Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Mac Os X shopping experience:

1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Mac Os X offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Mac Os X at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.

2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about

3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Mac Os X? Wrong! If the Mac Os X is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.

4. Questions - Got a question about Mac Os X then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....

5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Mac Os X? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Mac Os X and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.

6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Mac Os X wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.

7. Feedback - happy with your Mac Os X then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.

8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Mac Os X site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site

9. Contact - got a question about Mac Os X, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.

10. Payment - ready to pay for your Mac Os X, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.

{{ Infobox OS| name = Mac OS X| logo = | screenshot = | caption = A screenshot of the desktop and Finder in Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger"]| family = Unix, [x86-64, PowerPC (32-bit & 64-bit), ARM architecture| source_model = Proprietary software/closed source software (with free software/open source software components)| latest_release_version = 10.4.10| latest_release_date = June 20 2007 [2007 ([XNU)] (Graphical user interface)| license = Proprietary software EULA: ) is a line of graphical [operating systems developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc., the latest of which is pre-loaded on all currently shipping Macintosh computers. Mac OS X is the successor to the original Mac OS, which had been Apple's primary operating system (OS) since 1984. Unlike its predecessors, Mac OS X is a Unix OSMac OS X is no longer considered Unix-like due to the system having achieved the standard required by The Open Group. See "Mac OS X for UNIX Users" from Apple and "Register of Certified Products" from The Open Group. built on technology that had been developed at NeXT through the second half of the 1980s until Apple purchased the company in early 1997.

The first version released was Mac OS X Server 1.0 in 1999, and a desktop-oriented version, Mac OS X v10.0 followed in March 2001. Since then, four more distinct "end-user" and "server" versions have been released, most recently Mac OS X v10.4 in April 2005. The next version of Mac OS X, Mac OS X v10.5, has been announced for release on October 26, 2007. Releases of Mac OS X are named after big cats, for example Mac OS X v10.4 is usually referred to by Apple and users as "Tiger", Mac OS X 10.3 is called Panther, Mac OS X 10.2 is called Jaguar, Mac OS X 10.1 is called Puma, and Mac OS X 10.0 is called Cheetah.

The Server (computing) edition, Mac OS X Server, is software architecture very similar to its desktop counterpart but usually runs on Apple's line of Macintosh server hardware. It includes workgroup management and administration software tools that provide simplified access to key network services, including a mail transfer agent, a samba software, an LDAP server, a Domain Name System, and others.

Apple also produces customized versions of OS X for use on three of its consumer devices, the Apple TV, the iPhone and the iPod touch. The modified OS only contains what is needed for that particular device (un-needed drivers and components are removed), though certain sources have reported that simple hacks could install features in the Mac OS to the stripped down version, which clearly means Apple wants to improve upon a common platform on all its hardware devices.

History Mac OS X is based on the Mach kernel and is derived from the Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) implementation of Unix in Nextstep. Nextstep was the object-oriented operating system developed by Steve Jobs' company "NeXT" after he left Apple in 1985. While Jobs was away from Apple, Apple tried to create a "next-generation" OS through the Taligent and Copland (operating system) projects, with little success.

Eventually, NeXT's OS — then called OpenStep — was selected to be the basis for Apple's next OS, and Apple purchased NeXT outright.Steve Jobs returned to Apple as interim CEO, and later became CEO again, shepherding the transformation of the programmer-friendly Openstep into a system that would be welcomed by Apple's primary market of home users and creative professionals. The project was first known as Rhapsody (operating system), and was later renamed to Mac OS X.

With each new version, Mac OS X evolved away from a focus on backward compatibility with the earlier versions of Mac OS, toward an emphasis on "digital lifestyle" applications such as the iLife suite, enhanced business applications (iWork), and integrated home entertainment (the Front Row media center). Each version also included modifications to the general interface, such as the Brushed Metal (interface) appearance added in version 10.2, the Unified theme in version 10.4, and slight changes in the appearance of the "streetlight" buttons.

Description and Mac OS X v10.1, Mac OS X v10.2, Mac OS X v10.3, Mac OS X v10.4, and Mac OS X v10.5.

Mac OS X was a radical departure from previous Macintosh operating systems; its underlying code base is completely different from previous versions. Its core, named Darwin (operating system), is a free software and open source software, Unix-like operating system (OS) built on top of the XNU Kernel (computer science), with standard Unix facilities available from the command line interface. Apple layered over Darwin a number of components, including the Aqua (user interface) interface and the Macintosh Finder, to complete the Graphical User Interface-based operating system which is Mac OS X.

Mac OS X included a number of features intended to make the OS more stable and reliable than Apple's previous OSs. For example, pre-emptive multitasking and memory protection improved the system's ability to run multiple applications simultaneously without them interrupting or corrupting each other.Many aspects of Mac OS X's architecture are derived from Openstep, which was designed to be portable — to ease the transition from one platform to another. For example, Nextstep was ported from the original 68k-based NeXT workstations to other architectures before NeXT was purchased by Apple, and Openstep was later ported to the PowerPC architecture as part of the Rhapsody (operating system).

The most visible change was the Aqua theme. The use of soft edges, translucent colors, and pinstripes — similar to the hardware design of the first iMacs — brought more texture and color to the user interface than OS 9's "Platinum (theme)" appearance had offered. Many users of the older versions of the operating system decried the new look as "cutesy" and lacking professional polish.But, others found Aqua to be a bold and innovative step forward in a time when user interfaces were seen as "dull and boring".Despite the controversy, the look was instantly recognizable, and even before the first version of Mac OS X was released, third-party developers started producing skin (computing) for customizable applications which mimicked the Aqua appearance. To some extent, Apple has used the successful transition to this new design as leverage, at various times threatening legal action against people who make or distribute software with an interface the company claims is derived from its copyrighted design.

