OS X III: Finally, a First-Class OS Bella Vista AR

Posted by : Dennis Sellers

This is the third of three columns looking at Mac OS X, the "next-generation operating system" from Apple that's due in early 2001. In the previous two columns, we've looked at the user interface and the powerful new features the OS will offer. This time around we're looking at the engine of X, as well as the reasons why it has the potential to spawn new and powerful applications.

Darwin the Uber kernel

Mac OS X's engine--or core, if you prefer--is called Darwin, an aptly chosen moniker. Darwin is a modern kernel that offers, among other things, protected memory, pre-emptive multitasking, a Mach microkernel, and lots of power features previously only available to Unix users. (A kernel is a program that manages all or most of the operating-system services necessary to control a computer, such as task and file management, device input and output, and memory allocation. A microkernel is the program that manages a small but vital subset of the operating services, such as memory and synchronization.)

Apple has also posted the underlying programming source code of Darwin on its Web site. If developers submit to Apple's license agreement, they can download the source code from the Darwin Web site, change it, and include it in their own products without paying royalties or licensing fees.

However, developers must make their source-code modifications publicly available, and Apple can incorporate any changes into future versions of Mac ...

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