ARM MacOS users...

[tperry2x]

I have a request that only MacOS users on ARM can try.

With Apple seemingly imminently phasing out Rosetta 2, now would be the time to download it.

Firstly, IF I am I allowed to make copies of the Rosetta 2 install package (don't know why I wouldn't be), I have a script to download it and make a copy of it.

My intention is to grab copies of the Rosetta 2 installers, for offline backups - just so we have a copy.
This can only be done by MacOS ARM users - because the URL is specific to the OS version you might be running.

My plan currently is to collect Rosetta installers for:
MacOS 11 (Big Sur),
MacOS 12 (Monterey),
MacOS 13 (Ventura),
MacOS 14 (Sonoma),
and MacOS 15 (Sequoia),

My script will only work if you HAVEN'T ALREADY downloaded Rosetta 2, so I'd need someone with an ARM mac on these system versions to run a shell script that I can provide. Then the plan is to backup the Rosetta 2 packages (if I'm allowed that is).

If you'd already done this, and downloaded it and installed it:

Then I'm afraid the script won't work. It needs to be on a Mac that hasn't already tried to install Rosetta 2 (not tried to run x86 intel programs).

I've looked through: https://www.apple.com/legal/sla/ to see if I could find any mention of Licensing for Rosetta 2, but not mentioned.

[richmond62]

The possibility that Apple won't provide a Rosetta 2 download for MacOS 16 or 17 does NOT, of itself, mean that Rosetta 2 downloads for earlier MacOS versions will suddenly vanish.

[richmond62]

Here are some thoughts:

https://tinyapps.org/blog/202103270700_ ... etta2.html

[tperry2x]

On that page, they point to a script at the bottom of the page.
For that script though, you'd also have to know the build number of the OS. Not the version number (not 10.15.5 for example, the build number is apparently 19F101) for example. - I don't know if I care that much to work it out. Got a headache, reading the last two comments on this page.

To make it worse, there seems no rhyme-nor-reason why Apple chooses a particular build number:

Apple isn’t dogmatic about following these rules, or, to put it another way, circumstances sometimes force the company to deviate from its rules. If it had followed past years, iOS 13.1 would have been 17Bxxx, but it was 17A844. This fact probably means that Apple originally thought that iOS 13.1 was going to be iOS 13.0.1, but it ended up containing such important changes that the company decided to increment the minor version number rather than the patch version number.

(source)

I'd want to make sure I was getting the right one though, so I could at least label it up as 11.x for example.
I thought the build number might also be listed in what their security updates fix, but doesn't seem to be there either. The only way I know of is getting people on Arm macs to tell me what System version they are running and what build number.

All so I can download the right version of Rosetta 2 to back it up.

However, downloading any of these does not produce a valid pkg. I'm led to believe it should be between 12-15MB in size, not the size as shown here:

not-valid.png (102.91 KiB) Viewed 692 times

[tperry2x]

...does NOT mean that Rosetta 2 downloads for earlier MacOS versions will suddenly vanish.

Are you sure? I wouldn't assume that anything would stay put, so if I don't have a copy, I consider it subject to vanishing online at any point.

But then, this is only a fleeting solution as it might extend the lifespan of running intel applications on ARM processors for MacOS 11 through to MacOS 15. If Apple put something in the OS to prevent Rosetta 2 running full stop (just like they did with OSX 10.7), then that stops Rosetta2 altogether - even if it was available for older MacOS versions, it wouldn't be available for subsequent MacOS versions - onwards - from when they decide to stop the OS accepting it. And we'd be back to square 1 again, so forget that plan.

[tperry2x]

Plan D (I think we are on plan-D now), web'ifying our existing engine.

[richmond62]

Well. I wish you well.

1. I am 'off' for 8 days.

2. I will try to obtain an ARM-Mac in due course.