Mac OS X includes its own software development tools, most prominently an integrated development environment called Xcode. Xcode provides interfaces to compilers that support several programming languages including C (programming language), C++, Objective-C, and Java (programming language). For the Apple Intel Transition, it was modified so that developers could easily create a universal binary to remain compatible with both the Intel-based and PowerPC-based Macintosh.

Compatibility Software To permit a smooth transition from Mac OS 9 to Mac OS X, the Carbon (API) Application Programming Interface (API) was created. Applications written with Carbon can be executed natively on both systems. On the other hand, the APIs that Mac OS X inherited from Openstep's are not backward compatible with earlier versions of Mac OS. These APIs are now referred by Apple as Cocoa (API). This heritage is highly visible for Cocoa developers, since most Cocoa class names begin with the "NS" prefix, for Nextstep.

Mac OS X used to support the Java Platform as a "preferred software package" — in practice this means that applications written in Java fit as neatly into the operating system as possible while still being cross-platform, and that graphical user interfaces written in Swing (Java) look almost exactly like native Cocoa interfaces. Traditionally, Cocoa programs have been mostly written in Objective-C, with Java as an alternative. However, on July 11 2005, Apple announced that "features added to Cocoa in Mac OS X versions later than 10.4 will not be added to the Cocoa-Java programming interface."

Since Mac OS X is based on UNIX, most software packages written for BSD or Linux can be recompiled to run on it. Projects such as Fink, MacPorts and Pkgsrc provide pre-compiled or pre-formatted packages. Since version 10.3, Mac OS X has included X11.app, Apple's version of the X Window System graphical interface for Unix applications, as an optional component during installation.Up to and including Mac OS X v10.4 (Tiger), Apple's implementation was based on the X11 Licensed XFree86 4.3 and X11R6.6. All bundled versions of X11 feature a window manager which is similar to the Mac OS X look-and-feel and has fairly good integration with Mac OS X, also using the native Quartz (graphics layer) rendering system. Earlier versions of Mac OS X (in which X11 has not been bundled) can also run X11 applications using XDarwin.

Hardware For the early releases of Mac OS X, the standard hardware platform supported was the full line of Macintosh computers (laptop, desktop, or server) based on PowerPC G3, G4, and G5 processors. Later versions discontinued support for some older hardware; for example, Panther does not support "beige" G3s, and Tiger does not support systems that pre-date Apple's introduction of FireWire ports. However, tools such as XPostFacto and patches applied to the installation disc have been developed by third parties to enable installation of newer versions of Mac OS X on systems not officially supported by Apple, including some pre-G3 systems. Except for features requiring specific hardware (e.g. graphics acceleration, DVD writing), the operating system offers the same functionality on all supported hardware.

PowerPC versions of Mac OS X retain compatibility with older Mac OS applications by providing an emulation environment called Classic (Mac OS X), which allows users to run Mac OS 9 as a process within Mac OS X, so that most older applications run as they would under the older operating system. Classic is not supported on newer Intel-based Macs.

A few users experienced a surprise: Mac OS X was supported on Mac OS machines that came with a G3 or later processor from the factory — not machines with third-party processor cards. For example, a Power Mac 7300 whose CPU chip failed could be easily upgraded with a G3 processor on a "daughter card," which often cost nearly the same as an exact replacement of the original chip. The user could then go to the same store and buy the Mac OS X upgrade on CD-ROM. This is not guaranteed to work, however.

Apple Intel transition In April 2002, eWeek reported a rumor that Apple had a version of Mac OS X code-named Marklar which ran on Intel x86 processors. The idea behind Marklar was to keep Mac OS X running on an alternative platform should Apple become dissatisfied with the progress of the PowerPC platform.These rumors subsided until late in May 2005, when various media outlets, such as the Wall Street Journaland CNETreported that Apple would unveil Marklar in the coming months.

On June 6 2005, Steve Jobs confirmed these rumors when he announced in his keynote address at the annual Apple Worldwide Developers Conference that Apple would be making the transition from PowerPC to Intel processors over the following two years, and that Mac OS X would support both platforms during the transition. The last time that Apple switched CPU families — from the Motorola 68K CPU to the IBM/Motorola PowerPC — Apple included a Motorola 68K emulator in the new OS that made almost all 68K software work automatically on the new hardware. Apple has supported the 68K emulator for 11 years, but will stop supporting it during the transition to Intel CPUs. Included in the new OS for the Intel-based Macs is Rosetta (software), a binary translation layer which enables software compiled for PowerPC Mac OS X to run on Intel Mac OS X machines. However, Apple dropped support for Classic mode on the new Intel Macs. Third party emulation software such as Mini vMac, Basilisk II and SheepShaver provides support for some early versions of Mac OS. A new version of Xcode and the underlying command-line compilers support building Universal binary that will run on either architecture.

Software that is only available for PowerPC is supported with Rosetta. However, Apple encourages developers to produce universal binaries with support for both PowerPC and x86.Universal binary software should run faster on Intel-based Macs than PowerPC-only software running on Rosetta. Moreover, some PowerPC software, such as kernel extensions and System Preferences plugins, are not supported on Intel Macs. While Intel Macs will be able to run PowerPC, x86 and universal binaries, PowerPC Macs will only support universal and PowerPC builds.

