Which means either Microsoft goes native on Arm for the Microsoft apps you require here, or you purchase different computer hardware with the necessary Intel or AMD x86-64 processors. Or for Apple to reverse direction on this port.
Lake of Intel Support - A12Z
