Macintosh Software

Which one do I need?

Macintosh | Windows | Palm

Overview

The purpose of this page is to explain the different kinds of applications for several computer platforms. Each platform has it's own kind of application, many platforms have multiple kinds of applications. An application from one platform will generally not be able to run on a different platform. The basic reason that you can not do this is that each of these platforms uses a different CPU. Each CPU has it's own language. Therefor each of these platforms are essentially speaking different languages. For example, you can't run a Macintosh application on Windows. There are exceptions to this rule, usually involving emulators, which translate one CPU language into another.

Whenever a computing platform goes through a major change, a new kind of application is usually needed. This is why a single computer platform could have more than one kind of application. The rest of the page will deal with specific kinds of applications for different platforms and which one would be best for you.

Macintosh

680x0 | PowerPC | Fat Binary | Carbon | Cocoa

	680x0 (Aka 68k)
	680x0 refers to Macintosh computers that have Motorola 68000, 68020, 68030, or 68040 processors. These processors were used in the first Macs, including the Mac 128k, Mac 512k, Mac SE, Mac IIsi, Mac IIci, etc. 68k applications can run on 68k Macs and PowerPC Macs. PowerPC Macs have a built in 68k emulator that allows them to run these older applications, but they will be slower on PowerPC Macs then they are on 68k Macs. If you have a 68k Mac, this is the only kind of application you can run. If you need to use one app on both 68k and PowerPC Macs, you could use a 68k application but you will get much better performance by running a native application on each Mac. An application is considered native if it was written in the language that the CPU understands and does not need an emulator.
	PowerPC (Aka PPC)
	PowerPC refers to Macintosh computers that have a PowerPC processor. The PowerPC processor was developed jointly by IBM, Apple, and Motorola Corporation. The name is derived from IBM's name for the architecture, Performance Optimization With Enhanced RISC. The first computers based on the PowerPC architecture were the Power Macs, which appeared in 1994. The iMac, iMac DV, iBook, PowerMac G3, and PowerMac G4, and PowerMac G4 Cube are all PowerPC based Macs. PowerPC applications can only run on PowerMacs. You can not run a PowerPC application on a 68k Mac. If you have a PowerMac and do not run MacOS X, this is the kind of application for you.
	Fat Binary (Aka FAT)
	A Fat Binary application contains native code for both 680x0 and PowerPC processors. Since Fat Binary applications have two sets of code, they are usually almost twice as large but will run faster since the system will choose to run the native code for the CPU that is being used. Fat Binary applications are the best choice for users who want to be able to use a single app on both 68k and PowerPC Macs and are less concerned over disk space.
	Carbon
	Carbon applications are a special kind of PowerPC application that can run on PowerMacs that have Mac OS X as well as some older versions of the MacOS. Some Carbon applications can run on MacOS 8.1 - MacOS X. Others may only run on MacOS 8.6 - MacOS X.
	Cocoa
	Cocoa applications are the native applications for MacOS X. They can only be run on Mac OS X. If you only use Mac OS X, then these are the kind of applications you should use. Unfortunately, many applications are not yet available in a MacOS X native version. If you can not find a Cocoa version of the application, a carbon application is a very good alternative.

Windows

Win16 | Win32 | WinCE

	Win16
	These are applications for 16-bit versions of Windows, such as Windows 3.1. These applications can be run on 32-bit versions of Windows but you will get better performance by running a Windows 32-bit native application.
	Win32
	These are applications for 32-bit versions of Windows, such as Windows 98, Windows NT, etc.
	WinCE
	These are applications for portable devices that use the Windows CE operating system. Some of the PDAs that run Windows CE are the Casio Cassiopeia, the Compaq iPAQ, and the HP Jordana.