Encyclopedia of Computer Science and Technology

OS X 357major competitor in business management applications (seesap), charging them with unfair practices.Further ReadingAllen, Christopher, Simon Chatwin, and Catherine A. Creary.Introduction to Relational Databases and SQL Programming.Burr Bridge, Ill.: McGraw-Hill Technology Education, 2004.Gerald, Bastin, Nigel King, and Dan Natcher. Oracle E-BusinessSuite Manufacturing & Supply Chain Management. Berkeley,Calif.: McGraw-Hill/Osborne, 2002.Oracle Corporation. Available online. URL: http://www.oracle.com/index.html. Accessed October 25, 2007.Rittman, Mark. “Oracle Information Architecture Explained.”Available online. URL: http://www.dba-oracle.com/oracle_news/2004_8_11_rittman.htm. Accessed October 25, 2007.Stackowiak, Robert, Joseph Rayman, and Rick Greenwald. OracleData Warehousing and Business Intelligence Solutions. Indianapolis:Wiley, 2007.Symonds, Matthew. Softwar: An Intimate Portrait of Larry Ellisonand Oracle. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003.OS XJaguar, panther, tiger, and leopard—these and other namesof sleek big cats represent versions of Apple’s Macintoshoperating system, OS X (pronounced “OS 10”—see AppleCorporation and Macintosh). Unlike the previous MacOS, OS X, while broadly maintaining Apple’s user interfacestyle (see user interface), is based on a version of UNIXcalled OpenStep, developed by NeXT starting in the 1980s(see UNIX). OS X development began when Steve Jobsreturned as Apple CEO in 1997 (see Jobs, Steven Paul)and the company bought NeXT, acquiring the software. Thefirst version, OS X 10.0, or Cheetah, was released in 2001,but the system was not widely used until 10.1 (Puma) wasreleased later the same year.At the core of OS X is a free and open-source version ofUNIX called “Darwin,” with a kernel called XNU. On top ofthis Apple built a distinctive and subtly colorful user interfacecalled Aqua and a new version of the Macintosh Finderfile and program management system.Applications and DevelopmentToday OS X includes a variety of useful software packages—some free and some optional. These include iLife (digitalmedia management), iWork (productivity), and Front Row(home media center). OS X10.5 also includes Time Machine,an automatic backup system that can restore files (includingdeleted files) as well as earlier system settings.For software developers, OS X provides an integrateddevelopment environment called “Xcode,” which workswith modified open-source compilers for major programminglanguages, including C, C++, and Java. Further,because OS X is UNIX-based, many UNIX and Linux programscan be recompiled to run on it. Since mid-2005 Apple(and OS X) have been transitioning from the earlier IBM/Motorola processors to Intel processors. This transition waslargely complete by 2007, though OS X 10.5 (Leopard) stillprovides support for applications written for the PowerPC.OS X has been well received by critics, and together withits bundled software has made the Macintosh a popularplatform for users who want a seamless computing experience,particularly with regard to graphics and media.Further ReadingLeVitus, Bob. Mac OS X Leopard for Dummies. Hoboken, N.J.:Wiley, 2007.Mingis, Ken, and Michael DeAgonia. “In Depth: Apple’s LeopardLeaps to New Heights.” Computerworld, October 25, 2007.Available online. URL: http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9043838. Accessed October 26, 2007.Pogue, David. Mac OS X Leopard: The Missing Manual. Sebastapol,Calif.: Pogue Press/O’Reilly, 2007.Singh, Amit. “A History of Apple’s Operating Systems.” Availableonline. URL: http://www.kernelthread.com/mac/oshistory/.Accessed October 26, 2007.———. Mac OS X Internals: A Systems Approach. Upper SaddleRiver, N.J.: Addison-Wesley Professional, 2006.