<h1>Tech Notes</h1><h2>Intel Inside</h2><p>I am writing this on Tuesday, June 7, 2005. The WWDC [World Wide Developer Conference] opened with more than 3800 attendees yesterday. A new record. The keynote address was delivered by Steve Jobs and was met with cheers and applause as he told how Apple had captured the iPod market [76% market share] the iTunes market [82% market share] and had increased sales by 40% in the past year while PC sales had slipped over the same period.</p>
<p>Then, after a build up, Jobs announced that future Macs would move to Pentium processors. [see <a href="http://stream.apple.akadns.net/">keynote address</a>.] The announcement was met with total silence. For the next few minutes, you could have heard a gnat fart in that auditorium as he worked to sell the idea.</p>
<p>I'm going to talk to you about that now. I'm going to talk about the code that you have invested your life in building; the code that you have sweated over for so many hours. I won't bullshit you.</p>
<p>I just spoke with Andy. Generally speaking, Andy handles the compiler, I handle the editor. He says he can make the transition. In other words, FB will be able to compile for the Pentium. But what does that mean? Let's get specific:</p>
<p><b>2005:</b> It means nothing. You will do nothing this year. Your editor will not change. Your compiler will not change. Your code will not change. Other than wringing your hands and worrying, you will drink the same brand of beer and dip from the same can of snuff.</p>
<p><b>2006:</b> A few new Pentium based computers will be on the market. Your code will still run. It will probably run flawlessly. If there are hiccups, you will be able to find them. If they are in the runtime, we will find them. That is why we have a 65 member beta team. The emulator that runs your code on the Pentium processor is called Rossetta. It is nothing like running under Classic. No subsystem has to be launched. Your user will never know that he/she is being Rosetized.</p>
<p><b>2007 and beyond:</b> All --><i>new</i><-- computers will be pentium based. how many of your users will have new computers? how many of <i>you</i> currently have only new computers? Many of you build products for schools. How many schools use only new computers? Even if the schools did get new computers, would there be any harm in your application running under Rosetta? No.</p>
<p>We [the beta team] just got ahold of a neat new tweak from a member that makes that little cloud appear and disappear on the screen when an item is deleted. It is written in assembly code. The problem is that hack would break under the transport to the Pentium. [I am thinking forward to 2007 now.] So if I put that piece of code in my program [which I did incorporate as soon as I saw it!] then that particular program would not be portable. So here is a decision: Drop the cloud and port to Pentium? or... Leave the cloud and stick with Rosetta? or... Figure out how to do the cloud in a better manner so that the assembly language hack isn't necessary and then move it to Pentium?</p>
<p>My choice in this case is to leave things as they are and stick with Rosetta.</p>
<p><b><i>Why?</i></b></p>
<p>Existing code is good until 2009 and beyond. Any machine sold in 2005 is going to be around for at least four years. All of these machines are PowerPCs. Even after that time, the Pentium architecture is going to allow for transparent Rosetta translation. If you get all bent out of shape, the only thing that you are going to do is give yourself an ulcer. Long before I need to have that cloud translated into Pentium code, there will be a FutureBASIC keyword that does it for me automatically. I would have worried for nothing.</p>
<p>PLEASE!</p>
<p>Don't interpret this to mean that we won't bring you a new compiler.</p>
<p>I am trying to make you understand that your old code will work for a long time. Have faith in us. We are, at this very moment, drinking beer and throwing darts at pictures of microprocessors.</p>
<hr>
<p>I've told you this before, but I want to remind you of two statements made in the past:</p>
<p>Jean Louise Gasse [Apple CEO]: <i>"You must use Apple Pascal to program a Macintosh."</i></p>
<p>Apple engineer in MacTech article: <i>"You will not be able to create applications for System 7 unless you use MacApp."</i></p>
<p>Today, Steve Jobs said that programs must be written in XCode.</p>
<p>Apple Pascal is gone. MacApp is gone. FutureBASIC is still here. You do the math.</p>
