Chapter 1. System Components and Programming Technologies

THE ORIGINAL MACINTOSH OPERATING SYSTEM (OS) was introduced in January 1984. Since then, the OS has been modified, enhanced, and nipped and tucked to bring it from version 1 to version 9. More than a decade and a half of work has brought about numerous look-and-feel improvements, but core system changes have been minimal. Mac OS X put an end to that. Not only has the graphical user interface (GUI) taken on a dramatic new look, the OS core itself has been completely revamped. For the first time, UNIX powers the Macintosh OS.