Support for PPC

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alterbentzion
New to all this
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Dec 07, 2005 8:03 pm
Location: Cincinnati, OH

Support for PPC

Post by alterbentzion »

I use Mellel 2.9.1 on a dual 2Ghz G5, OS 10.5.8. A few days ago Mellel autoupdated to 2.9.2, at which point I started getting messages that the app won't run on my hardware.

I've Googled both Redlers.com and the web in general, and I see that others are experiencing similar problems. The only technical info I've found is that support for OS 10.4.x has been dropped, which would imply that Leopard is still supported, and which avoids any mention of chip architecture.

In the meantime, I've downgraded to 2.9.1 (which happens to be the version available on your download page).

Please enlighten us - is PPC being dropped?

Thanks!
Bruno
Got the styles thing figured out
Posts: 13
Joined: Sun Nov 20, 2005 3:59 pm

Re: Support for PPC

Post by Bruno »

I am also using a G5 PPC machine. It still runs without any hitches so I don't see the need to upgrade to a new Mac.
I have skipped the update 2.9.2 as Leopard was obviously not affected by the disappearing cursor bug.

But I anxiously hope that 3.0 will still run on Leopard. Mellel is one of my most used and loved applications.
ahankinson
Knows everything, can prove it
Posts: 83
Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2005 5:37 pm

Re: Support for PPC

Post by ahankinson »

This was discussed somewhat in this thread:

http://forum.redlers.com/viewtopic.php? ... 02&start=0

At issue is that Apple forces its developers into a bit of a corner. The Apple Developer tools remove support for older releases of the operating system in the build tools. What this means is that you can either a) support the latest OS (and two versions prior), b) support only the old versions by not upgrading your developer tools, or c) create two different build systems, one with the new tools and one with the old.

While c) is obviously preferable, it usually means more engineering overhead as the developers then need to ensure that any new features (like auto-save or Lion fullscreen) degrade gracefully on older machines. You can imagine that as the old and the new get further apart, this means that more and more resources are diverted to just ensuring that things don't blow up.

I don't speak for the Redlers, and I don't know if 3.0 will support PPC. But I certainly don't envy their position: Either you keep up with the latest OS, you alienate some existing customers, or you forego adding new features to spend time for compatibility testing.
Eyal Redler
Co-founder
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Joined: Thu Oct 27, 2005 9:15 am

Re: Support for PPC

Post by Eyal Redler »

Mellel 2.9.2 was built without PPC code by mistake. We will try to figure out a way to correct this without disrupting unaffected users too much.
Regarding Mellel 3.0, it will support Leopard but it will not support PPC. As much as we would like to continue supporting PPC we can't really do it because Apple's development tools dropped support for PPC with Lion. It is not feasible to target both modern systems and older systems.
Eyal Redler
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Fire Angel
Read the guide!
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Joined: Thu Oct 20, 2005 9:51 pm
Location: London, England.

Re: Support for PPC

Post by Fire Angel »

OK, I am a PPC user and will not be able to spend the money to go Intel for some time; where can I download the latest version of Mellel that will support my system? Can you at least keep that version available?
Old Chinese proverb:

The man who does not make mistakes
usually does not make anything.
Ori Redler
One of the boys
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Re: Support for PPC

Post by Ori Redler »

Fire Angel wrote:OK, I am a PPC user and will not be able to spend the money to go Intel for some time; where can I download the latest version of Mellel that will support my system? Can you at least keep that version available?
You can always download version 2.9.1 here: http://www.connectnw.com/redlers/mellel291.dmg.zip

Ori from RedleX
Ori Redler from RedleX
Fire Angel
Read the guide!
Posts: 35
Joined: Thu Oct 20, 2005 9:51 pm
Location: London, England.

Re: Support for PPC

Post by Fire Angel »

Ori Redler wrote:
Fire Angel wrote:OK, I am a PPC user and will not be able to spend the money to go Intel for some time; where can I download the latest version of Mellel that will support my system? Can you at least keep that version available?
You can always download version 2.9.1 here: http://www.connectnw.com/redlers/mellel291.dmg.zip

Ori from RedleX
Thank you. I was also thinking of others; now I have that version I will back it up with my usual regime; I've only ever lost three files since I started using computers in about 1982. I'd like to think that file will stay avaiable for another couple of years though, because there are probably millions of PowerMacs still in use. No idea what percentage of PowerMac users still buy new software, but I do sometimes so I assume I am not alone in that.
Old Chinese proverb:

The man who does not make mistakes
usually does not make anything.
miles11
Knows everything, can prove it
Posts: 93
Joined: Tue Nov 28, 2006 9:59 pm

Re: Support for PPC

Post by miles11 »

I'm still running OS 10.4 on an older PowerBook. Mellel v2.8.2 is the latest version I can run.

I was seriously p!ssed when support for Tiger was dropped, and am still not happy about it, but I now understand the reasoning behind the move. My old powerbook (2004) still runs like a top and meets my needs well, so I see little reason to spend $2,000 on a new Mac.
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