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, the first Macintosh computer]] Macintosh, commonly known as '''Mac''', is a Brand Name which covers several lines of Personal Computer s designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. Named after the McIntosh variety of apple, the Original Macintosh was released on January 24 , 1984 . It used a Graphical User Interface (GUI) and Mouse instead of the then-standard Command Line Interface . The current range of Macs varies from Apple's entry level Mac Mini Desktop , to a mid-range server, the Xserve . Mac systems are mainly targeted at the home, education, and creative professional markets. Production of the Mac is based upon a Vertical Integration model in that Apple facilitates all aspects of its hardware and creates its own operating system that is pre-installed on all Macs. This is in contrast to most IBM Compatible PCs , where one vendor provides the operating system and multiple vendors create the hardware. In both cases, the hardware can run other operating systems; modern Macs, like other PCs, are capable of running operating systems such as Linux , FreeBSD , Windows , etc. Original Macintosh computers used the Motorola 68k family of Microprocessor s, but later models switched to Motorola and IBM 's PowerPC range of CPU s in 1994. Apple began a transition from the PowerPC line to Intel 's X86 Architecture in 2006, which for the first time allowed Macs to run native operating system binaries for the x86 architecture. Current Macs use the Intel Core 2 and Intel Xeon 5100 series microprocessors. All current Mac models come pre-installed with a native version of the latest Mac OS X , which is currently at Version 10.4.10 and is commonly referred to by its code name of "Tiger". Apple has announced that Mac OS X V10.5 , codenamed "Leopard", is set to be released in October of 2007 . HISTORY See Also: History of Apple 1979 to 1984: Development , Joanna Hoffman , Burrell Smith , Andy Hertzfeld , a Macintosh, Bill Atkinson , Jerry Manock .]] The Macintosh project started in late 20th century with Jef Raskin , an Apple employee, who envisioned an easy-to-use, low-cost computer for the average consumer. In September 1979, Raskin was authorized to start hiring for the project, and he began to look for an engineer who could put together a prototype. Bill Atkinson , a member of Apple's Lisa team (which was developing a similar but higher-end computer), introduced him to Burrell Smith , a service technician who had been hired earlier that year as Apple employee #282. Over the years, Raskin assembled a large development team that designed and built the original Macintosh Hardware and Software ; besides Raskin, Atkinson and Smith, the team included Chris Espinosa , Joanna Hoffman , George Crow , Jerry Manock , Susan Kare , Andy Hertzfeld and Daniel Kottke . Smith’s first Macintosh board was built to Raskin’s design specifications: it had 64 Kilobytes (KiB) of RAM , used the Motorola 6809E Microprocessor , and was capable of supporting a 256×256 Pixel Black-and-white Bitmap display. (The final product used a 9-inch, 512x342 Monochrome display.) Bud Tribble , a Macintosh programmer, was interested in running the Lisa’s graphical programs on the Macintosh, and asked Smith whether he could incorporate the Lisa’s Motorola 68000 microprocessor into the Mac while still keeping the production cost down. By December 1980, Smith had succeeded in designing a board that not only used the 68000, but bumped its speed from 5 to 8 Megahertz (MHz); this board also had the capacity to support a 384×256 bitmap display. Smith’s design used fewer RAM chips than the Lisa, which made production of the board significantly more cost-efficient.1 The final Mac design was self-contained and had far more programming code in ROM than most other computers; it had 128 KiB of RAM, in the form of sixteen, 64 Kilobit (Kb) RAM chips Solder ed to the Logicboard . Though there were no memory slots, its RAM was expandable to 512 KiB by means of soldering sixteen 256 Kib RAM chips in place of the factory-installed chips. The innovative design caught the attention of Steve Jobs , co-founder of Apple. Realizing that the Macintosh was more marketable than the Lisa, he began to focus his attention on the project. Raskin finally left the Macintosh project in 1981 over a personality conflict with Jobs, and the final Macintosh design is said to be closer to Jobs’ ideas than Raskin’s.2 After hearing of the pioneering GUI technology being developed at Xerox PARC , Jobs negotiated a visit to see the Xerox Alto computer and Smalltalk development tools in exchange for Apple stock options. The Lisa and Macintosh user interfaces were partially influenced by technology seen at Xerox PARC and were combined with the Macintosh group's own ideas.3 Jobs also commissioned industrial designer Hartmut Esslinger to work on the Macintosh line, resulting in the "Snow White" Design Language ; although it came too late for the earliest Macs, it was implemented in most other mid- to late-1980s Apple computers.4 However, Jobs’s leadership at the Macintosh project was short-lived; after an internal power struggle with new CEO John Sculley , Jobs was fired from Apple in 1985, went on to found NeXT , another computer company, and did not return until 1997. CEO John Sculley raised the price from US$ 1,995 to US$2,495 to pay for a massive marketing campaign. 