Mac operating systems: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Series of Macintosh operating systems}}

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{{redirect|Mac OS|the now classic OS, formerly named that way|Classic Mac OS|recent macOS versions|macOS}}

[[Image:Apple Macintosh Desktop.png|right|thumb|300px|Original 1984 Mac OS desktop]]

{{for|a list of all Apple operating systems|List of Apple operating systems}}

[[Image:MacOSX10.4.png|right|thumb|300px|Current 2005 Mac OS X desktop]]

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2019}}

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'''Mac operating systems''' were developed by [[Apple Inc.]] in a succession of two major series.

[[Image:Mac_Logo.png|150px|left]]

'''Mac OS''', which stands for '''Mac'''intosh '''O'''perating '''S'''ystem, is [[Apple Computer|Apple Computer’s]] name for the first [[operating system|operating systems]] for [[Apple Macintosh|Macintosh]] computers. The original Mac OS was the first commercially successful operating system which used a [[graphical user interface]]. The Macintosh team that designed and built the original Macintosh [[hardware]] and [[software]] included [[Bill Atkinson]], [[Chris Espinosa]], [[Joanna Hoffman]], [[George Crow]], [[Burrell Smith]], [[Jerry Manock]], [[Jef Raskin]] and [[Andy Hertzfeld]].

In 1984, Apple debuted the [[operating system]] that is now known as the [[classic Mac OS]] with its release of the [[System 1|original Macintosh System Software]]. The system, rebranded Mac OS in 1997, was pre-installed on every Macintosh until 2002 and offered on [[Macintosh clone]]s shortly in the 1990s. It was noted for its ease of use, and also criticized for its lack of modern technologies compared to its competitors.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.macworld.com/article/1138335/macat25_classicmacos.html|title=Three things OS X could learn from the Classic Mac OS|last=Gruber|first=John|author-link=John Gruber|date=January 21, 2009|work=[[Macworld]]|access-date=September 13, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924033143/http://www.macworld.com/article/1138335/macat25_classicmacos.html|archive-date=September 24, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="MeaCulpa">{{cite web |last= Hertzfeld |first= Andy |author-link= Andy Hertzfeld |title= The Original Macintosh: Mea Culpa |url= http://www.folklore.org/StoryView.py?project=Macintosh&story=Mea_Culpa.txt |website= [[folklore.org]] |access-date= May 10, 2010 |df= mdy-all |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100619193516/http://folklore.org/StoryView.py?project=Macintosh&story=Mea_Culpa.txt |archive-date= June 19, 2010 |url-status= live }}</ref>

There are a variety of views on how the Macintosh was developed and where the underlying ideas originated. While the connection between the Macintosh and the Alto project at [[Xerox PARC]] has been established in the historical record, the earlier contributions of [[Ivan Sutherland]]'s [[Sketchpad]] and [[Doug Engelbart]]'s [[On-Line System]] are no less significant. See [[History of the GUI]], and [[Apple v. Microsoft]].

The current Mac operating system is [[macOS]], originally named Mac OS X until 2012 and then OS X until 2016.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://arstechnica.com/apple/reviews/2006/03/osx-fiveyears.ars | title=Five years of Mac OS X | access-date=April 15, 2009 | publisher=[[Condé Nast Publishing|Condé Nast Digital]] | work=[[Ars Technica]] | date=March 24, 2006 | first=John | last=Siracusa | quote=Even Steve Jobs still says "ecks" instead of "ten" sometimes. | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090625184020/http://arstechnica.com/apple/reviews/2006/03/osx-fiveyears.ars | archive-date=June 25, 2009 | url-status=live }}</ref> It was developed between 1997 and 2001 after Apple's purchase of [[NeXT]]. It brought an entirely new architecture based on [[NeXTSTEP]], a [[Unix]] system, that eliminated many of the technical challenges that the classic Mac OS faced, such as problems with memory management. The current macOS is pre-installed with every Mac and receives a major update annually.<ref name="Mountain Lion Gruber Schiller">{{cite web|last=Gruber|first=John|author-link=John Gruber|title=Mountain Lion|url=https://daringfireball.net/2012/02/mountain_lion|website=[[Daring Fireball]]|access-date=August 15, 2015|df=mdy-all|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150811131321/http://daringfireball.net/2012/02/mountain_lion|archive-date=August 11, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> It is the basis of Apple's current system software for its other devices&nbsp;– [[iOS]], [[iPadOS]], [[watchOS]], and [[tvOS]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.macworld.com/article/54769/2007/01/iphone.html |title=Apple unveils iPhone |last=Honan |first=Matthew |date=January 9, 2007 |work=[[Macworld]] |access-date=January 16, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080415223141/http://www.macworld.com/article/54769/2007/01/iphone.html |archive-date=April 15, 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Apple deliberately played up the existence of the operating system in the early years of the Macintosh to help make the machine appear more user-friendly and to distance it from other systems such as [[MS-DOS]], which were portrayed as arcane and technically challenging. Apple wanted Macintosh to be portrayed as a system "for the rest of us".

