BalcCon_2013: Mac OS X - How Apple learned to stop worrying and fell in love with UNIX

This talk was given to audience on BalcCon 2013 held on 2013/09/06 in Master Center on Novi Sad Fair. It was intended to shed some very important light on how and why Apple (had) to choose to base its OS on some UNIX core, some light OS history background and what makes OS X (and iOS) so special.

http://balccon.org

There are many misconceptions about Apple in general and about Mac OS X.

At the time of writing there are (probably) over 700 million devices running Mac OS X or iOS. While Windows holds nearly 92% of a desktop/laptop share, OS X is at 7% and Linux holds 1% which makes OS X the most popular UNIX descendent.

It is important so see how Apple strive to evolve their own operating system and how it failed, resorting to better solution by embracing modern OS architecture that leaves much room for growth in future. By having UNIX foundation to build upon and their GUI paradigm on top, Apple got the best it could and is still unparalleled (in my opinion).

This is why Microsoft is still struggling with its much troubled Windows (ill base cannot evolve beyond DOS - still) and why Linux cannot take over better (spread effort, lack of expertise in GUI but strong foundation).

Transcript

1. Mac OS X:
   How Apple learned to stop worrying and
   fell in love with UNIX
   06. 09. 2013.
   by Mladen Đurić
   

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2. MLADEN ĐURIĆ
   mladen@bluefish.rs
   http://about.me/macmladen
   http://rs.linkedin.com/in/macmladen/
   @macmladen
   • Apple
   • Web
   Blue Fish d.o.o. • Novi Sad • Srbija • http://bluefish.rs • office@bluefish.rs
   

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3. Blue Fish d.o.o. • Novi Sad • Srbija • http://bluefish.rs • office@bluefish.rs
   OVERVIEW
   • Myself (Who TF is MacMladen) - done!
   • Disclaimer (Blue Fish is selling Apple products, Blue Fish is not affiliated with
   Apple), on time and scope also
   • Adjusting (what would you like to know and who you are)
   • Brief on OS history (Basic System Calls, OS-like, CP/M, DOS, Linux)
   • Apple as a company
   • Apple trying to step over Classic Mac OS (System 1-7, Mac OS 7.6, 8, 9)
   • Why it failed, had to fail
   • NeXT comes in (with Steve Jobs) introducing NeXTSTEP
   • Mac OS X 10.0
   • Mac OS X today with little cousin iOS
   • Questions and discussion
   

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4. Blue Fish d.o.o. • Novi Sad • Srbija • http://bluefish.rs • office@bluefish.rs
   BRIEF ON OS HISTORY
   • Unix was born in early ’70
   • CP/M was brought to life in middle ’70
   • Apple ][ late ’70 (all by “other” Steve Wozniak)
   • IBM PC-DOS early ’80 (a.k.a. MS-DOS, DOS et al)
   • GEM (oh, really!?)
   • Mac OS System 1 middle ’80 (actually 1984)
   • Windows (introduced ’85, become useful in ’92 as Windows 3.1)
   • Middle ’90 (going nowhere)
   

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5. Blue Fish d.o.o. • Novi Sad • Srbija • http://bluefish.rs • office@bluefish.rs
   UNIX
   WAS BORN IN EARLY ’70
   

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6. Blue Fish d.o.o. • Novi Sad • Srbija • http://bluefish.rs • office@bluefish.rs
   CP/M
   WAS BROUGHT TO LIFE IN MIDDLE ’70
   

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7. Blue Fish d.o.o. • Novi Sad • Srbija • http://bluefish.rs • office@bluefish.rs
   APPLE ][
   LATE ’70 (ALL MADE BY “OTHER” STEVE WOZNIAK)
   

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8. Blue Fish d.o.o. • Novi Sad • Srbija • http://bluefish.rs • office@bluefish.rs
   IBM PC-DOS
   EARLY ’80 (A.K.A. MS-DOS, DOS ET AL)
   

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9. Blue Fish d.o.o. • Novi Sad • Srbija • http://bluefish.rs • office@bluefish.rs
   GEM
   DIGITAL RESEARCH
   

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10. Blue Fish d.o.o. • Novi Sad • Srbija • http://bluefish.rs • office@bluefish.rs
    MAC OS SYSTEM 1
    MIDDLE ’80 (ACTUALLY 1984)
    

