Being a Windows user myself, I found the download instructions for Mac on
SourceForge a bit cryptic. Here's what I've written for my article -- if
it's wrong, please help me fix it!

"The MacOS choices refer to 'the MacCsound front end.' If you’re on the Mac
and want to use the graphic front end, you download one Csound package; if
you want to use the command line, you download the other one."

Is that even remotely correct? Thanks.

--Jim Aikin

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No.  That is not correct.

Mac computers within the last few years changed from using PowerPC
microprocessors (manufactured by IBM or Motorola) to using x86 processors
(manufactured by Intel).  Normally, users would want to download a version
of a program that corresponds to their processor's architecture (PowerPC or
x86).  However, the Intel Macs _can_ run PowerPC software in a special
emulation mode.

Now, a large number of Mac users of Csound do not enjoy using the
commandline.  And MacCsound has been one of the most popular Csound front
ends for the Mac.  But MacCsound is only available as a PowerPC program and
therefore requires that a PowerPC-based Csound be installed instead of the
Intel-based Csound regardless of the architecture of the user's computer.
Users who are not interested in MacCsound should install the Csound package
that matches their architecture.

We have had a ton of questions from Intel Mac users who cannot get MacCsound
to run on their computers -- thus the warning.  I think the warning on the
web site is pretty clear to Mac users.  If it is not, I would be happy to
reword it.

Anthony Kozar
mailing-lists-1001 AT anthonykozar DOT net
http://anthonykozar.net/

Jim Aikin wrote on 6/5/08 12:13 PM:

> 
> Being a Windows user myself, I found the download instructions for Mac on
> SourceForge a bit cryptic. Here's what I've written for my article -- if
> it's wrong, please help me fix it!
> 
> "The MacOS choices refer to 'the MacCsound front end.' If you¹re on the Mac
> and want to use the graphic front end, you download one Csound package; if
> you want to use the command line, you download the other one."
> 
> Is that even remotely correct? Thanks.
> 
> --Jim Aikin

Anthony Kozar-2 wrote:
> 
> No.  That is not correct.
> 

Thanks, Anthony. Is this better?

"Before downloading a Macintosh version, you need to know whether you’re
using an Intel Mac or a PowerPC, and you need to decide whether you’re
content to run Csound from the command line or whether you want to use the
default graphic front end. The graphic front end is not compatible with
Intel Macs, so if that’s what you have, but you'd prefer to use the graphic
front end, you need to download the PowerPC version and then run it in an
emulation mode. If you don’t care about the graphic front end, download the
version that matches your computer."

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View this message in context: http://www.nabble.com/Download-Versions-for-Mac-tp17673792p17677118.html
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On Jun 5, 2008, at 2:59 PM, Jim Aikin wrote:

> The graphic front end is not compatible with
> Intel Macs

It is compatible, it's just not native. Also, you don't 'run it in an  
emulation mode', per se. It happens automatically. User doesn't have  
to do anything special, other than download and and install the  
PowerPC version.

Here is how I would reword what you wrote:

"Before downloading a Macintosh version, you need to know whether you¹re
using an Intel Mac or a PowerPC Mac, and you need to decide whether or not
you want to use the MacCsound graphical front end by Matt Ingalls that is
available separately from cSounds.com (recommended for new Csound users).
MacCsound does not run natively on Intel Macs, so if that¹s what you have,
and you prefer to use MacCsound, you need to download and install the
PowerPC version of Csound.  If you plan to frequently use Csound from the
commandline or with another front end, download the version that matches
your computer instead."


Major corrections in the above include the fact that MacCsound does not come
with the Csound packages and the omission of the instructions to "run in
emulation mode" which is unnecessary since it happens transparently to the
user.  You may wish to note that the Mac OS X Csound packages do include a
couple of graphical front ends that are perhaps not as fully-featured as
MacCsound.  Also, the PowerPC Csound will run significantly slower on an
Intel Mac than the Intel version.  If speed is a serious concern, using the
commandline or another GUI is recommended.  I personally really like the
cross-platform front end "blue".

Anthony

Jim Aikin wrote on 6/5/08 2:59 PM:

> Anthony Kozar-2 wrote:
>> 
>> No.  That is not correct.
>> 
> 
> Thanks, Anthony. Is this better?
> 
> "Before downloading a Macintosh version, you need to know whether you¹re
> using an Intel Mac or a PowerPC, and you need to decide whether you¹re
> content to run Csound from the command line or whether you want to use the
> default graphic front end. The graphic front end is not compatible with
> Intel Macs, so if that¹s what you have, but you'd prefer to use the graphic
> front end, you need to download the PowerPC version and then run it in an
> emulation mode. If you don¹t care about the graphic front end, download the
> version that matches your computer."

MacCsound.  Also, the PowerPC Csound will run significantly slower on an
Intel Mac than the Intel version.  If speed is a serious concern, using the

i've never noticed any *significant* slowdown

I have updated the information under the Mac OS X heading for the
csound.sourceforge.net web page to hopefully be more clear.  I have also
updated the link to the Intel Mac package which was renamed some time ago,
and I added links to the new HRTF data files.

I currently cannot upload the revisions due to Sourceforge migrating their
servers, so I've temporarily posted the page to my own web site.  If anyone
has suggestions for changes, I'd appreciate your comments in the next 24
hours or so before I upload the page to Sourceforge.

http://www.anthonykozar.net/temp/index-5.08b.html

Anthony Kozar
mailing-lists-1001 AT anthonykozar DOT net
http://anthonykozar.net/


Jim Aikin wrote on 6/5/08 12:13 PM:

> Being a Windows user myself, I found the download instructions for Mac on
> SourceForge a bit cryptic.