what does this error message mean? I am trying to use a disc that came along with a book I ordered for studying. However, when I try and run it, this is the error message I receive. "You can't open the application Start.osx because PowerPC applications are no longer supported." Anything I can do to fix this and make it work?????
iOS 7.0.3
It means that the software on the disk was written over seven years ago for a type of Mac that hasn't been sold in a long time. Apple switched from using PowerPC processors in Macs to Intel processors in 2006. For a while, they included special software named Rosetta with Mac OS X to allow the Intel Macs to run PowerPC code, but they stopped providing that two years ago when Mac OS X 10.7 "Lion" shipped.
You need to find a Mac old enough to run Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard" or buy and install a copy of Snow Leopard in a virtual machine on a more recent operating system.
The above post is not completely accurate. Up until the release of OS X Lion Intel CPU based Mac computers and the versioin of OSX they ran did support using PPC apps with the Rosetta program installed. So some software developer continue to write software in the PPC format to be compatible with both older and at that time new Mac computers.
So the book you have might of come out anywhere from 10 years ago or within the last 4+ years.
2 things you can do.
Contact the publisher for updated software for reading that book.
Or as stated above find an older Mac that cane run Snow Leopard or run Snow Leopard in a virtual machine on your current Mac.
Fair points, LowLuster.
AmyLulu, please read my first sentence as "It means the software on the disk was written using technology over seven years old for a type of Mac that hasn't been sold in a long time."
Many educational CDs have not been upgraded due to lack of funds in the educational market to pay for such updates.
This situation is due primarily to the fact that one of the major political parties in this country favors tax cuts to the rich while cutting federal educational support funding (or eliminating the federal Department of Education altogether).
However, you can restore Rosetta and run your educational CD if you install Snow Leopard Server ($20) into Parallels (up to $79) for use in Lion/Mt. Lion/Mavericks:
[click on image to enlarge]
More information here:
You can't open the application Start.osx because PowerPC applications are no longer supported.