Prior to the introduction of Mac OS X, Apple experimented with several other concepts, releasing different products designed to bring the Macintosh interface or applications to [[Unix-like]] systems or vice versa, [[A/UX]], [[Macintosh Application Environment|MAE]], and [[MkLinux]]. Apple's effort to expand upon and develop a replacement for its classic Mac OS in the 1990s led to a few cancelled projects, [[code name]]d [[Star Trek project|Star Trek]], [[Taligent]], and [[Copland (operating system)|Copland]].

==Versions==

Although the classic Mac OS and macOS (Mac OS X) have different architectures, they share a common set of [[graphical user interface|GUI]] principles, including a [[menu bar]] across the top of the screen; the [[Finder (software)|Finder]] [[shell (computing)|shell]], featuring a [[desktop metaphor]] that represents [[computer file|files]] and [[application software|applications]] using [[icon (computing)|icons]] and relates concepts like [[directory (computing)|directories]] and [[file deletion]] to real-world objects like [[file folder|folders]] and a [[trash (computing)|trash can]]; and overlapping [[window (computing)|windows]] for [[computer multitasking|multitasking]].

The Macintosh operating system initially consisted of two pieces of software, called "System" and "Finder", each with its own version number. They were bundled for upgrades as "System Software" with a single version number for each combination. This was formally shortened to "System" (and the component version numbers synchronised) with "[[System 6]]". System 7.5.1 was the first to include the Mac OS logo (a blue variation of a [[smiley face]]), and Mac OS 7.6 was the first to be named "Mac OS" (to ensure that users would still identify it with Apple, even when used in "clones" from other companies).

Before the arrival of the Macintosh in 1984, Apple's history of operating systems began with its [[Apple II]] computers in 1977, which run [[Apple DOS]], [[ProDOS]], and [[GS/OS]]; the [[Apple III]] in 1980 runs [[Apple SOS]]; and the [[Apple Lisa|Lisa]] in 1983 which runs [[Lisa OS]] and later [[MacWorks XL]], a Macintosh [[emulator]]. Apple developed the [[Newton OS]] for its [[Apple Newton|Newton]] [[personal digital assistant]] from 1993 to 1997.

Until the advent of the [[G3]] era systems (the so-called "new world" machines), significant parts of the system were stored in physical [[Read-only memory|ROM]] on the motherboard. The initial purpose of this was to avoid using up the limited storage of [[floppy disk]]s on system support, given that the early Macs had no [[hard disk]]. (Only one model of Mac was ever actually bootable using the ROM alone, the [[1991]] [[Macintosh Classic|Mac Classic]] model.) This architecture also helped to ensure that only Apple computers (and later licensed clones with the copyright-protected ROMs) could run Mac OS.

Apple launched several new operating systems based on the core of [[macOS]]: [[iOS]] in 2007 for its [[iPhone]], [[iPad]], and [[iPod Touch]] [[mobile devices]], and in 2017 for its [[HomePod]] [[smart speaker]]s; [[watchOS]] in 2015 for the [[Apple Watch]]; [[tvOS]] in 2015 for the [[Apple TV]] [[set-top box]]; and [[visionOS]] in 2024 for the [[Apple Vision Pro]] [[mixed reality headset]].<!-- Please note, this article is about Macintosh operating systems released by Apple, not unofficial projects by other developers. That information is in the OSx86 article. -->

The Mac OS can be divided into two families of operating systems:

==Classic Mac OS==

* "Classic" Mac OS, the system which shipped with the first Macintosh in 1984 and its descendants, culminating with [[Mac OS 9]].

<!-- Keep it brief: This article is intended as a pointer to the main articles that contain most of the information on these systems. -->

* The newer [[Mac OS X]] (the "X" is pronounced ''ten'', as the Roman numeral). Mac OS X incorporates elements of [[BSD Unix]], [[OpenStep]], and [[Mac OS 9]]. Its low-level [[Unix]]-based foundation, [[Darwin (operating system)|Darwin]], is [[open source]].

