Table of Contents
Introduction 3
Early Beginnings 4
Architecture 5
The Interface Layer 5
The Application Layer 5
The Graphics Layer 7
The Core OS Layer 8
Advantages, Disadvantages, and Future Possibilities 9
Conclusion 13
References 14
Glossary 16
Biographies 17
Ali Amin 17
Katie Grubbs 17
Daniel Lee 17
Matthew Ramsay 17
Introduction
Simply introduce the MAC OS at a high level. Then introduce each of the main topics
Early Beginnings
macOS has come quite a long way from where it began in 1984, when Steve Jobs released the first Macintosh computer on stage at a community college in Cupertino California. Weighing in at 22 pounds and costing a whopping $2,500 (or $6,000 when adjusted for inflation), it was promised to be “the computer you know how to use.” At that time, the computer was unlike any other. Its pleasing graphical user interface (GUI) and ground-breaking design caused it to receive high praise from big names such as Consumer Reports, despite the fact that it only had 128 kilobytes (KB) of memory (enough for just under 9 pages) once the operating system was installed (Pierce, 2014).
Just one year after the first computer was released, Steve Jobs was forced to leave Apple and, set out to create "the next big thing". That next big thing was named the NeXT workstation, the first computer to include a digital signal processor. The NeXT was eventually discontinued but its operating system, NeXTSTEP, and it's second generation OPENSTEP, would become the foundation for what we know today as macOS. In 1997, NeXT was purchased by apple and development on Mac OS X began (https://www.wired.com/1993/06/steve-jobs-and-the-next-big-thing/).
Apple released an official preview version of OS X in September of 2000 for $30 with the intention of getting opinions from the public. This release had many updated features fro classic Mac OS including the famous Aqua user interface, and the Darwin core, meeting long standing user demand for "preemptive multitasking" and "protected memory"(http://archive.arstechnica.com/reviews/4q00/macosx-pb1/macos-x-beta-1.html).
Architecture
The Interface Layer
The interface layer, Aqua, is one of the first things that comes to mind for many Mac owners when they think of the “Mac Experience.” The UI, menus, Finder, Dock, as well as other key features are what primarily give the user the unique feeling of using a Mac. In most cases, this layer is all the user will ever really directly interact with (Landau, 2003). Aqua was originally designed to resemble a water-like theme; it incorporated a raindrop style with reflective and transparent components. Steve Jobs was quoted as saying that “one of the design goals was when you saw it you wanted to lick it” (Jobs, 2000).
The Application Layer
Below the interface layer is the application layer. This layer is comprised of four main environments: (1) the Classic Mac environment, (2) the Carbon environment, (3) the Cocoa environment, and (4) the Java 2 environment. The diversity of this layer greatly contributes to the robustness of macOS because it allows the operating system to be compatible with a wide variety of applications (Miser, 2004).
The primary purpose of the Mac Classic environment is to provide the operating system with a means to run legacy applications and programs that were written for previous versions of macOS. Because of this, literally thousands of applications that would otherwise be obsolete are still able to be utilized, and potentially improved, by making use of the configurable virtual memory of macOS. However, this feature is still not a perfect fix—running these legacy applications can cause graphic issues as well as reference errors due to the previous confusing files systems (Ray & Ray, 2003).
The Carbon environment is responsible for handling all OS X 8 and OS X 9 programs that have had their code optimized for current macOS compatibility (Sellers, 2001). By a process known as Carbonizing, it allows users to port older programs to make use of the Carbon API. Applications being run in this environment can take advantage of the benefits provided by Darwin, including “protected memory” and “preemptive multitasking.” One of the greatest things about Carbon is the amount of time that users save when they choose to Carbonize an application, rather than freshly rebuilding an updated version (Apple Inc., 2017).
Generally, when applications are designed for the current version of macOS, they are designed in the Cocoa environment. Cocoa makes use of object-oriented programming principles and is currently Apple’s native API (Gallagher, 2010). Many components of the applications built in this environment are highly automated in order to remain compliant with Apple’s “Human Interface Guidelines,” allowing them to make full use of the newest macOS features while simultaneously giving them a unique feel. Cocoa applications are rapidly moving towards becoming dominant in the macOS world (Miller, 2017).
The final environment in the application layer is the Java 2 environment. One of the primary draws of the Java 2 environment is that it gives users the ability to build entirely pure Java applications and applets using the Java development environment. Applications written in Java are some of the most common applications found on the web today. Because Java applications are so widespread, programming in the Java 2 environment provides a huge advantage over other alternatives because the resulting products will be cross-platform compatible (Zobkiw, 2003).
The Graphics Layer
The Mac operating system includes an advanced graphics layer, which has three main components: (1) Quartz Extreme, (2) OpenGL, and (3) QuickTime.