Support for the PowerPC platform will remain in version 10.5. Jobs also confirmed rumors that Apple has had versions of Mac OS X running on Intel processors for most of its developmental life. Such cross-platform capability already existed in Mac OS X's lineage, as said earlier; Openstep was ported to many architectures, including x86, and Darwin included support for both PowerPC and x86. Although Apple stated that Mac OS X would not run on Intel-based personal computers aside from its own, a hacked version of the OS compatible with conventional x86 hardware has been developed by the OSx86 community and is available through file-sharing networks such as BitTorrent.

Prominent features This list excludes expected features from the upcoming release of Mac OS X, v10.5 "Leopard".

allows for miniature programs called "Widgets" to be superimposed over the desktop. When activated, the Dashboard "flies" onscreen.

Pricing Mac OS X comes included in the price for new Macs. Minor updates are free and can be downloaded using Software Update. Major upgrades cost US$129 (CAD$149, UK £89) from Apple. There is also a US$199 (CAD$249, UK £129) "Family Pack" version of Mac OS X that comes with 5 licenses for home users who have more than one Mac at home. Developers can register for free with the Apple Developer Connection (ADC) to download developer tools such as Xcode and documentation. ADC also offers several for-pay plans which include "testing and development only" licenses for both shipping and pre-release versions of Mac OS X. Student and educator pricing on Mac OS X software is roughly 10% to 50% lower than standard retail pricing. The Mac OS X Server 10-client license costs US$499 (UK £349) and an unlimited client license is US$999 (UK £699) as of January 7, 2007.

Versions The character X is a Roman numeral and is officially pronounced "ten".It is the next logical release following the numbering of previous Macintosh operating systems such as Mac OS 8 and Mac OS 9. However, it is common to hear it erroneously pronounced as the letter "X".

Mac OS X versions are named after big cats. Prior to its release, Mac OS X v10.0 was code named "Cheetah" internally at Apple, and "Mac OS X v10.1 was code named internally as "Puma". After the immense buzz surrounding Mac OS X v10.2, codenamed "Jaguar", Apple's product marketing began openly using the code name to promote the operating system. Mac OS X v10.3 was marketed as "Black panther", and Mac OS X v10.4 as "Tiger". "Leopard" has been announced as the name for the next release, Mac OS X v10.5. "Panther", "Tiger" and "Leopard" are registered as trademarks of Apple, but "Cheetah", "Puma" and "Jaguar" have never been registered. Apple has also registered "Lynx" and "Cougar" as trademarks.Trademark #78257226 for Panther, #78269988 for Tiger, #78270003 for Leopard, #78271630 for Cougar and #78271639 for Lynx, all registered in 2004 by Apple Computer, Inc.

Computer retailer Tiger Direct sued Apple for its use of the name "Tiger". But on May 16, 2005 a US federal court in the Southern District of Florida ruled that Apple's use does not infringe on Tiger Direct's trademark.

Mac OS X 10.0 (Cheetah)

On March 24 2001, Apple released Mac OS X v10.0 (internally codenamed Cheetah).Although the version is now called Cheetah by users, rare evidences can be found to prove that it was called so internally. For instance, a Q&A was created in 2005 which mentions it The initial version was slow, not feature complete, and had very few applications available at the time of its launch, mostly from independent developers. Many critics suggested that while the OS was not ready for mainstream adoption, they recognized the importance of its initial launch as a base on which to improve. Simply releasing Mac OS X was received by the Macintosh community as a great accomplishment, for attempts to completely overhaul the Mac OS had been underway since 1996, and delayed by countless setbacks. Following some bug fixes, kernel panics became much less frequent, and Mac OS X began garnering praise for its stability at an early point in its development.

Mac OS X 10.1 (Puma)

Later that year on September 25 2001, Mac OS X v10.1 (internally codenamed Puma) was released.The name Puma can be found here It had better performance and provided missing features, such as DVD playback. Apple released 10.1 as a free upgrade CD for 10.0 users, in addition to the US$129 boxed version for people running only Mac OS. It was discovered that the upgrade CDs were actually full install CDs that could be used with Mac OS systems by removing a specific file; Apple later re-released the CDs in an actual stripped-down format that didn't facilitate installation on such systems.

On January 7 2002, Apple announced that Mac OS X was to be the default operating system for all Macintosh products by the end of that month.

Mac OS X 10.2 (Jaguar)

On August 23 2002, Jaguar “Unleashed” at 10:20 p.m. Tonight Apple Press Release Apple followed up with Mac OS X v10.2 "Jaguar", the first release to use its code name as part of the branding.The headline of the press release mention "Jaguar", while the codename was not mentioned for earlier versions. See Jaguar press release, compared to Mac OS X v10.0 press release and Mac OS X v10.1 press releaseIt brought great performance enhancements, a sleeker look, and many powerful enhancements (over 150, according to Apple), including Quartz Compositor for compositing graphics directly on an AGP-based video card with at least 32mb of VRAM, a system-wide repository for contact information in the new Address Book, and an instant messaging client named iChat.

The Happy Mac which had appeared during the Mac OS startup sequence for almost 18 years was replaced with a large grey Apple logo with the introduction of Mac OS X 10.2.

Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther)

Mac OS X v10.3 "Panther" was released on October 24 2003. In addition to providing much improved performance, it also incorporated the most extensive update yet to the user interface. Panther included as many or more new features as Jaguar had the year before, including an updated Finder, incorporating a brushed-metal interface, Fast User Switching, Exposé (Mac OS X) (Window manager), FileVault, Safari (web browser), iChat AV which added Video teleconference features to iChat, improved Portable Document Format (PDF) rendering and much greater Microsoft Windows interoperability.But, support for some early G3 computers such as "beige" Power Macs and "WallStreet" PowerBooks was discontinued.

Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)

Mac OS X v10.4 "Tiger" was released on April 29 2005. Apple stated that Tiger contains more than 200 new features.As with Panther, certain older machines were no longer supported; Tiger requires a Mac with a built-in FireWire port. Among the new features, Tiger introduced Spotlight (software), Dashboard (software), Virtual folder, updated Mail program with Smart Mailboxes, QuickTime 7, Safari (web browser) 2, Automator (software), VoiceOver, Core Image and Core Video.

Tiger's retail package was updated and reduced in size around the end of April 2006. It was called Mac OS X 10.4.3, and replaced the first release in retail stores.

On January 10, 2006, Apple released the first Intel-based Macs along with the 10.4.4 update to Tiger. This operating system functioned identically on the PowerPC-based Macs and the new Intel-based machines.http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=1453Because the implementation of the OS is built separately for the two processors, in implementation the PowerPC version and Intel versions are two separate installers (one cannot use the PowerPC installer to install the OS onto an Intel-based Mac).

At some time in 2006 the retail packages were again updated with 10.4.6, also a PowerPC-only DVD installer. As of yet, no retail package for an Intel-based Tiger Installer exists or has been released by Apple (customers who own an Intel-based Mac received Tiger along with their computer).

The latest update to Tiger has been 10.4.10.

Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)

Mac OS X v10.5 "Leopard" was announced at the June 2005 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), and was shown to developers for the first time at the following WWDC in August 2006. There Steve Jobs said that Apple planned to "ship it this coming Spring", the second quarter of 2007. But, due to the developer resources needed to keep the iPhone on track, Apple later revised the estimate to October 2007, then at WWDC said it would be available for sure in October, with a feature-complete beta sent home with developers at WWDC in June 2007. At WWDC 2007, Jobs said it will have 300 new features and demonstrated some of them.Apple has said Leopard will support both PowerPC- and X86-based Macintosh computers and will cost $129, now listed on the apple.com store for $100 for the single pack. Versions for all computers and the upcoming 64-bit machines will come on one disc. Though Apple maintains that "All features referenced in the Mac OS X Leopard Sneak Peek are subject to change"on its web site, some officially previewed features include a new Macintosh Finder, Time Machine (software), Spaces (software), Boot Camp pre-installed,full support for 64-bit applications (including graphical applications), new features in Mail and iChat, and resolution independence. Jobs confirmed these features at WWDC 2007.

Mac OS X v10.5 "Leopard", is an Single UNIX Specification registered product. Mac OS X v10.5 "Leopard" is also the first BSD-based OS to receive the UNIX 03 certification.

Apple officially announced Leopard's release date on 16 October, opening pre-orders on its site. Leopard will be released on October 26, 6.00 p.m. worldwide, with pre-orders shipping with an estimated arrival of that date.

The standard Mac OS Up-To-Date upgrade package is available to all customers who purchased a qualifying new Mac system from Apple or an Apple Authorized Reseller on or after October 1st, 2007, for a shipping and handling fee of US $9.95 (plus tax)/UK £5.95 (inc VAT)

Languages Mac OS X is available in the following languages:|-valign="top"| | |}

Criticism Of the Dock in Mac OS X v10.4 filled with some different documents, but from the same application.

Bruce Tognazzini, a usability consultant who worked for Apple in the 1980s and 1990s, has been critical of the Dock (computing). He wrote an article in 2001 listing ten problems he saw with it. This article was updated in 2004, removing two of the original criticisms and adding a new one. Some of his concerns are that it takes too much space and is too cumbersome for everyday use. Unlike the taskbar in Microsoft Windows, the Dock shows just icons or thumbnails; displaying labels only if the mouse is over the item. In some cases, this makes it impossible to distinguish different documents from the same application without moving the mouse pointer over the icons, as they only show the default icon assigned to them at the time they were created-which, unless the user has modified it, is often generic to all of that application's files. Tognazzini also criticized the Dock's drag and drop actions, noting the confusion that results when an icon vanishes with the need to be re-added from Finder to get it back. He described this "object annihilation" model as bad-behavior-inducing.

This however is not a large issue as the dock's purpose is to hold application shortcuts, whereas the desktop's purpose is to hold files that need to be accessed quickly. Also a feature in Leopard called 'stacks' will allow multiple documents to be dropped on to the dock in a 'stack' that allows quick access and displays files names and thumbnails for the files.

Of the Finder See also

References External links

{{ Infobox OS| name = Mac OS X| logo = | screenshot = | caption = A screenshot of the desktop and Finder in Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger"]| family = Unix, [x86-64, PowerPC (32-bit & 64-bit), ARM architecture| source_model = Proprietary software/closed source software (with free software/open source software components)| latest_release_version = 10.4.10| latest_release_date = June 20 2007 [2007 ([XNU)] (Graphical user interface)| license = Proprietary software EULA: ) is a line of graphical [operating systems developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc., the latest of which is pre-loaded on all currently shipping Macintosh computers. Mac OS X is the successor to the original Mac OS, which had been Apple's primary operating system (OS) since 1984. Unlike its predecessors, Mac OS X is a Unix OSMac OS X is no longer considered Unix-like due to the system having achieved the standard required by The Open Group. See "Mac OS X for UNIX Users" from Apple and "Register of Certified Products" from The Open Group. built on technology that had been developed at NeXT through the second half of the 1980s until Apple purchased the company in early 1997.

