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"Macintel" Q&A
Published February 9, 2006
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How do you reset an application to run under Rosetta instead of natively? Why would you want to do that? Wouldn't it be slower?
For readers who are not already familiar with the "Rosetta" translator that allows programs written for a PowerPC-based Mac to run on an Intel-based Mac, it may be worthwhile to first read the answer to "What is Rosetta? What does it support?" elsewhere in the "Macintel" Q&A.
For those who are familiar with "Rosetta," "Forcing a Universal Application to Run with Rosetta" on Apple's Support Site covers the "reset" process.
In basic terms, this document provides instructions on how to use a new application written for either an Intel-based or PowerPC-based Mac as if it was an older application written for a PowerPC-based model using an Intel-based system. It sounds convoluted, but it's actually quite easy.
Apple explains how to force a Universal application to open using Rosetta:
1. Click the application's icon in the Finder.
2. From the Finder File menu, choose Get Info (Command-I).
3. Select the checkbox named "Open using Rosetta."
4. Close the Get Info window.
Apple mentions that you might want to do this in order to use a new Universal Internet or graphics application with an older plug-in that was written for PowerPC-based Macs. Although the application runs natively, since the plug-in does not, the application cannot natively take advantage of the capabilities provided by the plug-in.
Real world examples of the reasons to do this include running the Universal version of the Safari web browser within Rosetta in order to run the older Shockwave plug-in, and running future Universal versions of Photoshop, which is not yet native for Intel-based systems, with older plug-ins.
What Apple neglects to point out is that you are correct. Running the Universal application within Rosetta will make the application run more slowly than it would if it was running as a native application. However, sometimes the reduction in speed is a worthwhile trade off for an improvement in compatibility.
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