What are 68k, PPC, Intel, and Universal applications?
When applications are written, they are written for a specific operating system and computer processor in mind. Over the years, Apple has used three distinctly different processors in the Macintosh computer. Every time Apple changed processors, they included a technology in the operating system that allowed the new processors to pretend to be the older processors (a process called “emulation”). The benefit of this is obvious; it ensures that all of the software that Macintosh owners had purchased would continue to run on the newer computers, and ensures that the companies selling that software didn’t suddenly find themselves unable to sell their products to new customers. However, this compatibility came at a price; software runs slower under emulation, even when the newer processor speed was faster than the older processor speed. Those three processors are generally referred to as 68k (used from 1984-1994), PPC (or “PowerPC”, from 1994-2006), and Intel (2006-present). Therefore, appli