The first version released was Mac OS X Server 1.0 in 1999, and a desktop-oriented version, Mac OS X v10.0 followed in March 2001. Since then, four more distinct "end-user" and "server" versions have been released, most recently Mac OS X v10.4 in April 2005. The next version of Mac OS X, Mac OS X v10.5, has been announced for release on October 26, 2007. Releases of Mac OS X are named after big cats, for example Mac OS X v10.4 is usually referred to by Apple and users as "Tiger", Mac OS X 10.3 is called Panther, Mac OS X 10.2 is called Jaguar, Mac OS X 10.1 is called Puma, and Mac OS X 10.0 is called Cheetah.

The Server (computing) edition, Mac OS X Server, is software architecture very similar to its desktop counterpart but usually runs on Apple's line of Macintosh server hardware. It includes workgroup management and administration software tools that provide simplified access to key network services, including a mail transfer agent, a samba software, an LDAP server, a Domain Name System, and others.

Apple also produces customized versions of OS X for use on three of its consumer devices, the Apple TV, the iPhone and the iPod touch. The modified OS only contains what is needed for that particular device (un-needed drivers and components are removed), though certain sources have reported that simple hacks could install features in the Mac OS to the stripped down version, which clearly means Apple wants to improve upon a common platform on all its hardware devices.

History Mac OS X is based on the Mach kernel and is derived from the Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) implementation of Unix in Nextstep. Nextstep was the object-oriented operating system developed by Steve Jobs' company "NeXT" after he left Apple in 1985. While Jobs was away from Apple, Apple tried to create a "next-generation" OS through the Taligent and Copland (operating system) projects, with little success.

Eventually, NeXT's OS — then called OpenStep — was selected to be the basis for Apple's next OS, and Apple purchased NeXT outright.Steve Jobs returned to Apple as interim CEO, and later became CEO again, shepherding the transformation of the programmer-friendly Openstep into a system that would be welcomed by Apple's primary market of home users and creative professionals. The project was first known as Rhapsody (operating system), and was later renamed to Mac OS X.

With each new version, Mac OS X evolved away from a focus on backward compatibility with the earlier versions of Mac OS, toward an emphasis on "digital lifestyle" applications such as the iLife suite, enhanced business applications (iWork), and integrated home entertainment (the Front Row media center). Each version also included modifications to the general interface, such as the Brushed Metal (interface) appearance added in version 10.2, the Unified theme in version 10.4, and slight changes in the appearance of the "streetlight" buttons.

Description and Mac OS X v10.1, Mac OS X v10.2, Mac OS X v10.3, Mac OS X v10.4, and Mac OS X v10.5.

Mac OS X was a radical departure from previous Macintosh operating systems; its underlying code base is completely different from previous versions. Its core, named Darwin (operating system), is a free software and open source software, Unix-like operating system (OS) built on top of the XNU Kernel (computer science), with standard Unix facilities available from the command line interface. Apple layered over Darwin a number of components, including the Aqua (user interface) interface and the Macintosh Finder, to complete the Graphical User Interface-based operating system which is Mac OS X.

Mac OS X included a number of features intended to make the OS more stable and reliable than Apple's previous OSs. For example, pre-emptive multitasking and memory protection improved the system's ability to run multiple applications simultaneously without them interrupting or corrupting each other.Many aspects of Mac OS X's architecture are derived from Openstep, which was designed to be portable — to ease the transition from one platform to another. For example, Nextstep was ported from the original 68k-based NeXT workstations to other architectures before NeXT was purchased by Apple, and Openstep was later ported to the PowerPC architecture as part of the Rhapsody (operating system).

The most visible change was the Aqua theme. The use of soft edges, translucent colors, and pinstripes — similar to the hardware design of the first iMacs — brought more texture and color to the user interface than OS 9's "Platinum (theme)" appearance had offered. Many users of the older versions of the operating system decried the new look as "cutesy" and lacking professional polish.But, others found Aqua to be a bold and innovative step forward in a time when user interfaces were seen as "dull and boring".Despite the controversy, the look was instantly recognizable, and even before the first version of Mac OS X was released, third-party developers started producing skin (computing) for customizable applications which mimicked the Aqua appearance. To some extent, Apple has used the successful transition to this new design as leverage, at various times threatening legal action against people who make or distribute software with an interface the company claims is derived from its copyrighted design.

Mac OS X includes its own software development tools, most prominently an integrated development environment called Xcode. Xcode provides interfaces to compilers that support several programming languages including C (programming language), C++, Objective-C, and Java (programming language). For the Apple Intel Transition, it was modified so that developers could easily create a universal binary to remain compatible with both the Intel-based and PowerPC-based Macintosh.

Compatibility Software To permit a smooth transition from Mac OS 9 to Mac OS X, the Carbon (API) Application Programming Interface (API) was created. Applications written with Carbon can be executed natively on both systems. On the other hand, the APIs that Mac OS X inherited from Openstep's are not backward compatible with earlier versions of Mac OS. These APIs are now referred by Apple as Cocoa (API). This heritage is highly visible for Cocoa developers, since most Cocoa class names begin with the "NS" prefix, for Nextstep.