{{Main|Classic Mac OS}}

The [[classic Mac OS]] is the original Macintosh operating system introduced in 1984 alongside the [[Macintosh 128K|first Macintosh]] and remained in primary use on Macs until [[Mac OS X]] in 2001.<ref name="appleconfidential2">{{cite book |last= Linzmayer |first= Owen W. |title= Apple Confidential 2.0 |publisher= [[No Starch Press]] |year= 2004 |url= https://www.nostarch.com/apple2.htm |access-date= October 1, 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161113144250/https://www.nostarch.com/apple2.htm |archive-date= November 13, 2016 |url-status= live }}</ref><ref name=strategy_83>{{cite web |url= http://library.stanford.edu/mac/primary/docs/pip83.html |title= The Macintosh Product Introduction Plan |website= Stanford University Libraries & Academic Information Resources |publisher=[[Stanford University]] |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100721013724/http://library.stanford.edu/mac/primary/docs/pip83.html |archive-date= July 21, 2010 }}</ref>

Apple released the [[Macintosh 128K|original Macintosh]] on January 24, 1984; its [[System 1|early system software]] is partially based on [[Lisa OS]], and inspired by the [[Xerox Alto|Alto]] computer, which former Apple CEO [[Steve Jobs]] previewed at [[PARC (company)|Xerox PARC]].<ref name="appleconfidential2" /> It was originally named "System Software", or simply "System"; Apple rebranded it as "Mac OS" in 1996 due in part to its [[Macintosh clone]] program that ended one year later.<ref name="endofclones">{{Cite news|first=Galen|last=Gruman|title=Why Apple Pulled the Plug|magazine=[[Macworld]] |volume=14 |pages=31–36|date=November 1997|issue=11}}</ref>

===Mac OS===

Classic Mac OS is characterized by its [[monolithic system|monolithic]] design. Initial versions of the System Software run one application at a time. System 5 introduced [[cooperative multitasking]]. System 7 supports [[32-bit]] [[memory address]]ing and [[virtual memory]], allowing larger programs. Later updates to the System 7 enable the transition to the [[PowerPC]] architecture. The system was considered [[Usability|user-friendly]], but its architectural limitations were critiqued, such as limited [[Classic Mac OS memory management|memory management]], lack of [[protected memory]] and [[Computer access control|access controls]], and susceptibility to conflicts among [[extension (Mac OS)|extensions]].<ref name="MeaCulpa" />

The "classic" Mac OS is characterized by its total lack of a [[command line]]; it is a completely graphical operating system. Heralded for its ease of use, it is also criticized for its singletasking (in early versions) or [[cooperative multitasking]] (in later versions), very limited [[Mac OS memory management|memory management]], and susceptibility to conflicts among "extensions" that extend the operating system, providing additional functionality (such as networking) or support for a particular device. Some extensions may not work properly together, or work only when loaded in a particular order. Troubleshooting Mac OS extensions can be a time-consuming process of [[trial and error]].

=== Releases ===

Mac OS originally used the [[Macintosh File System]] (MFS), a [[flat file]] system with only one [[kludge]]d level of folders. This was replaced by the [[Hierarchical File System]] (HFS), which had a true [[directory]] tree. Both file systems are otherwise compatible.

[[File:Mac OS wordmark logo.svg|thumb|This text-only logo for [[classic Mac OS]] started with [[Mac OS 7.6]], released in 1997.]]

Nine major versions of the classic Mac OS were released. The name "Classic" that now signifies the system as a whole is a reference to [[List of macOS components#Classic|a compatibility layer]] that helped ease the transition to [[macOS|Mac OS X]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lowendmac.com/2012/a-brief-history-of-the-classic-mac-os/|title=A Brief History of the Classic Mac OS|website=[[Low End Mac]]|access-date=October 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161005230817/http://lowendmac.com/2012/a-brief-history-of-the-classic-mac-os/|archive-date=October 5, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

* [[System 1|Macintosh System Software]] – "System 1", released in 1984

* [[Classic Mac OS#System 1, 2, 3 and 4|System Software 2, 3, and 4]] – released between 1985 and 1987

* [[Classic Mac OS#System Software 5|System Software 5]] – released in 1987

* [[System 6|System Software 6]] – released in 1988

* [[System 7|System 7 / Mac OS 7.6]] – released in 1991

* [[Mac OS 8]] – released in 1997

* [[Mac OS 9]] – final major version, released in 1999

==Mac OS X, OS X, and macOS==

Most file systems used with DOS, Unix, or other operating systems treat a file as simply a sequence of bytes, requiring an application to know which bytes represented what type of information. By contrast, MFS and HFS gave files two different "forks". The data fork contained the same sort of information as other file systems, such as the text of a document or the bitmaps of an image file. The [[resource fork]] contained other structured data such as menu definitions, graphics, sounds, or code segments. A file might consist only of resources with an empty data fork, or only a data fork with no resource fork. A text file could contain its text in the data fork and styling information in the resource fork, so that an application which didn't recognize the styling information could still read the raw text. On the other hand, these forks provided a challenge to interoperability with other operating systems; copying a file from a Mac to a non-Mac system would strip it of its resource fork.

