PowerPCheck 3.2 review
DownloadPowerPCheck is a cool drag & drop utility that looks for native PowerPC code inside applications, control panels, extensions and all other executable files.
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PowerPCheck is a cool drag & drop utility that looks for native PowerPC code inside applications, control panels, extensions and all other executable files. It can check individual files as well as folders or entire disks; it inspects both the data fork and the resource fork of each file and creates a detailed text report of all the native code it finds.
The text report may include any and all of the 68K, PPC and FAT application types, as well as files that carry PPC code resources. Please note that applications are considered PPC or FAT only if their native code is stored in their data fork; an application whose PPC code is stored inside a code resource is listed as a 68K application with PPC code resources.
For example, although the StuffIt Deluxe and StuffIt Lite utilities include native code, they are only included in the report if either the “Report 68K Applications” or the “Report PPC Code Resources” option is set.
PowerPCheck can remove unused code from the files it inspects but this operation is potentially dangerous because some programs may stop working or even crash if you remove some code that they expect to find in their own files.
The PowerPC application code stored in the data fork can usually be removed without disturbing the 68K application; the stripped application should still run on both PowerPC and 68K Macs, although it will be a lot slower when running on a Power Mac. This is not guaranteed to work, but it’s the safest removal you can choose.
The PowerPC code stored in resource forks is a lot more dangerous to remove, since it’s usually directly accessed by the related application. The stripped program will most likely run on a 68K Mac, but it may easily crash or stop working if you move it to a Power Mac.
Removing the 68K code from the resource fork of an application always prevents it from running on a 68K Macintosh. The application should still be able to run on a Power Mac, but you’ll get an error message from the Finder if you try to launch it on a 68K machine. Note that this kind of removal can only be done on applications that carry native PowerPC code in their data forks.
Before attempting to remove any kind of code, please make sure you have a backup copy of all your applications, plug-ins, extensions, control panels and shared libraries. Code removal can help if you have a 68K Mac and a small hard disk filled with megabytes of unused PowerPC code, but stripped-down programs can’t be restored to their original state if you don’t have a clean backup copy somewhere on your shelves.
What's New:
Changed the report generation options to allow customized reports for specific kinds of applications (68K, PPC and FAT).
Recompiled with CodeWarrior 11.
PowerPCheck 3.2 keywords