Mac OS X used to support the Java Platform as a "preferred software package" — in practice this means that applications written in Java fit as neatly into the operating system as possible while still being cross-platform, and that graphical user interfaces written in Swing (Java) look almost exactly like native Cocoa interfaces. Traditionally, Cocoa programs have been mostly written in Objective-C, with Java as an alternative. However, on July 11 2005, Apple announced that "features added to Cocoa in Mac OS X versions later than 10.4 will not be added to the Cocoa-Java programming interface."

Since Mac OS X is based on UNIX, most software packages written for BSD or Linux can be recompiled to run on it. Projects such as Fink, MacPorts and Pkgsrc provide pre-compiled or pre-formatted packages. Since version 10.3, Mac OS X has included X11.app, Apple's version of the X Window System graphical interface for Unix applications, as an optional component during installation.Up to and including Mac OS X v10.4 (Tiger), Apple's implementation was based on the X11 Licensed XFree86 4.3 and X11R6.6. All bundled versions of X11 feature a window manager which is similar to the Mac OS X look-and-feel and has fairly good integration with Mac OS X, also using the native Quartz (graphics layer) rendering system. Earlier versions of Mac OS X (in which X11 has not been bundled) can also run X11 applications using XDarwin.

Hardware For the early releases of Mac OS X, the standard hardware platform supported was the full line of Macintosh computers (laptop, desktop, or server) based on PowerPC G3, G4, and G5 processors. Later versions discontinued support for some older hardware; for example, Panther does not support "beige" G3s, and Tiger does not support systems that pre-date Apple's introduction of FireWire ports. However, tools such as XPostFacto and patches applied to the installation disc have been developed by third parties to enable installation of newer versions of Mac OS X on systems not officially supported by Apple, including some pre-G3 systems. Except for features requiring specific hardware (e.g. graphics acceleration, DVD writing), the operating system offers the same functionality on all supported hardware.

PowerPC versions of Mac OS X retain compatibility with older Mac OS applications by providing an emulation environment called Classic (Mac OS X), which allows users to run Mac OS 9 as a process within Mac OS X, so that most older applications run as they would under the older operating system. Classic is not supported on newer Intel-based Macs.

A few users experienced a surprise: Mac OS X was supported on Mac OS machines that came with a G3 or later processor from the factory — not machines with third-party processor cards. For example, a Power Mac 7300 whose CPU chip failed could be easily upgraded with a G3 processor on a "daughter card," which often cost nearly the same as an exact replacement of the original chip. The user could then go to the same store and buy the Mac OS X upgrade on CD-ROM. This is not guaranteed to work, however.

Apple Intel transition In April 2002, eWeek reported a rumor that Apple had a version of Mac OS X code-named Marklar which ran on Intel x86 processors. The idea behind Marklar was to keep Mac OS X running on an alternative platform should Apple become dissatisfied with the progress of the PowerPC platform.These rumors subsided until late in May 2005, when various media outlets, such as the Wall Street Journaland CNETreported that Apple would unveil Marklar in the coming months.

On June 6 2005, Steve Jobs confirmed these rumors when he announced in his keynote address at the annual Apple Worldwide Developers Conference that Apple would be making the transition from PowerPC to Intel processors over the following two years, and that Mac OS X would support both platforms during the transition. The last time that Apple switched CPU families — from the Motorola 68K CPU to the IBM/Motorola PowerPC — Apple included a Motorola 68K emulator in the new OS that made almost all 68K software work automatically on the new hardware. Apple has supported the 68K emulator for 11 years, but will stop supporting it during the transition to Intel CPUs. Included in the new OS for the Intel-based Macs is Rosetta (software), a binary translation layer which enables software compiled for PowerPC Mac OS X to run on Intel Mac OS X machines. However, Apple dropped support for Classic mode on the new Intel Macs. Third party emulation software such as Mini vMac, Basilisk II and SheepShaver provides support for some early versions of Mac OS. A new version of Xcode and the underlying command-line compilers support building Universal binary that will run on either architecture.

Software that is only available for PowerPC is supported with Rosetta. However, Apple encourages developers to produce universal binaries with support for both PowerPC and x86.Universal binary software should run faster on Intel-based Macs than PowerPC-only software running on Rosetta. Moreover, some PowerPC software, such as kernel extensions and System Preferences plugins, are not supported on Intel Macs. While Intel Macs will be able to run PowerPC, x86 and universal binaries, PowerPC Macs will only support universal and PowerPC builds.

Support for the PowerPC platform will remain in version 10.5. Jobs also confirmed rumors that Apple has had versions of Mac OS X running on Intel processors for most of its developmental life. Such cross-platform capability already existed in Mac OS X's lineage, as said earlier; Openstep was ported to many architectures, including x86, and Darwin included support for both PowerPC and x86. Although Apple stated that Mac OS X would not run on Intel-based personal computers aside from its own, a hacked version of the OS compatible with conventional x86 hardware has been developed by the OSx86 community and is available through file-sharing networks such as BitTorrent.

Prominent features This list excludes expected features from the upcoming release of Mac OS X, v10.5 "Leopard".

allows for miniature programs called "Widgets" to be superimposed over the desktop. When activated, the Dashboard "flies" onscreen.

Pricing Mac OS X comes included in the price for new Macs. Minor updates are free and can be downloaded using Software Update. Major upgrades cost US$129 (CAD$149, UK £89) from Apple. There is also a US$199 (CAD$249, UK £129) "Family Pack" version of Mac OS X that comes with 5 licenses for home users who have more than one Mac at home. Developers can register for free with the Apple Developer Connection (ADC) to download developer tools such as Xcode and documentation. ADC also offers several for-pay plans which include "testing and development only" licenses for both shipping and pre-release versions of Mac OS X. Student and educator pricing on Mac OS X software is roughly 10% to 50% lower than standard retail pricing. The Mac OS X Server 10-client license costs US$499 (UK £349) and an unlimited client license is US$999 (UK £699) as of January 7, 2007.

