main page   Information briefs • macos x server • macos x (client) • darwin • netboot   Installation reports • PHP 3 • PHP 4 (Zend) • MySQL • Python (coming soon)   Special Reports • Apple Media Event 10/99 new iMacs and MacOS 9 • 1999 wwdc keynote • Quick and Dirty MacOS X Server Installaion Guide   Articles   News Archive • 1999 • 1998 • RhapNet (coming soon)   Advertising info   Contact Us   About Us   Links   The Tweak List			Darwin When Apple Computer announced MacOS X Server at MacWorld San Francsico in January, 1999, there was no mention of any spinoff products. No mention of anything but the $999 package. And when Apple Computer formally introduced the product known as MacOS X Server to the world in March, the price had been cut in half and a new project emerged from the wings: Darwin.   What is Darwin? What Darwin is is an Open Sourcing of the "base" or core of MacOS X Server. This does not mean anything close to the totality of MacOS X Server. Instead, Apple will be working with outside developers in an open sourcing of: The Mach kernel The BSD layer The Driver Kit (IOKit) NetInfo Filesystem support (HFS, HFS+, AFP) Apache Web Server Some more little stuff What Darwin is not is a complete version of MacOS X Server and its YellowBox technology. As many have pointed out, it would be greatly disadvantageous for Apple to open source what is, essentially, the basis for WebObjects. Doing so could very well hurt Apple in many ways. Darwin gives Apple two things: a version of BSD/Linux/UNIX which Apple controls which will have the support of a wide and diverse and intense group of users/programmers a chance to shore up the Mach and BSD underpinnings of MacOS X Server and MacOS X with some help from people whom they don't have to pay. The Darwin project will also aim to seek help in tuning other Open Source projects, such as Apache and Perl, for speed under Darwin. Darwin's influence over the long term is, of course, yet to be decided, but for now, it looks like a very interesting project. You can read more about Darwin and register for the program at http://www.publicsource.apple.com/

 

			What does this mean?!? When Netscape announced a couple of years ago that they would be open-sourcing their browser, many scoffed. What were they doing, they asked? How could they get away with giving away their product for free whilst they gave away their source code as well? Well, Apple going open-source is a completely different beast. Whereas Netscape went open-source to save its life, Apple has gone open-source to shake everyone up. If you think about it, Apple going open source makes plenty of sense. Digital, IBM, and others all have their own versions of UNIX. They not only pour time and sweat into their products, but they each independently work on the source code for the internal workings of the operating systems. Now, if you're the size of an IBM or have the reputation of a Digital, then it doesn't matter too much that you're doing all the work because, in essence, you are well respected as a vendor of a high quality UNIX. People will pay for their operating systems because of their reputations and performance and acceptance. Since Apple's main product here is not UNIX, but instead MacOS X Server, which is Mach plus many other goodies, it is almost nonsensical to keep the UNIX underpinnings proprietary. Instead, they will enlist duty-inspired Mac, NeXT, and BSD/UNIX/Linux developers to help shore up the source code of the lower level software, like the kernel, in an effort to save some development costs and development time. It is an effort to shake up the very foundations of the for-profit operating system section of the computer industry. But Apple didn't just say "Hey, let's dump MacOS X Server without a GUI and Yellow Box" in a product called Darwin, and let it run. There's actually some method to what many consider to be their madness. Darwin doesn't include the Macintosh ROMs or the entirety of Open Firmware. Nothing related to the MacOS itself is in Darwin. Instead, it's just UNIX and some Apple technologies, like HFS(+) support and AppleTalk and some more. That doesn't make Darwin useless by any means, but it does make sense to Apple as long as you remember that they aren't open-sourcing their entire operation. And that is the main distinction from Netscape. Netscape simply took their browser code and opened it up to essentially save the browser in the face of Microsoft's Internet. Apple is not in danger of dying (anymore), and did not need to make an open source offering like the Darwin project. What the future will hold is really full of conjecture on all sides. It might be the first step toward MacOS X Server on a number of other platforms such as Intel, Alpha, and more. We will have to wait and see.

 

			What is it now? As some have noted, Darwin is currently something like mkBSD, a cross between MkLinux and BSD UNIX. It is at this stage just another flavour of UNIX/Linux. This isn't a criticism of the project, but instead just an observation.

 

			What's in it? Darwin isn't really just an open source OS. It is an open sourcing of a number of tools, all of which fit together to form the Darwin OS. Apple will be co-ordinating with open source programmers on the following projects: architecture - some processor/architecture specific files, including some specific keys on certain keyboards at_cmds automount boot bootp - the Bootstrapping Protocol bootstrap_cmds CoreOSMakefiles Csu diskdev_cmds DriverKit driverLoader DriverTools files hfs - allows access to HFS and HFS+ volumes under Darwin isoutil kernel - the Mach kernel files kernload keymaps Libc LibcAT Libcompat Libcurses Libedit Libinfo Libkvm Librpcsvc Libstreams Libsystem Libtelnet Libutil netinfo - NetInfo source network_cmds objc - the Objective-C runtime objc4 SoundKit sounds system_cmds system_config usrtemplate volfs Quite the cryptic list, ain't it? Well, we will be breaking them down piece by piece to show you what they are and why the are (or are not) of significance.

 

			And in the coming days, we will be adding information on addition modules and functionality. If you would have installed and (un)successfully installed and used Darwin, please drop us a note.

 

			Current Time: March 16, 2010 • 1:18 AM EST

 

			All content - ©1998-2010 - Mark J. Hershenson

The MacOS Xclave is hosted by green-ant.com.