The first part of the graphics layer is known as Quartz Extreme. Quartz Extreme is responsible for handling the system’s 2D elements, such as interface graphics, fonts, and the rendering and antialiasing of images. If available, Quartz Extreme processes images using the system’s graphics card instead of using the machine’s CPU. This reduces the CPU load, effectively making the machine more responsive because it frees up the CPU to handle other processes. The engine driving Quartz Extreme is designed on top of the Acrobat Portable Format (PDF), a file format designed by Adobe Systems Incorporated. The text and graphics rendered in Quartz Extreme are crisp, clean, easily resized, and easily transferred between computers. Quartz Extreme allows the Mac operating system to display PDF files without using Adobe Acrobat Reader in Mac’s native Preview application (Chambers, 2012). The use of Quartz Extreme also eliminates the need for non-native font smoothing when working with PostScript fonts (Miser, 2004).
The second component of the graphics layer is OpenGL, an API that facilitates the use of 3D graphics. OpenGL is arguably the heart of the graphics system in macOS. Being an industry standard, OpenGL can take applications that were built to run on other operating systems, such as Windows and Unix, and more easily convert them to native macOS applications (Apple Inc., 2017). The Mac version of OpenGL gives users access to a wide variety of 3D graphics functions, such as texture mapping, transparency, antialiasing, atmospheric effects, and other special effects (Miser, 2004).
The final part of the graphics layer is QuickTime, a multimedia framework that handles a wide array of media formats on macOS, such as video, sound, animation, graphics, text, interactivity, and music (Apple Inc., 2017).
The Core OS Layer
Advantages, Disadvantages, and Future Possibilities
Apple supporters might claim that their MacBook laptops or Mac desktop computers eclipse other operating systems due to the logical synthesis of macOS and state-of-the-art hardware specifications. Meanwhile, Apple cynics may contend that the Mac operating system is markedly limited when compared to others, such as Windows, or that it is too costly a product (Bonheur, 2016). In truth, all operating systems come with their share of advantages and disadvantages, and macOS is no exception. macOS has numerous benefits that make it more attractive than other operating systems, in addition to shortcomings that may make other operating systems appear to be better options.
One of the strongest advantages of macOS lies in its advanced security technology. Part of the reason why macOS is so secure is because it is built on a Unix core—antivirus software is largely unnecessary on macOS devices because destructive software cannot be installed unless the user explicitly gives root access, that is, administrative privileges, to the harmful programs (Carson, 2011). macOS also offers many security features that keep its users and their data safe (McElhearn, 2016). For instance, Gatekeeper, a feature introduced in Mountain Lion and OS X Lion v10.7.5, makes it safer to download applications by putting additional checks in place to guard against malicious software, or malware, that users may unintentionally stumble upon (Apple Inc., 2017). It uses a process called code signing to verify the authenticity of an application’s publisher (McElhearn, 2016). iCloud Keychain, another helpful security feature, makes it easier for users to visit websites that require login credentials because it safely stores and encrypts account names, usernames, passwords, or credit card information that the user saves. This information is kept up-to-date and is synced across all of the user’s Apple devices (Apple Inc., 2017).
Ease-of-use is another trait that makes macOS advantageous. The Mac operating system offers an appealing and intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) that is somewhat similar to the GUI found in other Apple products, such as the iPhone and the iPad. Those who are familiar with iOS devices will find that navigating the user workflow of macOS in a desktop environment to be quite simple and straightforward (Bonheur, 2016). The logical organization of macOS makes for a very user-friendly interface. Even those unfamiliar with iOS devices will find that such a process is clear-cut, due to things being where one expects them to be (Miser, 2004).
Figure 1. macOS Sierra application launcher
macOS, while providing many _____, is not without its drawbacks. One of the
Despite Windows’ position as the most prominent and accessible desktop operating system in the world, Apple’s macOS has gained a significant following in recent years. Figure 1 and Figure 2 illustrate the results of an annual survey conducted by Stack Overflow about developers’ desktop operating system preferences. In 2016, although Windows operating systems as a whole prevailed with 52.2% of developers’ votes, macOS rose to 26.2% from its previous 18.7% in 2013 (Stack Exchange, Inc., 2017).
Figure 2. Stack Overflow's Web Developer Survey Results (2016) – Desktop Operating System preferences (Stack Exchange, Inc., 2017)
Figure 3. Stack Overflow's Web Developer Survey Results (2013) – Desktop Operating System preferences (Stack Exchange, Inc., 2017)
Conclusion
[CONTENT here.]
