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An Answer To "What is Mac OS X?"

Posted by Cliff on from the for-those-who-are-curious dept.

XCube writes: "'What is Mac OS X?' is a fascinating article over at KernelThread.com. According to Amit Singh it's a hacker-over-friendly answer to that question and a low-level taste of Apple's OS. The extensive article covers many details on Mac OS X: history, Mac firmware & boot loader, system architecture, kernel, startup, file systems, app environments, programming facilities, available software, and more. A great read if you are interested in Mac OS X, though some stuff is too technical methinks. On second thought, this may be a better read if you're *not* interested in Mac OS X! The author says he wrote it to introduce Mac OS X to the Linux User's Group at his work."

22 of 664 comments (clear)

  1. Hey, Wait a second by jetkust · · Score: 4, Funny

    On second thought, this may be a better read if you're *not* interested in OS X!

    But if I wasn't interested, then why would I be reading it?

    1. Re:Hey, Wait a second by KillerHamster · · Score: 4, Funny

      And even if you were interested, you probably still wouldn't read the article. This is Slashdot, after all.

    2. Re:Hey, Wait a second by phre4k · · Score: 2, Funny

      isn't being pissed-off a part of the zealot definition?

      --
      "Nobody really checks their email any more. They just delete their spam"
    3. Re:Hey, Wait a second by BorgCopyeditor · · Score: 5, Funny
      You know what else pisses people off?

      Sticking pins in them! Some people say it's wrong, but that's what makes it fun!!!

      --
      Shop as usual. And avoid panic buying.
  2. Re:OS X 10? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    I know what you mean...

    Yesterday I was having a great time editing my masterpiece "When Trolls attack" on Final Cut Pro, especially after I finally was done tweaking the shots in Photoshop and After Effects.

    Later I enjoyed solving another level of Halo while listening to my iTunes collection.

    Thank God for FreeBSD 4! I didn't have to pay for none of this stiffling proprietary OS X crap! :P~~~~

    Joe Anoymous.

  3. Re:OS X 10? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    What are these good or wack comments about? Are they good or are they wack?

  4. The question by CelticWhisper · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's been at the back of your mind all along, always there, you're always asking...

    "What is Mac OS X?"

    Do you want me to show you, Neo...er...Steve? Eat the blue apple, and you'll go on living your life, believing whatever you want to believe. Eat the red apple, and I'll show you how deep the worm hole goes. And you'll realize that there is no Mac OS X. It's only your mind that has unfathomably sexy UI elements.

    --
    Help protect civil rights from abuse by the TSA - visit TSA News Blog.
    http://www.tsanewsblog.com
    1. Re:The question by NaugaHunter · · Score: 4, Funny

      I took a bit out of a rainbow-colored apple and ended up in a wormhole to my life in the 70's...

      --
      R: That voice. Where have I heard that voice before? B: In about 365 other episodes. But I don't know who it is either.
  5. What is Mac OS X? by mac+os+ken · · Score: 4, Funny
    Mac OS X is:

    stable

    easy to use

    gorgeous

    well rounded

    interesting Kind of sounds like the perfect boyfriend/girlfriend. But remember, we're talking about software here... :P

    --
    .deviatefromtheabsolute.
    1. Re:What is Mac OS X? by CelticWhisper · · Score: 3, Funny

      So then it's Software vs. Softwear?

      --
      Help protect civil rights from abuse by the TSA - visit TSA News Blog.
      http://www.tsanewsblog.com
    2. Re:What is Mac OS X? by NanoGator · · Score: 2, Funny

      " vs. Softwear? "

      Whoah.. I can sort by cup size. Man I'm glad I'm telecommuting today.

      --
      "Derp de derp."
    3. Re:What is Mac OS X? by shunnicutt · · Score: 3, Funny

      Mac OS X is:

      stable

      asy to use

      gorgeous

      well rounded

      You forgot "lickable"
    4. Re:What is Mac OS X? by burns210 · · Score: 2, Funny
      You forgot "lickable"

      just like the perfect girlfriend! :)

  6. Re:Steve Jobs secret marketing meeting by ScottGant · · Score: 2, Funny

    Orc: What news from the eye me lord, what does it command?

    Steveron: Build me a G5 worthy of Mordor...

    Weeks later, looking over the 1100 G5's heading toward VA Tech...

    Steveron: There will be no dawn...of Windows

    --

    "Music is everybody's possession. It's only publishers who think that people own it." - John Lennon.
  7. Re:It isn't MacOS X that turns people off of Macs. by daeley · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yeah, it's too bad that Apple forces you to use its LCD monitors and wireless hardware.

    Oh wait, they don't.

    Go away, troll.

    --
    I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate.
  8. I know what OS X is. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    FeeBSD.

  9. Re:Hi Steve, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny
    wow, nice mouth--while it's really impressive here on slashdot, somehow methinks you don't get any of the real thing;>

    i think the REAL issue is that Apple users are much more likely to have actual sex, while all the *nix trolls get is goat.se(x)...

  10. Re:Gimp mouse by dseyeffer · · Score: 2, Funny

    mod the above in the "hilarious" category

  11. Re:Carbon's roots are older by Don'tTreadOnMe · · Score: 2, Funny


    Holy Crap, you people are geeks !


    Oh, sorry, forgot where I was for a minute there...

  12. Re:IT'S AN OPERATING SYSTEM. PERIOD. by as400tek · · Score: 2, Funny

    Can't we all just keep picking on Microsoft? and get along. MacOSX is not the devil!

    --
    David Vasta iSeries(AS/400) Admin & Junkie
  13. Re:It isn't MacOS X that turns people off of Macs. by MoneyT · · Score: 3, Funny

    Hmmm, damn I could have sworn the PowerMac we just bought is working absolutely fine with our nice Sony CRT and our NEC LCD monitor, both of which use standard VGA connections.

    And I could swear that the D-Link wireless card I have works very nicely in my Powerbook.

    I must just be dreaming though.

    --
    T Money
    World Domination with a plastic spoon since 1984
  14. It's compiled! DAMMIT!! by The+Muffin+Man · · Score: 5, Funny

    Hmm, he lists Lisp amongst the interpreted languages. I hope the rest of the article is more accurate...

    Edi.

    == Programming Language Myths ==

    BASIC Myth: People who learn BASIC go on to learn other languages.
    Reality: Most people who learn BASIC go on to find less nerdy ways of writing "Mr. Gzabowski is a lame teacher" over and over again.

    C Myth: C programs are insecure, full of buffer overflows and such.
    Reality: C programs are only insecure if written by imperfect programmers. Since all C programmers know that they are perfect, there's no problem.

    COBOL Myth: COBOL is dead.
    Reality: It stalks from out the ancient vaults of death, its putrid mind drawn to the blood of the living.

    Forth Myth: Forth makes no sense.
    Reality: backwards. think to have just you sense, perfect makes Forth

    Java Myth: You need Java to do business applications.
    Reality: You need Java to get a job.

    Lisp Myth: Lisp is an interpreted language.
    Reality: Lisp is COMPILED DAMMIT COMPILED! IT'S IN THE FUCKING STANDARD!!!

    Pascal Myth: Pascal is a toy.
    Reality: Oh, wait, that is not a myth, it is true ...

    Perl Myth: Perl is impossible to read.
    Reality: You are not taking enough psychedelics.

    Python Myth: Python's only problem is the whitespace thing.
    Reality: Python's only problem is that it is fucking slow.