Mac OS is a alternation of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Inc. (formerly Apple Computer, Inc.) for their Macintosh band of computer systems. The Macintosh user acquaintance is accustomed with popularizing the graphical user interface. The aboriginal anatomy of what Apple would after name the "Mac OS" was the basic and bearding arrangementcomputer application aboriginal alien in 1984 with the aboriginal Macintosh, usually referred to artlessly as the Arrangement software.
Thursday 8 December 2011
Conception
From the beginning, Apple advisedly approved to abbreviate by architecture the user's conceptual acquaintance of the operating arrangement as such. Tasks that on added articles appropriate a added absolute alive ability of an operating arrangement would on a Macintosh be able by automatic abrasion gestures and abetment of graphical ascendancy panels. The ambition was that the artefact would appropriately be added convenient and so added calmly mastered. This would differentiate it from accessories application added operating environments, such as MS-DOS machines, which were added technically arduous to operate.
The amount of the arrangementcomputer application was captivated in ROM, with updates (which would override ROM-resident portions in RAM) about provided chargeless of allegation by Apple dealers on billowing disk. The user's captivation in an advancement of the operating arrangement was additionally minimized to active an installer, or artlessly replacing arrangement files, the artlessness of which afresh differentiated the artefact from added offerings
The amount of the arrangementcomputer application was captivated in ROM, with updates (which would override ROM-resident portions in RAM) about provided chargeless of allegation by Apple dealers on billowing disk. The user's captivation in an advancement of the operating arrangement was additionally minimized to active an installer, or artlessly replacing arrangement files, the artlessness of which afresh differentiated the artefact from added offerings
Versions
Early versions of the Mac OS were accordant abandoned with Motorola 68000-based Macintoshes. As Apple alien computers with PowerPC hardware, the OS was ported to abutment this architectonics as well. Mac OS 8.1 was the aftermost adaptation that could run on a "68K" processor (the 68040). Mac OS X, which has abolished the "Classic" Mac OS, is accordant with abandoned PowerPC processors from adaptation 10.0 ("Cheetah") to adaptation 10.3 ("Panther"). PowerPC and Intel processors are accurate in adaptation 10.4 ("Tiger", Intel abandoned accurate afterwards an update) and adaptation 10.5 ("Leopard"). Versions 10.6 ("Snow Leopard") and after abutment abandoned Intel processors.4
The aboriginal Macintosh operating arrangement initially consisted of two pieces of software, alleged "System" and "Finder", anniversary with its own adaptation number.5 Arrangement 7.5.1 was the aboriginal to accommodate the Mac OS logo (a aberration on the aboriginal Happy Mac startup icon), and Mac OS 7.6 was the aboriginal to be called "Mac OS".
Before the addition of the after PowerPC G3-based systems, cogent genitalia of the arrangement were stored in concrete ROM on the motherboard. The antecedent purpose of this was to abstain application up the bound accumulator of billowing disks on arrangement support, accustomed that the aboriginal Macs had no adamantine disk. (Only one archetypal of Mac was anytime absolutely bootable application the ROM alone, the 1991 Mac Classic model.) This architectonics additionally accustomed for a absolutely graphical OS interface at the everyman akin after the charge for a text-only animate or command-line mode. Boot time errors, such as award no activity deejay drives, were announced to the user graphically, usually with an figure or the characteristic Chicago bitmap chantry and a Chime of Death or a alternation of beeps. This was in adverse to computers of the time, which displayed such letters in a mono-spaced chantry on a atramentous background, and appropriate the use of the keyboard, not a mouse, for input. To accommodate such niceties at a low level, Mac OS depended on amount arrangementcomputer application in ROM on the motherboard, a actuality that after helped to ensure that abandoned Apple computers or accountant clones (with the copyright-protected ROMs from Apple) could run Mac OS.
Mac OS can be disconnected into two families:
The Mac OS Classic family, which was based on Apple's own code
The Mac OS X operating system, developed from Mac OS Classic family, and NeXTSTEP, which was UNIX-based
The aboriginal Macintosh operating arrangement initially consisted of two pieces of software, alleged "System" and "Finder", anniversary with its own adaptation number.5 Arrangement 7.5.1 was the aboriginal to accommodate the Mac OS logo (a aberration on the aboriginal Happy Mac startup icon), and Mac OS 7.6 was the aboriginal to be called "Mac OS".
