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Quicken 2007 May Run on OS X Lion, Even With Rosetta Dead

Thursday June 16, 2011 6:44 pm PDT by Jordan Golson
Earlier in the week it was reported that PowerPC-emulation software Rosetta will be killed off in OS X Lion. This is of particular concern to users of older apps like Quicken 2007 (which is still for sale) which some users favor because the current version of Quicken Essentials for Mac is missing numerous features that the 2007 version had.

Aaron Patzer, VP/GM of Intuit's Personal Finance Group spoke with The Mac Observer about the intricacies of Intuit's codebase.
Mr. Patzer explained that the PowerPC codebase for Quicken For Mac 2007 was started decades ago and has many intricacies -- including its own custom-built database engine -- that are very much PowerPC specific. Simply porting this code over to Intel is not possible and would require a significant amount of work. So much so that Intuit decided to focus those resources on developing an entirely new application, Quicken Essentials for Mac.
But what of Rosetta and Quicken 2007 and OS X Lion? Intuit is reportedly working with Apple to embed the necessary parts of Rosetta in Quicken 2007 to get it to run on Lion.
The project has been underway for the past few months, with Intuit working to possibly embed specific Rosetta libraries into Quicken For Mac 2007 to get it to run. This, too, is not a simple project and may never come to fruition.
It's a massive project and may never work, but they are working on it. We should know more by the end of the summer.

[ 291 comments ]

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inket
109 months ago
If they're not willing to update their app (with all features) for Rosetta-free Lion then they definitely don't deserve their users' money.
Rating: 33 Votes
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Cougarcat
109 months ago
Weird. Sounds like it would be easier just to start over and build the damn thing from the ground up.
Rating: 26 Votes
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longofest
109 months ago
That sounds like a kludge if I ever heard of one. Wouldn't it be nice if Intuit put those R&D dollars into making a new, decent version of Quicken for Mac?
Rating: 24 Votes
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brand
109 months ago
Instead of developing an acceptable version they want to hack a version that is almost 5 years old to work? That is ridiculous. Quicken Essentials for Mac definitely shows whats little effort they put towards developing for the Mac community. At this point I would buy Microsoft Money if it was made for the Mac before giving my money to Intuit to only be told "Go F Yourself" in return.
Rating: 17 Votes
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AdrianK
109 months ago

MUCH EASIER:

Just install Rosetta from Mac OS X 10.6.7 on the newer Mac OS X versions.


Cool. There's just sort of one teeny tiny problem with that: It does not work.
Rating: 9 Votes
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skellener
109 months ago
Ten years and they never updated their legacy code. Stop using this program already!!! It's time to move on.
Rating: 9 Votes
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YMark
109 months ago
Unfortunately, Intuit has failed Mac users. I was an long time Quicken user up until I made the switch to a Mac about 3 years ago. Quicken on a Mac is a farce.
Rating: 9 Votes
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Airforcekid
109 months ago
Why not add those features to essentials in an update seems so much more simpler let outdated technology die it has to eventually.
Rating: 9 Votes
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briloronmacrumo
109 months ago

For the love of god, just make Rosetta an optional download like it is now and all our lives easier.

Unfortunately, it's not that simple. Apple is predicted to be pulling the PowerPC frameworks too. Without those, Rosetta won't run.

Intuit's description of their 'plan' is not very credible. They claim a database prevents the code from moving to Intel Macs? If these are Endian issues there are remedies and Core Foundation calls. Plus, the issue(s), whatever it really is, should have been identified 5 years ago when Apple announced a move to Intel.
Rating: 7 Votes
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mdriftmeyer
109 months ago


Mr. Patzer explained that the PowerPC codebase for Quicken For Mac 2007 was started decades ago and has many intricacies -- including its own custom-built database engine -- that are very much PowerPC specific. Simply porting this code over to Intel is not possible and would require a significant amount of work.


Do these guys ever tire of that same old panned press statement that is not remotely factual? I guess not.

This is not an Operating System getting ported. It's a single application.

Sorry, but anyone relying on Quicken in this day and age needs to rethink their approach to managing their own assets.
Rating: 7 Votes

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