Apple Posts Mac OS X 10.6-Incompatible Software

Apple has revealed that Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard is designed to protect your Mac from certain incompatible pieces of software that can quit unexpectedly or cause other issues. Now, there is a Support document on the Mac maker’s site containing a list of known-incompatible applications, or versions of those apps that are incompatible with Snow Leopard.

“When you install Snow Leopard or migrate to Snow Leopard, known-incompatible software is moved to a folder named Incompatible Software on your hard drive,” Apple also reveals. “Snow Leopard also prevents known-incompatible software from opening.  If you see an ‘Incompatible software’ message, contact the software's vendor or visit their website for a later, compatible version,” the company explains.

Softpedia note

Of course, most developers will, sooner or later, adjust their pieces of software to support Snow Leopard so, even if you do contact the vendor, you’ll most likely get an answer like, “We’re working on it.” It’s pretty much a waiting game right now, but you can also check this wiki-based “Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard Compatibility List” supported by Snow Leopard users reporting their luck with installed software.

Apple also talks “software restricted during installation and migration,” explaining more thoroughly that, during installation, Snow Leopard will move known-incompatible to the aforementioned “Incompatible Software” folder. The directory is located at the root level of the hard drive, according to the Support document. “If you see this folder on your Mac, use the table below to check with the software vendor to see if any Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard-compatible updates are available,” Apple advises users. The table is located here.

For pieces of software restricted from opening, Apple explains that, if you try to open (“launch”) a piece of software known to quit unexpectedly, Snow Leopard will prevent the application from opening. You will receive a dialog notifying you of the incompatibility. An additional list of applications for this category of unsupported pieces of software is posted on the same Support page. As a last resort, the Mac maker encourages you to also check with the software vendor and see if you’ve updated the app to work with Apple’s Mac OS X 10.6.

Printing and scanning pieces of software are a different story altogether. “During installation, your printing and scanning software will be upgraded to Snow Leopard-compatible versions if upgrades are available,” Apple says. “Incompatible software may be removed during the upgrade.” Supported printer and scanner models are listed here.