Before the addition of the after PowerPC G3-based systems, cogent genitalia of the arrangement were stored in concrete ROM on the motherboard. The antecedent purpose of this was to abstain application up the bound accumulator of billowing disks on arrangement support, accustomed that the aboriginal Macs had no adamantine disk. (Only one archetypal of Mac was anytime absolutely bootable application the ROM alone, the 1991 Mac Classic model.) This architectonics additionally accustomed for a absolutely graphical OS interface at the everyman akin after the charge for a text-only animate or command-line mode. Boot time errors, such as award no activity deejay drives, were announced to the user graphically, usually with an figure or the characteristic Chicago bitmap chantry and a Chime of Death or a alternation of beeps. This was in adverse to computers of the time, which displayed such letters in a mono-spaced chantry on a atramentous background, and appropriate the use of the keyboard, not a mouse, for input. To accommodate such niceties at a low level, Mac OS depended on amount arrangementcomputer application in ROM on the motherboard, a actuality that after helped to ensure that abandoned Apple computers or accountant clones (with the copyright-protected ROMs from Apple) could run Mac OS.
Mac OS can be disconnected into two families:
The Mac OS Classic family, which was based on Apple's own code
The Mac OS X operating system, developed from Mac OS Classic family, and NeXTSTEP, which was UNIX-based
Classic" Mac OS (1984–2001)
The "classic" Mac OS is characterized by its absolute abridgement of a command line; it is a absolutely graphical operating system. Versions of Mac OS up through Arrangement 4 alone ran one appliance at a time. Even so, it was acclaimed for its affluence of use. Mac OS acquired accommodating multitasking with Arrangement 5, which ran on the Mac SE and Macintosh II. It was criticized for its absolute bound anamnesis management, abridgement of adequate memory, and susceptibility to conflicts amid operating arrangement "extensions" that accommodate added functionality (such as networking) or abutment for a accurate device. Some extensions may not assignment appropriately together, or assignment alone back loaded in a accurate order. Troubleshooting Mac OS extensions could be a time-consuming action of balloon and error.
The Macintosh originally acclimated the Macintosh Book Arrangement (MFS), a collapsed book arrangement with alone one akin of folders. This was bound replaced in 1985 by the Hierarchical Book Arrangement (HFS), which had a accurate agenda tree. Both book systems are contrarily compatible.
Most book systems acclimated with DOS, Unix, or added operating systems amusement a book as artlessly a arrangement of bytes, acute an appliance to apperceive which bytes represent what blazon of information. By contrast, MFS and HFS accord files two altered "forks". The abstracts angle contains the aforementioned array of advice as added book systems, such as the argument of a certificate or the bitmaps of an angel file. The ability angle contains added structured abstracts such as card definitions, graphics, sounds, or cipher segments. A book ability abide alone of assets with an abandoned abstracts fork, or alone a abstracts angle with no ability fork. A chat processor book could accommodate its argument in the abstracts angle and administration advice in the ability fork, so that an appliance which doesn’t admit the administration advice can still apprehend the raw text.
On the added hand, these forks would accommodate a claiming to interoperability with added operating systems: how does one archetype a dual-forked book into a altered book system, or beyond a file-transfer system, or bury it into email? In artful or appointment a MacOS book to a non-Mac system, the absence implementations would artlessly band the book of its ability fork. Most abstracts files independent alone nonessential advice in their ability fork, such as window admeasurement and location, but affairs files would be barren afterwards their resources. This apprenticed such encoding schemes as BinHex and MacBinary, which accustomed a user to encode a dual-forked book into a distinct stream, or booty a distinct beck so-encoded and reconstitute it into a dual-forked book accessible by MacOS.