<!-- Keep it brief: This article is intended as a pointer to the main articles that contain most of the information on these systems. -->

{{Main|macOS}}

[[File:MacOS Big Sur Desktop.png|thumb|[[macOS Big Sur]] was released in 2020 to introduce the current design iteration of macOS.|326x326px]]

The system was launched as Mac OS X, renamed OS X from 2012{{mdash}}2016,<ref name=ten_not_x>{{cite web|date= July 15, 2004|title=What is an operating system (OS)?| url=http://support.apple.com/kb/TA22541?viewlocale=en_US | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100722104618/http://support.apple.com/kb/TA22541?viewlocale=en_US | archive-date=July 22, 2010 | publisher=[[Apple Inc.]] | access-date=September 6, 2014|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and then renamed [[macOS]] as the current Mac operating system that officially succeeded the classic Mac OS in 2001.

The system was originally marketed as simply "version 10" of Mac OS, but it has [[History of macOS|a history that is largely independent]] of the classic Mac OS. It is a [[Unix]]-based operating system<ref>{{cite web|url=https://images.apple.com/macosx/pdf/MacOSX_UNIX_TB_v2.pdf | title=Mac OS X and Unix |publisher=[[Apple Inc.]] |access-date=February 5, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090530001035/http://images.apple.com/macosx/pdf/MacOSX_UNIX_TB_v2.pdf |archive-date=May 30, 2009 }}</ref><ref name=sierra_unix_cert>{{cite web |url= http://www.opengroup.org/openbrand/register/brand3627.htm |title= macOS version 10.12 Sierra on Intel-based Mac computers |publisher= [[The Open Group]] |access-date= September 29, 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161002105135/http://www.opengroup.org/openbrand/register/brand3627.htm |archive-date= October 2, 2016 |url-status= live }}</ref> built on [[NeXTSTEP]] and other [[NeXT]] technology from the late 1980s until early 1997, when Apple purchased the company and its CEO [[Steve Jobs]] returned to Apple.<ref name="apple-acquisition">{{cite web |title= Apple Computer, Inc. Agrees to Acquire NeXT Software Inc. |url= http://product.info.apple.com/pr/press.releases/1997/q1/961220.pr.rel.next.html |publisher=[[Apple Computer]] |date= December 20, 1996 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/19990116225648/http://product.info.apple.com/pr/press.releases/1997/q1/961220.pr.rel.next.html |archive-date= January 16, 1999 |url-status= dead |df= mdy-all }}</ref> Precursors to Mac OS X include [[OPENSTEP]], Apple's [[Rhapsody (operating system)|Rhapsody]] project, and the [[Mac OS X Public Beta]].

===Mac OS X===

{{main|Mac OS X}}

macOS is based on Apple's [[Open-source software|open source]] [[Darwin (operating system)|Darwin operating system]], which is based on the [[XNU]] kernel and [[BSD]].<ref name="OS X also makes use of the BSD code">{{cite web|title=Mac OS X: What is BSD?|url=http://support.apple.com/kb/TA25633|publisher=[[Apple Inc.]]|access-date=October 25, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130219084258/http://support.apple.com/kb/TA25633|archive-date=February 19, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

Mac OS X brought Unix-style memory management and [[pre-emptive multitasking]] to the Mac platform. It is based on the [[Mach kernel]] and the [[Berkeley Software Distribution|BSD]] implementation of [[Unix|UNIX]], which were incorporated into [[NeXTSTEP]], the [[object-oriented operating system]] developed by [[Steve Jobs]]'s [[NeXT]] company. The new memory management system allowed more programs to run at once and virtually eliminated the possibility of one program crashing another. It is also the second Macintosh operating system to include a command line (the first is the now-discontinued [[A/UX]], which supported classic Mac OS applications on top of a UNIX kernel), although it is never seen unless the user launches a "terminal" program.

macOS is the basis for some of Apple's other operating systems, including [[iPhone OS]]/[[iOS]], [[iPadOS]], [[watchOS]], [[tvOS]], and [[Apple Vision Pro|visionOS]].

