Re: [WinMac] MacWorld Expo Report - Something for everyone!

Michael bartosh(bartosh[at]apple.tamu.edu)
Fri, 23 Jul 1999 22:49:15 -0400

> [For the uninitiated, MacOS X (MacOS 10) is Rhapsody renamed.

Actually, and I think this has been stressed- not at all. The OS code
named Rhapsody was dropped in favor of OS X Server. Several core
technologies remain, but if you look at the overall strategies, you
see two vastly different platforms.

Rhapsody:

    -No backwards compatibility outside of blue box
    -OpenStep API
    -DPS display model
OS X
    -Runs standard MacOS Apps
    -Preemptively runs 'Carbonized' MacOS Apps
    -No 'blue box' (its functionality is transperant)
    -uses Cocoa, not OpenStep API
    -new display model
    -java more integrated into OS

>They
>released the server version first, and this winter they'll have a desktop
>version. It runs on an old version of the Mach kernel, and (apparently)
>along side the BSD kernel so that it can execute BSD source - On the Mach
>kernel.]

Again, this is false. There is no BSD kernel in OS X. Anywhere. OS X
Server is based on the Mach 2.5 kernel and OS X is based on Mach3.0.
The BSD environment rests on top of Mac and handles file structure ad
many system level tasks.

>
> In any case, several issues arose about OS X:
>
> A) No graceful shutdown in the event of a power failure. There is no
>software that can receive serial port or USB info from a UPS for OS-X (BUT,
>see GeeThree.Com above for MacOS 8.x and PowerChute);

This is the one legit OS X tidbit in this report.

>
> b) No real backup software (except tar and tar.z - Old, but
>it just barely
>works)... Is anyone with initials "P.B." paying attention?! :)

Cron, tar, gzip and dump are excellent back up methods that are very
much accepted and used in the Unix community. Additionally there are
several open sourced alternatives, most of which compile easily on OS
X. If you just HAVE to have a commercial solution, check out OmniBack
from the Omni group. I think it is about ready to go GM.

>
> In short, OS X is not ready for prime time - No more than NT
>3.12 was...

This is baloney, esp. considering OSX's astounding performance as a
web server and middleware server (WebObjects). Nothing nt 3.51 had
(or 4.o has) comes close to MacManager on the workgroup server side.

OS X Server is more than ready for prime time.

-mab

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