PowerPC versions of Mac OS X up to and including Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger (support for Archetypal was alone by Apple with v10.5 Leopard's absolution and it is no best included) accommodate a affinity band for active earlier Mac applications, the Archetypal Environment. This runs a abounding archetype of the earlier Mac OS, adaptation 9.1 or later, in a Mac OS X process. PowerPC-based Macs alien with Mac OS 9.2 as able-bodied as Mac OS X. Mac OS 9.2 had to be installed by the user— it was not installed by absence on accouterments revisions appear afterwards the absolution of Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. Most well-written "classic" applications action appropriately beneath this environment, but affinity is alone assured if thecomputer application was accounting to be blind of the absolute hardware, and to collaborate alone with the operating system. The Archetypal Ambiance is not accessible on Intel-based Macintosh systems due to the abhorrence of Mac OS 9 with the x86 hardware.
Users of the archetypal Mac OS about upgraded to Mac OS X, but abounding criticized it as actuality added difficult and beneath convenient than the aboriginal Mac OS, for the abridgement of assertive appearance that had not been re-implemented in the fresh OS, or for actuality slower on the aforementioned accouterments (especially earlier hardware), or other, sometimes austere incompatibilities with the earlier OS.6 Because drivers (for printers, scanners, tablets, etc.) accounting for the earlier Mac OS are not accordant with Mac OS X, and due to the abridgement of Mac OS X abutment for earlier Apple machines, a cogent cardinal of Macintosh users connected application the earlier archetypal Mac OS.
In June 2005, Steve Jobs appear at the Worldwide Developers Appointment keynote that Apple computers would be transitioning from PowerPC to Intel processors and appropriately bottomward affinity on fresh machines for Mac OS Classic. At the aforementioned conference, Jobs appear Developer Alteration Kits that included beta versions of Applecomputer application including Mac OS X that developers could use to analysis their applications as they ported them to run on Intel-powered Macs. In January 2006, Apple appear the aboriginal Macintosh computers with Intel processors, an iMac and the MacBook Pro, and in February 2006, Apple appear a Mac mini with an Intel Core Solo and Duo processor. On May 16, 2006, Apple appear the MacBook, afore commutual the Intel alteration on August 7 with the Mac Pro. To affluence the alteration for aboriginal buyers of the fresh machines, Intel-based Macs included an appetite technology alleged Rosetta, which allows them to run Mac OS Xcomputer application that was aggregate for PowerPC-based Macintoshes. Rosetta runs transparently, creating a user acquaintance identical to active thecomputer application on a PowerPC machine, admitting beheading is about slower than with built-in code. Rosetta was an alternative accession in Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard and is not accessible at all in Mac OS X 10.7 Lion
The Macintosh originally acclimated the Macintosh Book Arrangement (MFS), a collapsed book arrangement with alone one akin of folders. This was bound replaced in 1985 by the Hierarchical Book Arrangement (HFS), which had a accurate agenda tree. Both book systems are contrarily compatible.
Most book systems acclimated with DOS, Unix, or added operating systems amusement a book as artlessly a arrangement of bytes, acute an appliance to apperceive which bytes represent what blazon of information. By contrast, MFS and HFS accord files two altered "forks". The abstracts angle contains the aforementioned array of advice as added book systems, such as the argument of a certificate or the bitmaps of an angel file. The ability angle contains added structured abstracts such as card definitions, graphics, sounds, or cipher segments. A book ability abide alone of assets with an abandoned abstracts fork, or alone a abstracts angle with no ability fork. A chat processor book could accommodate its argument in the abstracts angle and administration advice in the ability fork, so that an appliance which doesn’t admit the administration advice can still apprehend the raw text.
On the added hand, these forks would accommodate a claiming to interoperability with added operating systems: how does one archetype a dual-forked book into a altered book system, or beyond a file-transfer system, or bury it into email? In artful or appointment a MacOS book to a non-Mac system, the absence implementations would artlessly band the book of its ability fork. Most abstracts files independent alone nonessential advice in their ability fork, such as window admeasurement and location, but affairs files would be barren afterwards their resources. This apprenticed such encoding schemes as BinHex and MacBinary, which accustomed a user to encode a dual-forked book into a distinct stream, or booty a distinct beck so-encoded and reconstitute it into a dual-forked book accessible by MacOS.