However, since these new features put higher demands on system resources, Mac OS X only officially supported the [[PowerPC G3]] and newer processors, and now has even higher requirements (the additional requirement of built-in [[FireWire]] (IEEE 1394), as of [[Mac OS X v10.4]]). Even then, it runs somewhat slowly on older G3 systems for many purposes.

===Releases===

[[As of 2005]], every update to Mac OS X since the original [[beta version|public beta]] has had the atypical quality of being perceptibly more responsive than the version it replaced, the opposite to the trend of most operating systems. As noted by John Siracusa of [[Ars Technica]]:

[[File:MacosxlogoX1.png|thumb|The "X" logo for [[Mac OS X]] versions [[Mac OS X 10.0|10.0 "Cheetah"]] and [[Mac OS X 10.1|10.1 "Puma"]], released in 2001]]

====Desktop====

:''For over three years now, Mac OS X has gotten faster with every release — and not just "faster in the experience of most end users", but faster on the same hardware. This trend is unheard of among contemporary desktop operating systems.'' [http://arstechnica.com/reviews/os/macosx-10.3.ars/5]

The first version of the system was released on March 24, 2001, supporting the [[Aqua user interface]]. Since then, several more versions adding newer features and technologies have been released. Since 2011, new releases have been offered annually.<ref name="Mountain Lion Gruber Schiller" />

* [[Mac OS X 10.0]] – codenamed "Cheetah", released Saturday, March 24, 2001

* [[Mac OS X 10.1]] – codenamed "Puma", released Tuesday, September 25, 2001

* [[Mac OS X Jaguar]] – version 10.2, released Friday, August 23, 2002

* [[Mac OS X Panther]] – version 10.3, released Friday, October 24, 2003

* [[Mac OS X Tiger]] – version 10.4, released Friday, April 29, 2005

* [[Mac OS X Leopard]] – version 10.5, released Friday, October 26, 2007

* [[Mac OS X Snow Leopard]] – version 10.6, publicly unveiled on Monday, June 8, 2009

* [[Mac OS X Lion]] – version 10.7, released Wednesday, July 20, 2011

* [[OS X Mountain Lion]] – version 10.8, released Wednesday, July 25, 2012

* [[OS X Mavericks]] – version 10.9, released Tuesday, October 22, 2013

* [[OS X Yosemite]] – version 10.10, released Thursday, October 16, 2014

* [[OS X El Capitan]] – version 10.11, released Wednesday, September 30, 2015

* [[macOS Sierra]] – version 10.12, released Tuesday, September 20, 2016

* [[macOS High Sierra]] – version 10.13, released Monday, September 25, 2017

* [[macOS Mojave]] – version 10.14, released Monday, September 24, 2018

* [[macOS Catalina]] – version 10.15, released Monday, October 7, 2019

* [[macOS Big Sur]] – version 11, released Thursday, November 12, 2020

* [[macOS Monterey]] – version 12, released Monday, October 25, 2021

* [[macOS Ventura]] – version 13, released Monday, October 24, 2022

* [[macOS Sonoma]] - version 14, released Tuesday, September 26, 2023

* [[macOS Sequoia]] - version 15, released Monday, September 16, 2024

* [[macOS Tahoe]] - version 26, announced Monday, June 9, 2025 and set to release sometime in late 2025

macOS 10.16's version number was updated to 11.0 in the third beta. The third beta version of macOS Big Sur is 11.0 Beta 3 instead of 10.16 Beta 3.

This could, however, be attributed to the relative immaturity of the OS, and the speed gains have diminished as OS X has matured. Some reports regarding Mac OS X 10.4 suggested that it seemed similar to version 10.3 in responsiveness, or even slower at times.

macOS 26's version number is based on the year following the year in which it will first be released, as is the case for all Apple operating systems released in 2025.

Mac OS X includes a compatibility layer for running older Mac applications, the [[Classic (Mac OS X)|Classic Environment]]. This runs a full copy of the older Mac OS, version 9.1 or later, in a Mac OS X process. Most well-written "classic" applications function properly under this environment, but compatibility is only assured if the software was written to be unaware of the actual hardware, and to interact solely with the operating system. The Classic Environment will be eliminated in the x86 version of OS X, Leopard, though it will remain in the Power PC builds of the OS.