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11. Blue Fish d.o.o. • Novi Sad • Srbija • http://bluefish.rs • office@bluefish.rs
    WINDOWS 1
    INTRODUCED ’85, BECOME USEFUL IN ’92 AS WINDOWS 3.1
    

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12. Blue Fish d.o.o. • Novi Sad • Srbija • http://bluefish.rs • office@bluefish.rs
    WINDOWS 3.0
    INTRODUCED ’85, BECOME USEFUL IN ’92 AS WINDOWS 3.1
    

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13. Blue Fish d.o.o. • Novi Sad • Srbija • http://bluefish.rs • office@bluefish.rs
    WELCOME TO MAC OS
    IT IS BETTER BECAUSE IT STARTS WITH A SMILE :)
    

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14. Blue Fish d.o.o. • Novi Sad • Srbija • http://bluefish.rs • office@bluefish.rs
    COPLAND
    NEVER REALIZED MAC OS SUCCESSOR
    

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15. Blue Fish d.o.o. • Novi Sad • Srbija • http://bluefish.rs • office@bluefish.rs
    THE CHIP BATTLE
    IT WAS MIPS, SOME MOTOROLA... NO, WE WILL MAKE IT! POWERPC™
    

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16. Blue Fish d.o.o. • Novi Sad • Srbija • http://bluefish.rs • office@bluefish.rs
    MEET MAC OS X
    THIS IS 10.2 THE FIRST USABLE OS X
    

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17. Blue Fish d.o.o. • Novi Sad • Srbija • http://bluefish.rs • office@bluefish.rs
    LATEST MAC OS X 10.9
    STILL SHIFTING UX PARADIGM
    

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18. Blue Fish d.o.o. • Novi Sad • Srbija • http://bluefish.rs • office@bluefish.rs
    LATEST iOS 7
    SETTING GRAPHIC DESIGN GUIDELINES EVEN BEFORE INTRODUCED
    

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19. Blue Fish d.o.o. • Novi Sad • Srbija • http://bluefish.rs • office@bluefish.rs
    APPLE AS A COMPANY
    

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20. Blue Fish d.o.o. • Novi Sad • Srbija • http://bluefish.rs • office@bluefish.rs
    THE GARAGE
    

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21. Blue Fish d.o.o. • Novi Sad • Srbija • http://bluefish.rs • office@bluefish.rs
    FIRST MACINTOSH
    FIRST ALL IN ONE COMPUTER, CAME WITH BAG, BEEN PORTABLE (KINDA)
    

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22. Blue Fish d.o.o. • Novi Sad • Srbija • http://bluefish.rs • office@bluefish.rs
    NeXT
    STEVE JOBS NeXT COMPANY, OPENSTEP FreeBSD BASED UNIX
    

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23. Blue Fish d.o.o. • Novi Sad • Srbija • http://bluefish.rs • office@bluefish.rs
    ANYONE KNOWS THIS ONE?
    ORIGINAL NeXT MACHINE, SIR TIM BERNERS-LEE’S FIRST WEB SERVER
    

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24. Blue Fish d.o.o. • Novi Sad • Srbija • http://bluefish.rs • office@bluefish.rs
    Think different
    ONE OF THE BEST CONCEIVED MARKETING CAMPAIGNS EVER
    

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25. Blue Fish d.o.o. • Novi Sad • Srbija • http://bluefish.rs • office@bluefish.rs
    FIRST iMac
    

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26. Blue Fish d.o.o. • Novi Sad • Srbija • http://bluefish.rs • office@bluefish.rs
    STEVE JOBS AND BILL GATES
    

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27. Blue Fish d.o.o. • Novi Sad • Srbija • http://bluefish.rs • office@bluefish.rs
    

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28. Blue Fish d.o.o. • Novi Sad • Srbija • http://bluefish.rs • office@bluefish.rs
    

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29. Blue Fish d.o.o. • Novi Sad • Srbija • http://bluefish.rs • office@bluefish.rs
    QUESTIONS?
    

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30. Blue Fish d.o.o. • Novi Sad • Srbija • http://bluefish.rs • office@bluefish.rs
    THANKS!
    

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