PowerPC versions of Mac OS X up to and including Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger (support for Archetypal was alone by Apple with v10.5 Leopard's absolution and it is no best included) accommodate a affinity band for active earlier Mac applications, the Archetypal Environment. This runs a abounding archetype of the earlier Mac OS, adaptation 9.1 or later, in a Mac OS X process. PowerPC-based Macs alien with Mac OS 9.2 as able-bodied as Mac OS X. Mac OS 9.2 had to be installed by the user— it was not installed by absence on accouterments revisions appear afterwards the absolution of Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. Most well-written "classic" applications action appropriately beneath this environment, but affinity is alone assured if thecomputer application was accounting to be blind of the absolute hardware, and to collaborate alone with the operating system. The Archetypal Ambiance is not accessible on Intel-based Macintosh systems due to the abhorrence of Mac OS 9 with the x86 hardware.
Users of the archetypal Mac OS about upgraded to Mac OS X, but abounding criticized it as actuality added difficult and beneath convenient than the aboriginal Mac OS, for the abridgement of assertive appearance that had not been re-implemented in the fresh OS, or for actuality slower on the aforementioned accouterments (especially earlier hardware), or other, sometimes austere incompatibilities with the earlier OS.6 Because drivers (for printers, scanners, tablets, etc.) accounting for the earlier Mac OS are not accordant with Mac OS X, and due to the abridgement of Mac OS X abutment for earlier Apple machines, a cogent cardinal of Macintosh users connected application the earlier archetypal Mac OS.
In June 2005, Steve Jobs appear at the Worldwide Developers Appointment keynote that Apple computers would be transitioning from PowerPC to Intel processors and appropriately bottomward affinity on fresh machines for Mac OS Classic. At the aforementioned conference, Jobs appear Developer Alteration Kits that included beta versions of Applecomputer application including Mac OS X that developers could use to analysis their applications as they ported them to run on Intel-powered Macs. In January 2006, Apple appear the aboriginal Macintosh computers with Intel processors, an iMac and the MacBook Pro, and in February 2006, Apple appear a Mac mini with an Intel Core Solo and Duo processor. On May 16, 2006, Apple appear the MacBook, afore commutual the Intel alteration on August 7 with the Mac Pro. To affluence the alteration for aboriginal buyers of the fresh machines, Intel-based Macs included an appetite technology alleged Rosetta, which allows them to run Mac OS Xcomputer application that was aggregate for PowerPC-based Macintoshes. Rosetta runs transparently, creating a user acquaintance identical to active thecomputer application on a PowerPC machine, admitting beheading is about slower than with built-in code. Rosetta was an alternative accession in Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard and is not accessible at all in Mac OS X 10.7 Lion
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is the newest of Apple Inc.'s Mac OS band of operating systems. Although it is clearly appointed as artlessly "version 10" of the Mac OS, it has a history abundantly absolute of the beforehand Mac OS releases.
The operating arrangement is the almsman to Mac OS 9 and the "classic" Mac OS. It is a Unix operating system, based on the NeXTSTEP operating arrangement and the Mach atom which Apple acquired afterwards purchasing NeXT Computer, with its CEO Steve Jobs abiding to Apple at this time. Mac OS X additionally makes use of the BSD cipher base. There accept been six cogent releases of the applicant version, the best contempo actuality Mac OS X 10.7, referred to as Lion.
As able-bodied as the applicant versions, Mac OS X has additionally had six cogent releases as a server version, alleged Mac OS X Server. The aboriginal of these, Mac OS X Server 1.0, was appear in beta in 1999. The server versions are architecturally identical to the applicant versions, with the adverse begin in their admittance of accoutrement for server management, including accoutrement for managing Mac OS X-based workgroups, mail servers, and web servers, amidst added tools. It was the absence operating arrangement for Xserve (which has now been discontinued),7 it's an alternative affection on the Mac Mini and the Mac Pro, and it's additionally installable on best added Macs. Unlike the applicant version, Mac OS X Server can be run in a basic apparatus application appetitecomputer application such as Parallels Desktop and VMWare Fusion.
Mac OS X is additionally the base for iOS, (previously iPhone OS) acclimated on Apple's iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad
The operating arrangement is the almsman to Mac OS 9 and the "classic" Mac OS. It is a Unix operating system, based on the NeXTSTEP operating arrangement and the Mach atom which Apple acquired afterwards purchasing NeXT Computer, with its CEO Steve Jobs abiding to Apple at this time. Mac OS X additionally makes use of the BSD cipher base. There accept been six cogent releases of the applicant version, the best contempo actuality Mac OS X 10.7, referred to as Lion.
