Mac OS

Mac OS is a family of operating systems – or programs used to run computers – pioneered by the Apple computer company and utilized on a wide variety of Apple systems. Noted for being the first successful graphical interface operating system and for making its debut on the original 1984 Macintosh, Mac OS played a key role in the emergence of the personal computer as a popular consumer product. Though later overshadowed by Microsoft Windows, Mac OS continued to be one of the most recognized and widely used operating systems on the market. Over the years, it evolved through a variety of iterations, each of which has offered new features and an improved user experience.

Origins

Although Mac OS often receives credit for being the first graphical interface operating system, it actually had two important predecessors. The first of these was the operating system featured on the Xerox Alto. The Alto was a computer manufactured in the 1970s with a graphical operating system that was the first of its kind. This software replaced the traditional command-line operating system that required users to issue text commands. However, its staggering cost of $32,000 ensured that it would never be a commercial success. Regardless, after visiting Xerox's facilities in the early 1980s, Apple engineers recognized the potential of the graphical interface to the future of computing. Eventually, the Apple team members incorporated lessons from Xerox when they produced the Lisa, the first Apple computer to feature a graphical interface operating system. Like the Xerox Alto, however, the Lisa was a commercial failure.

Still determined to make an affordable personal computer that would appeal to the average consumer, Apple introduced the Macintosh in 1984. Powering the Macintosh was a graphical interface operating system that, although unnamed at the time, would eventually become known as System 1, the first version of Mac OS. With a virtual desktop, windows, icons, menus, scrollbars, a file manager called Finder, and mouse control, System 1 represented a revolutionary shift in the user experience that would soon become the industry standard.

Evolution

When the Macintosh proved to be a success, Apple engineers began working to improve its operating system. The result of their efforts was System 2, released in 1985. Though very similar to System 1, System 2 featured several key upgrades, such as the inclusion of key-commands for creating new folders and shutting down the computer, as well as an enhanced version of Finder. Thanks to these and other tweaks, System 2 ran 20 percent faster than System 1.

After Microsoft released the inaugural version of Windows in late 1985, Apple once again revisited the design of its own operating system. When System 3 debuted the following year, it included a new version of Finder that came equipped with file-nesting capabilities that allowed users to create folders within folders for the first time. It also included Disk Cache, a program that improved performance by storing commonly used commands in memory. While these improvements were helpful for users, System 3 was plagued by bugs and, as a result, did not work as well as hoped.

Apple released System 4 in 1987. Among other updates, System 4 offered support for disk drives and multiple monitors. It also included MultiFinder, a new version of Finder that allowed systems with enough memory to run more than one program at a time.

The following year, Apple skipped System 5 and jumped ahead to System 6. The most notable improvement in System 6 was the inclusion of color support. Although the desktop and Finder were still rendered in black and white as they had been since System 1, System 6 made it possible for third-party applications to run in full color.

With the release of System 7 in 1991, Mac OS took its first major step forward. In addition to including a new version of Finder that combined the previously separate Finder and MultiFinder into a single file manager, System 7 introduced virtual memory, which turned unused disc drive space into random access memory (RAM), a type of memory designed to improve system performance. Until the release of Mac OS X in 2001, System 7 was Apple's longest running operating system.

In 1997, Apple made the decision to officially rename its operating system series Mac OS. Thus, Mac OS 8 was the first title in the series not to bear the "System" name. Along with a number of other upgrades, Mac OS 8 featured the debut of Sherlock, an integrated web search function that worked in tandem with Finder.

Although not substantially different from Mac OS 8, 1999's Mac OS 9 offered several key improvements. Most notably, it allowed multiple users to create individual accounts on a single machine. Mac OS 9 also gave users the ability to download system updates from the Internet.

The launch of Mac OS X in 2001 marked the debut of the modern Mac OS. Touting a completely redesigned user interface and a brand new code base, Mac OS X radically changed the Apple experience. Along with several new features, Mac OS X also introduced the concept of protected memory, which prevented applications from corrupting one another's data. The debut of Mac OS X also enabled the creation of an array of new programs, including the Safari web browser.

In the years after Mac OS X first hit the market, its numerous iterations were given nicknames like cheetah, puma, jaguar, panther, and snow leopard. Later releases abandoned the wildcat naming convention and included such names as mavericks, Yosemite, and El Capitan.

Bibliography

"An Illustrated History of Mac OS X." Tower. Web. 12 Jan. 2016. http://www.git-tower.com/blog/history-of-osx/

Edwards, Benj. "The Little-Known Apple Lisa: Five Quirks and Oddities." Macworld. 30 January 2013. Web. 12 Jan. 2016. http://www.macworld.com/article/2026544/the-little-known-apple-lisa-five-quirks-and-oddities.html

Moretti, Marcus. "Before Mac OS X, There Was OS 1 Through 9: A History of Apple's Operating System." Business Insider. 10 July 2012. Web. 12 Jan. 2016. http://www.businessinsider.com/mac-os-i-through-x-2012-7?op=1

Warren, Christina. "The Evolution of Mac OS, From 1984 to Mountain Lion." Mashable. 17 February 2012. Web. 12 Jan. 2016. http://mashable.com/2012/02/17/mac-os-timeline/#KKsyA8f26qqR