Versions The character X is a Roman numeral and is officially pronounced "ten".It is the next logical release following the numbering of previous Macintosh operating systems such as Mac OS 8 and Mac OS 9. However, it is common to hear it erroneously pronounced as the letter "X".

Mac OS X versions are named after big cats. Prior to its release, Mac OS X v10.0 was code named "Cheetah" internally at Apple, and "Mac OS X v10.1 was code named internally as "Puma". After the immense buzz surrounding Mac OS X v10.2, codenamed "Jaguar", Apple's product marketing began openly using the code name to promote the operating system. Mac OS X v10.3 was marketed as "Black panther", and Mac OS X v10.4 as "Tiger". "Leopard" has been announced as the name for the next release, Mac OS X v10.5. "Panther", "Tiger" and "Leopard" are registered as trademarks of Apple, but "Cheetah", "Puma" and "Jaguar" have never been registered. Apple has also registered "Lynx" and "Cougar" as trademarks.Trademark #78257226 for Panther, #78269988 for Tiger, #78270003 for Leopard, #78271630 for Cougar and #78271639 for Lynx, all registered in 2004 by Apple Computer, Inc.

Computer retailer Tiger Direct sued Apple for its use of the name "Tiger". But on May 16, 2005 a US federal court in the Southern District of Florida ruled that Apple's use does not infringe on Tiger Direct's trademark.

Mac OS X 10.0 (Cheetah)

On March 24 2001, Apple released Mac OS X v10.0 (internally codenamed Cheetah).Although the version is now called Cheetah by users, rare evidences can be found to prove that it was called so internally. For instance, a Q&A was created in 2005 which mentions it The initial version was slow, not feature complete, and had very few applications available at the time of its launch, mostly from independent developers. Many critics suggested that while the OS was not ready for mainstream adoption, they recognized the importance of its initial launch as a base on which to improve. Simply releasing Mac OS X was received by the Macintosh community as a great accomplishment, for attempts to completely overhaul the Mac OS had been underway since 1996, and delayed by countless setbacks. Following some bug fixes, kernel panics became much less frequent, and Mac OS X began garnering praise for its stability at an early point in its development.

Mac OS X 10.1 (Puma)

Later that year on September 25 2001, Mac OS X v10.1 (internally codenamed Puma) was released.The name Puma can be found here It had better performance and provided missing features, such as DVD playback. Apple released 10.1 as a free upgrade CD for 10.0 users, in addition to the US$129 boxed version for people running only Mac OS. It was discovered that the upgrade CDs were actually full install CDs that could be used with Mac OS systems by removing a specific file; Apple later re-released the CDs in an actual stripped-down format that didn't facilitate installation on such systems.

On January 7 2002, Apple announced that Mac OS X was to be the default operating system for all Macintosh products by the end of that month.

Mac OS X 10.2 (Jaguar)

On August 23 2002, Jaguar “Unleashed” at 10:20 p.m. Tonight Apple Press Release Apple followed up with Mac OS X v10.2 "Jaguar", the first release to use its code name as part of the branding.The headline of the press release mention "Jaguar", while the codename was not mentioned for earlier versions. See Jaguar press release, compared to Mac OS X v10.0 press release and Mac OS X v10.1 press releaseIt brought great performance enhancements, a sleeker look, and many powerful enhancements (over 150, according to Apple), including Quartz Compositor for compositing graphics directly on an AGP-based video card with at least 32mb of VRAM, a system-wide repository for contact information in the new Address Book, and an instant messaging client named iChat.

The Happy Mac which had appeared during the Mac OS startup sequence for almost 18 years was replaced with a large grey Apple logo with the introduction of Mac OS X 10.2.

Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther)

Mac OS X v10.3 "Panther" was released on October 24 2003. In addition to providing much improved performance, it also incorporated the most extensive update yet to the user interface. Panther included as many or more new features as Jaguar had the year before, including an updated Finder, incorporating a brushed-metal interface, Fast User Switching, Exposé (Mac OS X) (Window manager), FileVault, Safari (web browser), iChat AV which added Video teleconference features to iChat, improved Portable Document Format (PDF) rendering and much greater Microsoft Windows interoperability.But, support for some early G3 computers such as "beige" Power Macs and "WallStreet" PowerBooks was discontinued.

Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)

Mac OS X v10.4 "Tiger" was released on April 29 2005. Apple stated that Tiger contains more than 200 new features.As with Panther, certain older machines were no longer supported; Tiger requires a Mac with a built-in FireWire port. Among the new features, Tiger introduced Spotlight (software), Dashboard (software), Virtual folder, updated Mail program with Smart Mailboxes, QuickTime 7, Safari (web browser) 2, Automator (software), VoiceOver, Core Image and Core Video.

Tiger's retail package was updated and reduced in size around the end of April 2006. It was called Mac OS X 10.4.3, and replaced the first release in retail stores.

On January 10, 2006, Apple released the first Intel-based Macs along with the 10.4.4 update to Tiger. This operating system functioned identically on the PowerPC-based Macs and the new Intel-based machines.http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=1453Because the implementation of the OS is built separately for the two processors, in implementation the PowerPC version and Intel versions are two separate installers (one cannot use the PowerPC installer to install the OS onto an Intel-based Mac).

