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Apple Releases macOS 10.12 Sierra Open Source Darwin Code (9to5mac.com)
An anonymous reader writes:Apple has released the open source Darwin code for macOS 10.12 Sierra. The code, located on Apple's open source website, can be accessed via direct link now, although it doesn't yet appear on the site's home page. The release builds on a long-standing library of open source code that dates all the way back to OS X 10.0. There, you'll also find the Open Source Reference Library, developer tools, along with iOS and OS X Server resources. The lowest layers of macOS, including the kernel, BSD portions, and drivers are based mainly on open source technologies, collectively called Darwin. As such, Apple provides download links to the latest versions of these technologies for the open source community to learn and to use.
Like they've done with every version? Of course it's only the code they have to release.
Not true. They don't have to release a lot of it; for example, the XNU kernel is licensed under BSD licenses, the BSDish license under which Mach was released, or the APSL, none of which oblige Apple to release any of it.
Look kids. Get over the small minded philosophical hangups. Understand that the MacBook OS is a BSD kernel + the GNU OS (tool chain) + Plus the NSstuff that Next brought. That's it. The vast majority of code is already open, because it has been developed by the community over 30 years.
the XNU kernel is an evolved version of the XNU kernel from NextSTEP that uses some BSD components, CMU Mach microkernel components and C++ I/O Kit which replaced NextSTEP's ObjC DriverKit. It's not a "BSD kernel" per say. the toolchain is definitely not GNU at all. LibSystem uses no GNU code at all. It uses the BSD standard library libc, not glibc. clang is the compiler, not gcc as that's something they got rid of many years ago. They do still use some software preinstalled that are under GPL but it's no "toolchain". See Apple’s great GPL purge.
A number of important components are completely closed which are needed to boot XNU on its own, like PlatformExpert. So you're not exactly correct in your statement here.
Like they've done with every version? Of course it's only the code they have to release.
Not true. They don't have to release a lot of it; for example, the XNU kernel is licensed under BSD licenses, the BSDish license under which Mach was released, or the APSL, none of which oblige Apple to release any of it.
Not to mention all the work their doing with LLVM/Clang. Given it's license, they could have gone closed source (especially after hiring the original creator/s in 2005).
They also hired the main CUPS guy, and while it's GPL, could have insisted that he only do in-house stuff, but they still have him to open source stuff.
I remember about 15 years ago when I downloaded the darwin ISO and installed it on a machine. It was a basic unix-like system, similar to installing a NetBSD base install. Probably pkgsrc would be portable to it, so it could be a complete freenix solution to install and just use.
But my understanding is that Apple quit supporting or even allowing an installable Darwin ISO. So this is just bits and pieces out of their code repository that you can look at but not do much with unless you buy their stuff.
I'm sure I have that old darwin ISO stored away somewhere in my large collection of media (I save everything, so I even have Windows 2 shareware and applications stuck somewhere on an archived DVD) but it's about fifteen years old.
I'm pretty sure I have a NextSTEP CD install set, but it's for the PA-RISC hardware (Hewlett Packard desktop workstations, which are LOOONG gone) I wish I had an x86 NextSTEP installer, but those go for huge $$ when you can even find them, on the collector's market.
OpenDarwin was killed by Apple ages ago. This 'Open Source Darwin Code' is a joke.