The latest version of Apple’s Mac OS X operating system, Snow Leopard, will install only on Macs (and Hacked PCs) running on Intel processors. It therefore requires Rosetta emulation to run older PowerPC-based software, rather than Intel/PowerPC-friendly Universal programs.
But as the new OS is installed on more and more Macs tales of incompatibilities are starting to emerge.
Adobe got everyone in a panic earlier in the week when it stated that it was supporting only the current version 4 of its Creative Suite design applications. It turns out, after some initial testing, that CS3 does work on Snow Leopard – and Adobe’s wording about “not supporting” CS3 merely demonstrated its desire to abandon CS3 support rather than actively force its users to upgrade their expensive software.
Adobe Creative Suite and Creative Suite 2 (CS1 and CS2) are not Universal software applications, just PowerPC – so they require the Rosetta emulation. Snow Leopard has Rosetta turned off by default, so CS1 and CS2 users require a Custom install of Snow Leopard. (That oh-so easy Snow Leopard upgrade chart ain’t looking so simple now, is it?)
Thankfully, if you later try to launch a PowerPC app, Snow Leopard will pop up a window to explain that you need Rosetta and offer to install it for you (via Apple’s Software Update utility).
So what other Mac apps get a frosty reception from the Snow Leopard?
A wiki-based website called “Snow Leopard Compatibility: Which apps work with Mac OS X 10.6?” includes a Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard Compatibility List.
Readers are encouraged to contribute their own compatibility findings.
Adobe gets an immediate hit on its entry-level Photoshop Elements application, which apparently after restoring from Time Machine the app “gives a licence error”.
While Microsoft Office 2008 runs fine, and Microsoft Office 2004 works under Rosetta, there is no report yet on the older Microsoft Office:X.
Other software reporting crashes and other errors include: Backup Bouncer, Books, Boxee, Butler, Camino, CheckPoint SecureClient, ClamXav, Cocktail, ConceptDraw Pro, DataBackup, Dave, Disc Inventory X, DiskWarrior 4.1, Electricsheep, Fallout II, Flip4Mac 2.3.0.7, Forklift, Fruit Menu, Google Gears, iStat Menus, iStumbler, Leopard Cache Cleaner, Leopard Cache Cleaner, Macromedia FreeHand MX 11.0.2, MailFX Pro, MenuMeters, Mirage, NodeToad, OneSwarm, PGP Desktop, Plex, Protector Suite, QuicKeys 4.0.3, RealVNC, Reader Notifier, Apple Server Admin 10.5.3, SmartScroll, Sonos 3.0, Sticky Windows, TinkerTool, TivoDesktop, Undercover, Vectorworks, WindowShadeX, WireTap Studio, and X-Lite.