The last five years have seen great changes in Mac firmware security. As Intel Macs are replaced by Apple Silicon models, firmware may at last be simpler and more secure at last.
Intel
Internally, it isn’t called Rosetta, but OAH. Although itself tiny, its demands on memory and CPU can be great. Details of how and what it does, and more.
Processors haven’t just increased in speed and packed more transistors into a smaller space. Features such as the Neural Engine in the M1 show Apple is moving in a different direction.
New version of Mints tells you the scaling factors required to convert raw Mach absolute time values to nanoseconds, which change on Apple Silicon Macs.
The more you look at changes to Mach Absolute Time coming in Apple Silicon Macs, the more messy they become, largely because the docs are so incomplete.
Highlights some potential issues with third-party products running under Big Sur, and on Apple Silicon Macs, from the sealed system volume to mixed architecture tool chains.
Look forward to Universal Apps, which will show how well Apple Silicon Macs perform. There’s a lot of history buried in them too.
Can you strip all Intel executables from a Universal App to make it even smaller? What benefits might there be in building an app for Big Sur only?
Will stripping executable code for an unwanted platform stop an app from working? What savings are to be gained?
Apple gave us a big clue in the command tool lipo, which underwent complete overhaul in Mojave – a clear signpost of where it is heading.
The Eclectic Light Company 