====Server====

Users of the original Mac OS generally upgraded to Mac OS X, but a few criticized it as being more difficult and less user-friendly than the original Mac OS, for the lack of certain features that had not been re-implemented in the new OS, or for being slower on the same hardware (especially older hardware). Because drivers (for printers, scanners, tablets, etc.) written for the older Mac OS are not compatible with Mac OS X, and due to the lack of OS X support for older Apple machines, a signficant number of Macintosh users have continued using the older OS. By 2005, it is reported that almost all users of systems capable of running Mac OS X are so doing, with only a small percentage still running the classic Mac OS.

An early [[server computing]] version of the system was released in 1999 as a technology preview. It was followed by several more official server-based releases. Server functionality has instead been offered as an add-on for the desktop system since 2011.<ref>{{cite press release |url= https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2011/02/24Apple-Releases-Developer-Preview-of-Mac-OS-X-Lion/ |title= Apple Releases Developer Preview of Mac OS X Lion |publisher= [[Apple Inc.]] |date= February 24, 2011 |access-date= October 13, 2019 |archive-date= October 13, 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191013185856/https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2011/02/24Apple-Releases-Developer-Preview-of-Mac-OS-X-Lion/ |url-status= live }}</ref>

* [[Mac OS X Server 1.0]] – code named "Hera", released in 1999

* [[Mac OS X Server]] – later called "OS X Server" and "macOS Server", released between 2001 and 2022.

==Other projects==

==Mac OS technologies==

<!-- Keep it brief: This article is intended as a pointer to the main articles that contain most of the information on these systems. -->

* [[Chooser]]: tool for accessing network resources (e.g., enabling [[AppleTalk]]) and selecting [[printer]]s; descended from an earlier "Choose Printer" Desk Accessory

* [[ColorSync]]: technology for color matching

* [[Desk Accessory|Desk Accessories]]: small "helper" apps that could be run concurrently with any other app, prior to the advent of [[MultiFinder]] and System 7.

* [[Macintosh Finder|Finder]]: the interface for browsing the filesystem and launching applications

* [[Mac OS memory management]]: how the Mac managed [[Random Access Memory|RAM]] and [[virtual memory]] before the switch to [[Unix]]

* [[Mac-Roman]]: character set

* [[MultiFinder]]: support for multiple simultaneous processes

* [[PlainTalk]]: [[speech synthesis]] and [[speech recognition]] technology

* [[PowerPC]] emulation of [[Motorola 68000]]: how the Mac handled the architectural transition from [[CISC]] to [[RISC]] (see [[Mac 68K emulator]])

* [[QuickDraw]]: the imaging model which first provided mass-market [[WYSIWYG]]

* [[QuickTime]]: support for [[sound|A]]/[[video|V]] import and playback

==Project= StarShipped Trek===

====A/ROSE====

{{Main|A/ROSE}}

The [[A/ROSE|Apple Real-time Operating System Environment]] (A/ROSE) is a small [[embedded operating system]] which runs on the Macintosh Coprocessor Platform, an [[expansion card]] for the Macintosh. It is a single "overdesigned" hardware platform on which third-party vendors build practically any product, reducing the otherwise heavy workload of developing a [[NuBus]]-based [[expansion card]]. The first version of the system was ready for use in February 1988.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mactech.com/articles/develop/issue_04/coprocessor.html |title=Inside the Macintosh Coprocessor Platform and A/ROSE |access-date=October 1, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161015082158/http://www.mactech.com/articles/develop/issue_04/coprocessor.html |archive-date=October 15, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>

====A/UX====

One interesting historical aspect of the classic Mac OS was a relatively unknown secret prototype Apple started work on in 1992, code-named [[Star Trek project|Project Star Trek]]. The goal of this project was to create a version of Mac OS that would run on [[Intel]]-compatible [[x86|''x''86]] personal computers. It was short lived, being cancelled only one year later in 1993 due to political infighting, though its team was able to get the [[Macintosh Finder]] and some basic applications, like [[QuickTime]], running smoothly on a PC.