References
Apple Inc. (2017). Carbon Accessibility. (Apple Inc.) Retrieved November 18, 2017, from https://developer.apple.com/documentation/applicationservices/carbon_accessibility
Apple Inc. (2017, November 17). Frequently Asked Questions About iCloud Keychain. (Apple Inc.) Retrieved November 18, 2017, from https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204085
Apple Inc. (2017). OpenGL for macOS. (Apple Inc.) Retrieved November 18, 2017, from https://developer.apple.com/opengl/
Apple Inc. (2017). OS X: About Gatekeeper. (Apple Inc.) Retrieved November 18, 2017, from https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202491
Apple Inc. (2017). What Is QuickTime? (Apple Inc.) Retrieved November 18, 2017, from https://documentation.apple.com/en/finalcutpro/usermanual/index.html#chapter=103%26section=1%26tasks=true
Bonheur, K. (2016, October 22). Advantages and Disadvantages of macOS. (Version Daily) Retrieved November 17, 2017, from http://www.versiondaily.com/advantages-disadvantages-mac-os-x/
Carson, A. (2011, May 24). What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Mac OS? (Bright Hub) Retrieved November 18, 2017, from http://www.brighthub.com/computing/mac-platform/articles/73326.aspx
Chambers, M. L. (2012). OS X Mountain Lion All-in-One For Dummies. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Gallagher, M. (2010, June 22). The Design of Every Mac Application. Retrieved November 18, 2017, from https://www.cocoawithlove.com/2010/06/design-of-every-mac-application.html
Jobs, S. (2000). Macworld San Francisco 2000 – The Mac OS X Introduction (Pt.1).
Landau, T. (2003, May 9). Understanding Mac OS X: In Depth. (Pearson Education, Peachpit) Retrieved November 18, 2017, from http://www.peachpit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=31702
McElhearn, K. (2016, February 22). OS X Security: Under the Hood Features That Protect Your Mac. (Intego) Retrieved November 18, 2017, from https://www.intego.com/mac-security-blog/os-x-security-under-the-hood-features-that-protect-your-mac/
Miller, C. (2017, August 29). Apple Shares Detailed Human Interface Guidelines for Developers Building ARKit Apps. (9to5Mac) Retrieved November 18, 2017, from https://9to5mac.com/2017/08/29/arkit-human-interface-guidelines/
Miser, B. (2004). Special Edition Using Mac OS X, v10.3 Panther. Que. Retrieved November 18, 2017, from http://etutorials.org/Mac+OS/using+mac+os+x+v10.3+panther/Part+I+Mac+OS+X+Exploring+the+Core/Chapter+1.+Mac+OS+X+Foundations/Mac+OS+X+Benefits/
Pierce, D. (2014, January 24). The Mac Turns 30: A Visual History. (The Verge) Retrieved November 18, 2017, from https://www.theverge.com/2014/1/24/5340320/the-mac-turns-30-a-visual-history
Ray, J., & Ray, W. C. (2003, January 10). Running Classic Mac OS Applications. (Pearson Education, Informit) Retrieved November 18, 2017, from http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=30485
Sellers, D. (2001, January 4). Road to Mac OS X: Carbon versus Cocoa. (IDG Communications, Inc.) Retrieved November 18, 2017, from https://www.macworld.com/article/1021535/macosx.html
Stack Exchange, Inc. (2017). Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2016 Results. (Stack Exchange, Inc.) Retrieved November 17, 2017, from https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2016#technology-desktop-operating-system
Zobkiw, J. (2003). Mac OS X: Advanced Development Techniques. Indianapolis: Sams Publishing.
Glossary
API:
Application programming interface:
Central processing unit:
Code signing:
CPU:
Gatekeeper:
Graphical user interface (GUI):
GUI:
iCloud Keychain:
Malicious software (“malware”):
Malware:
Root access:
Unix:
Biographies
Ali Amin is a senior pursuing a degree in Information Systems at the University of North Florida. He is expected to graduate in Fall 2018. Ali is currently living in Jacksonville, Florida.
Katie Grubbs is a senior pursuing a degree in Information Science at the University of North Florida. She is expected to graduate in Summer or Fall 2018. Katie currently lives in St. Johns, Florida, but has lived in quite a few other places (including Japan) due to her family’s military background. In Summer 2017, she interned at APPX Software, Inc. as a business application developer. She is currently in the midst of senior project and hopes to obtain a position with a software development company upon graduation.
Daniel Lee is a junior pursuing a degree in Information Systems at the University of North Florida. He is expected to graduate in Summer or Fall 2019. Daniel currently lives in Middleburg, Florida.
Matthew Ramsay is a senior at the University of North Florida. Upon graduating, he will have earned a Bachelor’s of Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting, as well as a Bachelor’s of Science with a concentration in Computer and Information Science. Matthew is an active member of his community and takes the time to help others whenever possible. In his free moments, Matthew enjoys spending time in nature and striving to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Aside from school, Matthew is a candidate engineer at feature[23], a local consulting/software-engineering firm that focuses on innovation in the software industry. Matthew plans to graduate in Summer 2018.
*notes
• check for consistent use of abbreviations vs full words, such as:
o API
o GUI
o CPU
o