As able-bodied as the applicant versions, Mac OS X has additionally had six cogent releases as a server version, alleged Mac OS X Server. The aboriginal of these, Mac OS X Server 1.0, was appear in beta in 1999. The server versions are architecturally identical to the applicant versions, with the adverse begin in their admittance of accoutrement for server management, including accoutrement for managing Mac OS X-based workgroups, mail servers, and web servers, amidst added tools. It was the absence operating arrangement for Xserve (which has now been discontinued),7 it's an alternative affection on the Mac Mini and the Mac Pro, and it's additionally installable on best added Macs. Unlike the applicant version, Mac OS X Server can be run in a basic apparatus application appetitecomputer application such as Parallels Desktop and VMWare Fusion.
Mac OS X is additionally the base for iOS, (previously iPhone OS) acclimated on Apple's iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad
Star Trek
Star Trek (as in "to angrily go area no Mac has gone before") was a almost alien abstruse ancestor Apple started assignment on in 1992, which ambition was to actualize a adaptation of the archetypal Mac OS that would run on Intel-compatible x86 claimed computers. The activity was instigated by Novell, Inc., who were attractive to accommodate their DR-DOS with the Mac OS UI as a antiphon to Microsoft's Windows 3.0. The Apple/Novell aggregation (fourteen engineers from the former, four from the latter) was able to get the Macintosh Finder and some basal applications, like QuickTime, active calmly on Windows. Some of the cipher from this accomplishment was reused afterwards back porting the Mac OS to PowerPC.8
The activity was annulled alone one year afterwards in aboriginal 1993. There are two theories for the project's abbreviate life: the aboriginal is that Apple's lath canceled added development aloft acumen that activity with Star Trek would beggarly an absolutely fresh business archetypal and one that would acceptable see a notable bead in Apple's advantageous accouterments sales; and the additional is that an x86 Mac OS was not commercially applicable in the aboriginal nineties because Microsoft's affairs for Windows 3.1 affected PC manufacturers to pay a ability to Microsoft for every computer shipped, behindhand of what operating arrangement it contained.9
A added aggravation was that Star Trek was advised to be source-level compatible, not bifold compatible, with the Mac OS. Mac applications would accordingly accept to be recompiled or rewritten by their developers to run on the x86 architecture, and there was abundant skepticism as to absolutely how abundant assignment this would entail.
Fifteen years afterwards Star Trek, abutment for the x86 architectonics was clearly included in Mac OS, and again Apple transitioned all desktop computers to the x86 architecture. This was not the absolute aftereffect of beforehand Activity Star Trek efforts. The Darwin basement acclimated for Mac OS X 10.0 and afterwards included abutment for the x86 architecture. The actual non-Darwin allocation of Mac OS X (based on OPENSTEP, which ran on Intel processors) was appear clearly with the addition of x86 Macintosh computers
The activity was annulled alone one year afterwards in aboriginal 1993. There are two theories for the project's abbreviate life: the aboriginal is that Apple's lath canceled added development aloft acumen that activity with Star Trek would beggarly an absolutely fresh business archetypal and one that would acceptable see a notable bead in Apple's advantageous accouterments sales; and the additional is that an x86 Mac OS was not commercially applicable in the aboriginal nineties because Microsoft's affairs for Windows 3.1 affected PC manufacturers to pay a ability to Microsoft for every computer shipped, behindhand of what operating arrangement it contained.9
A added aggravation was that Star Trek was advised to be source-level compatible, not bifold compatible, with the Mac OS. Mac applications would accordingly accept to be recompiled or rewritten by their developers to run on the x86 architecture, and there was abundant skepticism as to absolutely how abundant assignment this would entail.
