Re:Memory access on the Apple M1 processor
by coldtea on Wednesday January 06, 2021 @06:20PM
(#25664128)
Walled garden has many meanings, depending on context.
macOS promotes the App Store as the source of software (even if it's not the sole), and has walls like notarization requirements and the Gatekeeper to prevent weeds from intruding.
With the App Store Apple knew that there's a pool of N apps that follows its guidelines, has passed internal checks for API use, and can be converted quite easily to a different architecture, that it could count on.
Their control over the platform allowed them to enforce Metal and deprecate OpenGL pronto, to add a new combined iOS/macOS UI libs, to introduce Marzipan.
They have also added stuff like Universal Binary support, and most importantly Bitcode, which abstracts away parts of the underlying architecture.
All of those where steps towards the ARM/M1 (and future developments), and all were enabled via Apple's control of the hardward, software, and - sure, partial - control of third party apps.
macOS promotes the App Store as the source of software (even if it's not the sole), and has walls like notarization requirements and the Gatekeeper to prevent weeds from intruding.
With the App Store Apple knew that there's a pool of N apps that follows its guidelines, has passed internal checks for API use, and can be converted quite easily to a different architecture, that it could count on.
Their control over the platform allowed them to enforce Metal and deprecate OpenGL pronto, to add a new combined iOS/macOS UI libs, to introduce Marzipan.
They have also added stuff like Universal Binary support, and most importantly Bitcode, which abstracts away parts of the underlying architecture.
All of those where steps towards the ARM/M1 (and future developments), and all were enabled via Apple's control of the hardward, software, and - sure, partial - control of third party apps.