{{Main|A/UX}}

In 1988, Apple released its first [[UNIX]]-based OS, [[A/UX]], which is a UNIX operating system with the Mac OS [[look and feel]]. It was not very competitive for its time, due in part to the crowded UNIX market and Macintosh hardware lacking high-end design features present on [[workstation]]-class computers. Most of its sales was to the [[Federal government of the United States|U.S. government]], where MacOS lacks [[POSIX]] compliance.<ref name="InfoWorld August 1992">{{cite news |title=Apple finally gets Unix right with A/UX 3.0 |newspaper=[[InfoWorld]] |date=August 10, 1992 |first=Don |last=Crabb |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ElEEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA68 |pages=68–69 |df=mdy-all |access-date=October 1, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160801194024/https://books.google.com/books?id=ElEEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA68 |archive-date=August 1, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>

====MAE====

Although the Star Trek software was never released, third-party Macintosh [[emulators]], such as [[vMac]], [[Basilisk II]], and Executor, eventually made it possible to run the classic Mac OS on ''x''86 PCs. These emulators were restricted to emulating the [[Motorola 68000|68000]] line of processors, and as such couldn't run versions of the Mac OS newer than 8.1, which required PowerPC processors. Recently, the [[PearPC]] emulator has appeared, which is capable of emulating the PowerPC processors required by newer versions of the Mac OS (like [[Mac OS X]]). Unfortunately, it is still in the early stages and, like many emulators, tends to run much slower than a native OS would.

{{Main|Macintosh Application Environment}}

The [[Macintosh Application Environment]] (MAE) is a software package introduced by Apple in 1994 that allows certain [[Unix]]-based computer workstations to run Macintosh applications. MAE uses the [[X Window System]] to emulate a [[Macintosh Finder]]-style graphical user interface. The last version, MAE 3.0, is compatible with [[System 7.5.3]]. MAE was published for [[Sun Microsystems]] [[SPARCstation]] and [[Hewlett-Packard]] systems. It was discontinued on May 14, 1998.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.aux-penelope.com/mae/index.htm | archive-url=https://archive.today/20140124200012/http://www.aux-penelope.com/mae/index.htm | archive-date=January 24, 2014 | url-status=dead | title=MAE screenshots | access-date=March 4, 2015}}</ref>

====MkLinux====

Another PPC emulator is [[SheepShaver]], which has been around since [[1998]] for the [[BeOS]] platform, but in [[2002]] was [[open source]]d with porting efforts beginning to get it to run on other platforms. Although it is capable of emulating a PowerPC processor, it can only emulate up to [[Mac OS 9|Mac OS 9.0.4]] because it does not emulate a [[memory management unit]].

{{Main| MkLinux}}

Announced at the 1996 [[Worldwide Developers Conference]] (WWDC), [[MkLinux]] is an [[open-source software|open source]] operating system that was started by the [[OSF Research Institute]] and Apple in February 1996 to port [[Linux]] to the [[PowerPC]] platform, and thus Macintosh computers. In mid 1998, the community-led MkLinux Developers Association took over development of the operating system. MkLinux is short for "Microkernel Linux", which refers to its adaptation of the monolithic [[Linux kernel]] to run as a server hosted atop the [[Mach (kernel)|Mach microkernel]] version 3.0.<ref name="LinuxonOSFMach3">{{cite web | title=Linux on the OSF Mach3 microkernel | url= http://bat8.inria.fr/~lang/hotlist/free/licence/fsf96/mklinux.html | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120211081545/http://bat8.inria.fr/~lang/hotlist/free/licence/fsf96/mklinux.html | url-status=live | archive-date=February 11, 2012 | access-date=April 4, 2013 | first1=François | last1=Barbou des Places | first2=Nick | last2=Stephen | first3=Franklin D. | last3=Reynolds | publisher=[[OSF Research Institute]] | ___location=Grenoble and Cambridge | date=January 12, 1996 }}</ref>

===Cancelled projects===

Apple later began a similar project for Mac OS X, code-named [[Marklar]]. Marklar's task was to keep Mac OS X and all supporting applications (including [[iLife]] and [[Xcode]]) running on the ''x''86 architecture as well as that of the PowerPC. Marklar was revealed by Apple's [[CEO]] [[Steve Jobs]] in [[June 2005]], when he announced that future Macintosh products will run on Intel processors starting in [[2006]].

====Star Trek====

{{Main|Star Trek project}}

The [[Star Trek project]] (as in "to boldly go where no Mac has gone before") was a secret prototype beginning in 1992, to port the classic Mac OS to [[Intel]]-compatible [[x86]] personal computers. In partnership with Apple and with support from Intel, the project was instigated by [[Novell]], which was looking to integrate its [[DR-DOS]] with the Mac OS GUI as a mutual response to the monopoly of [[Microsoft]]'s [[Windows 3.0]] and MS-DOS. A team consisting of four from Apple and four from Novell was got the [[Macintosh Finder]] and some basic applications such as [[QuickTime]], running smoothly. The project was canceled one year later in early 1993, but was partially reused when porting the Mac OS to [[PowerPC]].<ref name="Star Trek LEM">{{cite web | website=[[Low End Mac]] | url=http://lowendmac.com/2014/star-trek-apples-first-mac-os-on-intel-project/ | last=Hormby | first=Tom | date=2005 | title=Star Trek: Apple's First Mac OS on Intel Project | access-date=November 10, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151102004608/http://lowendmac.com/2014/star-trek-apples-first-mac-os-on-intel-project/ | archive-date=November 2, 2015 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="AppleConfidential">{{cite book

|title=Apple Confidential

|url=https://archive.org/details/appleconfidentia00linz

|last=Linzmayer

|first=Owen W.

