End of support for MacOS `x64` builds in the CI

[jpraynaud]

Why

We support very legacy builds for MacOS (x64) and these builds need to be created on macos-14-large runners in GitHub which are expensive. They also create failures when the workflows are run in a public fork of the repository.

What

Remove the build with the macos-14-large runners in the CI and remove the creation of the -macos-x64.tar.gz archive in the release.

How

• Remove the build with the macos-14-large in the CI workflow
• Remove the build with the macos-14-large in the Mithril Client multi-platform test workflow
• Dev blog post for end of support for MacOS x64 pre-built binaries
• Remove the x86_64-darwin target in nix flake
• Discord announcement

[michalrus]

Hello, @jpraynaud, @dlachaume, it seems to me that this point of "How":

• Remove the x86_64-darwin target in nix flake

… does not follow the "Why":

these builds need to be created on macos-14-large runners in GitHub which are expensive.

Blockfrost Platform Desktop will also be available for x86_64-darwin, as there are a lot of potential users there, esp. in Japan. We depend on your flake (built by Hydra), so do not need the prebuilds (from GitHub Actions).

For the time being I’ll patch the flake before importing it in our tree.

[michalrus]

In the PR for this issue you claim:

Additionally, Cardano node version 10+ now supports only Apple Silicon on macOSX.

While it’s still clearly an x86_64 executable:

❯ file cardano-node-10.4.1-macos/bin/cardano-node
cardano-node-10.4.1-macos/bin/cardano-node: Mach-O 64-bit x86_64 executable, flags:<NOUNDEFS|DYLDLINK|TWOLEVEL|WEAK_DEFINES|BINDS_TO_WEAK|PIE|HAS_TLV_DESCRIPTORS>

[jpraynaud]

In the PR for this issue you claim:

Additionally, Cardano node version 10+ now supports only Apple Silicon on macOSX.

While it’s still clearly an x86_64 executable:

❯ file cardano-node-10.4.1-macos/bin/cardano-node
cardano-node-10.4.1-macos/bin/cardano-node: Mach-O 64-bit x86_64 executable, flags:<NOUNDEFS|DYLDLINK|TWOLEVEL|WEAK_DEFINES|BINDS_TO_WEAK|PIE|HAS_TLV_DESCRIPTORS>

@michalrus this is not the information displayed in the minimum system requirements of the Cardano node GitHub release page: https://github.com/IntersectMBO/cardano-node/releases/tag/10.4.1

Or, for MacOS, an Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3 or M4) processor

If this helps, we can put back the creation of the x86_64 builds on the Hydra CI 👍

[michalrus]

Right… On one hand they write:

Or, for MacOS, an Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3 or M4) processor

And on the other:

MacOS 10.13, 10.14, 10.15, 11

(only 11 supports Apple Silicon).

If this helps, we can put back the creation of the x86_64 builds on the Hydra CI 👍

Yes, this will be enough, and allow us to remove our patch of your tree. Thank you!