Fifteen years afterwards Star Trek, abutment for the x86 architectonics was clearly included in Mac OS, and again Apple transitioned all desktop computers to the x86 architecture. This was not the absolute aftereffect of beforehand Activity Star Trek efforts. The Darwin basement acclimated for Mac OS X 10.0 and afterwards included abutment for the x86 architecture. The actual non-Darwin allocation of Mac OS X (based on OPENSTEP, which ran on Intel processors) was appear clearly with the addition of x86 Macintosh computers
68000 emulation
Although the Star Trekcomputer application was never released, third-party Macintosh emulators, such as vMac, Basilisk II, and Executor, eventually fabricated it accessible to run the archetypal Mac OS on Intel-based PCs. These emulators were belted to battling the 68000 alternation of processors, and as such best couldn't run versions of the Mac OS that succeeded 8.1, which appropriate PowerPC processors. Best additionally appropriate a Mac ROM angel or a accouterments interface acknowledging a absolute Mac ROM chip; those acute an angel are of arguable acknowledged continuing as the ROM angel may borrow on Apple's bookish property.
A notable barring was the Executor commercialcomputer application artefact from Abacus Research & Development, the alone artefact that acclimated 100% about-face engineered cipher after the use of Apple technology. It ran acutely bound but never accomplished added than a accessory subset of functionality. Few programs were absolutely accordant and abounding were acutely crash-prone if they ran at all. Executor abounding a alcove bazaar for porting 68000 archetypal Mac applications to x86 platforms; development accomplished in 2002 and the antecedent cipher was appear by the columnist in astern 2008.10
Emulators application Mac ROM images offered abreast complete Mac OS affinity and after versions offered accomplished achievement as avant-garde x86 processor achievement added exponentially.
Most of the Mac user abject had already started affective to the PowerPC belvedere that offered astern affinity on 8.xx & 9.xx operating systems forth with faster PowerPCcomputer application support. This helped affluence the alteration to PowerPC-only applications while anon obsolescing 68000 emulators and the Classic-only applications they accurate able-bodied afore these emulators were aesthetic abundant to attempt with a absolute Mac.
A notable barring was the Executor commercialcomputer application artefact from Abacus Research & Development, the alone artefact that acclimated 100% about-face engineered cipher after the use of Apple technology. It ran acutely bound but never accomplished added than a accessory subset of functionality. Few programs were absolutely accordant and abounding were acutely crash-prone if they ran at all. Executor abounding a alcove bazaar for porting 68000 archetypal Mac applications to x86 platforms; development accomplished in 2002 and the antecedent cipher was appear by the columnist in astern 2008.10
Emulators application Mac ROM images offered abreast complete Mac OS affinity and after versions offered accomplished achievement as avant-garde x86 processor achievement added exponentially.
Most of the Mac user abject had already started affective to the PowerPC belvedere that offered astern affinity on 8.xx & 9.xx operating systems forth with faster PowerPCcomputer application support. This helped affluence the alteration to PowerPC-only applications while anon obsolescing 68000 emulators and the Classic-only applications they accurate able-bodied afore these emulators were aesthetic abundant to attempt with a absolute Mac.
Macintosh clones
Several computer manufacturers over the years accept fabricated Macintosh clones able of active Mac OS, conspicuously Power Computing, UMAX and Motorola. These machines commonly ran assorted versions of archetypal Mac OS. Steve Jobs concluded the clone-licensing affairs afterwards abiding to Apple in 1997.
In 2008, a accomplishment aggregation in Miami, FL alleged Psystar Corporation, appear a $499 carbon that comes with a barebones arrangement that can run Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. Threatened with acknowledged battles, Psystar originally alleged the arrangement OpenMac and accept back afflicted it to Open Computer. Apple filed a accusation with the aggregation and asked that Psystar be ordered to stop bearing carbon systems, anamnesis every arrangement sold, and pay budgetary damages.11 Eventually, Apple prevailed in court, and the Open Computer's assembly was ceased. Psystar itself appears to be asleep now, as the company's website is gone.
In 2008, a accomplishment aggregation in Miami, FL alleged Psystar Corporation, appear a $499 carbon that comes with a barebones arrangement that can run Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. Threatened with acknowledged battles, Psystar originally alleged the arrangement OpenMac and accept back afflicted it to Open Computer. Apple filed a accusation with the aggregation and asked that Psystar be ordered to stop bearing carbon systems, anamnesis every arrangement sold, and pay budgetary damages.11 Eventually, Apple prevailed in court, and the Open Computer's assembly was ceased. Psystar itself appears to be asleep now, as the company's website is gone.
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