|___location=San Francisco, CA

|publisher=[[No Starch Press]]

|year=1999

|isbn=9781886411289

|oclc=245921029

|access-date=May 29, 2017

|url-access=registration

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190920220241/https://archive.org/details/appleconfidentia00linz

|archive-date=September 20, 2019

|url-status=live

}}</ref>

====Taligent====

The developer version of [[Marklar]] has alredy leaked onto the Internet, and hackers have gotten it to run on a normal Intel-based computer.

{{Main| Taligent}}

[[Taligent]] (a [[portmanteau]] of "talent" and "intelligent") is an [[object-oriented operating system]] and the company producing it. Started as the Pink project within Apple to provide a replacement for the [[classic Mac OS]], it was later spun off into a joint venture with [[IBM]] as part of the [[AIM alliance]], with the purpose of building a competing platform to [[Microsoft Cairo]] and [[NeXTSTEP]]. The development process never worked, and has been cited as an example of a [[death march (project management)|project death march]]. Apple pulled out of the project in 1995 before the code had been delivered.<ref name="surrender">"[https://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/10/03/microsoft_pink/ Apple surrenders the Pink (to Microsoft)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810135433/https://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/10/03/microsoft_pink/ |date=August 10, 2017 }}", ''[[The Register]]'', October 3, 2008.</ref>

== A/UX ==Copland====

{{Main|Copland (operating system)}}

[[Copland (operating system)|Copland]] was a project at Apple to create an updated version of the [[classic Mac OS]]. It was to have introduced [[memory protection|protected memory]], [[preemptive multitasking]], and new underlying operating system features, yet still be compatible with existing Mac software. They originally planned the follow-up release Gershwin to add [[multithreading (computer architecture)|multithreading]] and other advanced features. New features were added more rapidly than they could be completed, and the completion date slipped into the future with no sign of a release. In 1996, Apple canceled the project outright and sought a suitable third-party replacement. Copland development ended in August 1996, and in December 1996, Apple announced that it was buying [[NeXT]] for its [[NeXTSTEP]] operating system.<ref name="PCWorld Project Failures">{{cite web |url= http://www.pcworld.com/article/152103/it_project_failures.html |title= Lessons Learned: IT's Biggest Project Failures |work= [[PCWorld]] |last= Widman |first= Jake |date= October 9, 2008 |access-date= October 23, 2012 |df= mdy-all |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121105191809/http://www.pcworld.com/article/152103/it_project_failures.html |archive-date= November 5, 2012 |url-status= live }}</ref>

==Timeline==

In 1988, Apple released its first UNIX based OS, named [[A/UX]].

{{Timeline of Macintosh operating systems|headerextension==1}}

This was an [[operating system]] that seamlessly integrated the Mac OS look and feel with the power and flexibility of UNIX. Since it was before the advent of PowerPC and therefore had to run on the Motorola 68000 processor, it was not very competitive for its time. A/UX had most of its success in sales to the [[Federal government of the United States]], where UNIX was a requirement that Mac OS could not meet.

==See also==

* [[Mac OS history]]

* [[Mac OS X history]]

* [[Mac OS X Server]]

* [[List of Macintosh software]]

* [[Operating system advocacy]]

* [[Comparison of operating systems]]

* [[History of the graphical user interface]]

* [[Mac (computer)|Mac]]

* [[List of Mac software]]

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==External links==

*{{Commons category-inline|Macintosh operating systems}}

{{Apple Inc. operating systems|}}

* [http://folklore.org folklore.org] a site with anecdotes by the creators of the first Macintosh

{{Mac OS}}

* [http://www.apple.com/macosx/ Mac OS X official site]

{{macOS}}

* [http://www.maccrazy.net maccrazy.net] - Mac news and rumors

{{Darwin derivations}}

{{Mac_OS_HistoryApple software}}

{{Apple}}

{{Operating system}}

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{{Authority control}}

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