At some time in 2006 the retail packages were again updated with 10.4.6, also a PowerPC-only DVD installer. As of yet, no retail package for an Intel-based Tiger Installer exists or has been released by Apple (customers who own an Intel-based Mac received Tiger along with their computer).

The latest update to Tiger has been 10.4.10.

Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)

Mac OS X v10.5 "Leopard" was announced at the June 2005 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), and was shown to developers for the first time at the following WWDC in August 2006. There Steve Jobs said that Apple planned to "ship it this coming Spring", the second quarter of 2007. But, due to the developer resources needed to keep the iPhone on track, Apple later revised the estimate to October 2007, then at WWDC said it would be available for sure in October, with a feature-complete beta sent home with developers at WWDC in June 2007. At WWDC 2007, Jobs said it will have 300 new features and demonstrated some of them.Apple has said Leopard will support both PowerPC- and X86-based Macintosh computers and will cost $129, now listed on the apple.com store for $100 for the single pack. Versions for all computers and the upcoming 64-bit machines will come on one disc. Though Apple maintains that "All features referenced in the Mac OS X Leopard Sneak Peek are subject to change"on its web site, some officially previewed features include a new Macintosh Finder, Time Machine (software), Spaces (software), Boot Camp pre-installed,full support for 64-bit applications (including graphical applications), new features in Mail and iChat, and resolution independence. Jobs confirmed these features at WWDC 2007.

Mac OS X v10.5 "Leopard", is an Single UNIX Specification registered product. Mac OS X v10.5 "Leopard" is also the first BSD-based OS to receive the UNIX 03 certification.

Apple officially announced Leopard's release date on 16 October, opening pre-orders on its site. Leopard will be released on October 26, 6.00 p.m. worldwide, with pre-orders shipping with an estimated arrival of that date.

The standard Mac OS Up-To-Date upgrade package is available to all customers who purchased a qualifying new Mac system from Apple or an Apple Authorized Reseller on or after October 1st, 2007, for a shipping and handling fee of US $9.95 (plus tax)/UK £5.95 (inc VAT)

Languages Mac OS X is available in the following languages:|-valign="top"| | |}

Criticism Of the Dock in Mac OS X v10.4 filled with some different documents, but from the same application.

Bruce Tognazzini, a usability consultant who worked for Apple in the 1980s and 1990s, has been critical of the Dock (computing). He wrote an article in 2001 listing ten problems he saw with it. This article was updated in 2004, removing two of the original criticisms and adding a new one. Some of his concerns are that it takes too much space and is too cumbersome for everyday use. Unlike the taskbar in Microsoft Windows, the Dock shows just icons or thumbnails; displaying labels only if the mouse is over the item. In some cases, this makes it impossible to distinguish different documents from the same application without moving the mouse pointer over the icons, as they only show the default icon assigned to them at the time they were created-which, unless the user has modified it, is often generic to all of that application's files. Tognazzini also criticized the Dock's drag and drop actions, noting the confusion that results when an icon vanishes with the need to be re-added from Finder to get it back. He described this "object annihilation" model as bad-behavior-inducing.

This however is not a large issue as the dock's purpose is to hold application shortcuts, whereas the desktop's purpose is to hold files that need to be accessed quickly. Also a feature in Leopard called 'stacks' will allow multiple documents to be dropped on to the dock in a 'stack' that allows quick access and displays files names and thumbnails for the files.

Of the Finder See also

References External links



Apple - Mac OS X Leopard
The Apple Mac OS X product page. Describes features in the current version of Mac OS X, a screenshot gallery, latest software downloads, and a directory of resources.

Apple
... Mac; iPod + iTunes; iPhone; Downloads; Support ... It’s here. The new iPhone3G. Twice as fast. Half the price. Enterprise Ready; App Store ...

Mac OS X - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mac OS X (pronounced /mæk oʊ ɛs tɛn/) [3] is a line of graphical operating systems developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc, the latest of which is pre-loaded on all ...

Mac OS X from FOLDOC
Mac OS X < operating system > /mak oss ten/ Version 10 of the Macintosh Operating System, based on FreeBSD unlike prevoius versions. Apple released the kernel of Mac OS X Server as ...

Download details: Windows Media Player 9 for Mac OS X
Introducing Windows Media Player 9 for Mac OS X . ... Sporting a new brushed steel skin for Apple's newest operating system, this new version of our player opens the world of ...

Mac OS X Server
This page is just a placeholder. To publish your site, place your HTML and image files in the following directory: /Library/WebServer/Documents/

AOL for Mac OS X - AOL Downloads
AOL for Mac OS X is a brand new version of AOL that has been designed to take full advantage of the latest Mac operating system. Find out more below, and download it now!

Apple Developer Connection - Mac OS X
Apple's developer resource for Mac OS X. Contains guidelines, tutorials and API information for new OS X developers. Most documentation is available in HTML or PDF format.

Java - Downloads
Java for Mac OS X 10.5, Update 1 adds Java SE 6 version 1.6.0_05 to 64-bit Intel Macs.

Adobe Flash Player Download Center - Mac OS X
Adobe Flash Player version 9.0.124.0 Installer for PowerPC-based Macs | 2.2MB. Browser: Firefox, Mozilla, Netscape, AOL, Opera, Safari

 

Mac Os X



 
Copyright © 2008 Hintcenter.com - All rights reserved.
Home | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
All Trademarks belong to their repective owners. Many aspects of this page are used under
commercial commons license from Yahoo!