1984: Introduction , as it appears on the screen]] The Macintosh was officially announced on January 22 , 1984 , with the now-famous 1984 Super Bowl Commercial directed by Ridley Scott . This commercial showed a woman, played by Anya Major , who defiantly throws a sledgehammer at a Big Brother-like video screen (which represented IBM ). This symbolized Apple's challenging of the text-based computers that dominated the market at the time. The and MacPaint . Although the Mac garnered an immediate, enthusiastic following, it was too radical for some. Because the machine was entirely designed around the GUI, existing text-mode and Command-driven Programs had to be redesigned and rewritten; this was a challenging undertaking that many Software Developer s shied away from, and resulted in an initial lack of software for the new system. Many users, accustomed to the world of command lines, labeled the Mac a mere “toy.” 1985 to 1989: The desktop publishing era In 1985, the combination of the Mac, Apple’s LaserWriter printer, and Mac-specific software like Boston Software’s MacPublisher and Aldus PageMaker enabled users to design, preview, and print page layouts complete with text and graphics, an activity known as Desktop Publishing . Desktop publishing was unique to the Macintosh, but eventually became available for IBM users as well. Later, programs such as Macromedia FreeHand , QuarkXPress , Adobe Photoshop , and Adobe Illustrator strengthened the Mac’s position as a graphics computer and helped to expand the emerging desktop publishing market. The limitations of the first Mac soon became clear: it had very little memory, even compared with other personal computers in 1984, and could not be expanded easily; and it lacked a Hard Drive and the means to attach one easily. Although by 1985 the Mac’s base memory had increased to 512 KiB, and it was possible, although inconvenient and difficult, to expand the memory of a 128 KiB Mac, Apple realized that the Mac needed improvement in these areas. The result was the Macintosh Plus , released on January 10 , 1986 for US$2,600. It offered one Mebibyte of RAM, expandable to four, and a then-revolutionary SCSI parallel interface, allowing up to seven peripherals—such as hard drives and scanners—to be attached to the machine. Its Floppy Drive was increased to an 800 KB capacity. The Plus was an immediate success and remained in production until October 15 , 1990 ; on sale for just over four years and ten months, it was the longest-lived Mac in Apple's history. , the first expandable Macintosh.]] Other issues remained, particularly the low processor speed and limited graphics ability, which had hobbled the Mac’s ability to make inroads into the business computing market. Updated Motorola CPUs made a faster machine possible, and in 1987 Apple took advantage of the new Motorola technology and introduced the Macintosh II , which used a 16 MHz Motorola 68020 processor. This marked the start of a new direction for the Macintosh, as now, for the first time, it had open architecture with several expansion slots, support for color graphics and a modular break out design similar to that of the IBM PC and inspired by Apple’s other line, the expandable Apple II series. Alongside the Macintosh II, the Macintosh SE was released, the first Compact Mac with an internal expansion slot (a Processor Direct Slot ) specific to the machine. The SE shared the Macintosh II's “Snow White” design language, as well as the new Apple Desktop Bus mouse and keyboard that had first appeared on the Apple IIGS some months earlier. With the new Motorola 68030 processor came the Macintosh IIx in 1988, which had benefited from internal improvements, including an on-board MMU . It was followed in 1989 by a more compact version with fewer slots (the Macintosh IIcx ) and a version of the Mac SE powered by the 16 MHz 68030 (the Macintosh SE/30 , breaking the existing naming convention to avoid the name 'SEx'). Later that year, the Macintosh IIci , running at 25 MHz, was the first Mac to be “ 32-bit Clean ,” allowing it to natively support more than 8 MiB of RAM, unlike its predecessors, which had “32-bit dirty” ROMs (8 of the 32 bits available for addressing were used for OS level Flags ). System 7 was the first Macintosh operating system to support 32-bit addressing. Apple also introduced the Macintosh Portable , a 16 MHz 68000 machine with an active matrix Flat Panel Display . The following year the 40 MHz Macintosh IIfx , starting at US$9,900, was unveiled. Apart from its fast processor, it had significant internal architectural improvements, including faster memory and a pair of dedicated 6502 CPUs for I/O processing. 1990 to 1998: Growth and decline , Apple's early 1990s budget model.]] Microsoft Windows 3.0 , which began to approach the Mac in both performance and feature set, was released in May 1990 and was a usable, less expensive alternative to the Macintosh platform. Apple's response was to introduce a range of relatively inexpensive Macs in October 1990. The Macintosh Classic , essentially a less expensive version of the Macintosh SE, sold for US$999, making it the least expensive Mac until the re-release (and subsequent price cut) of the 400 MHz iMac in February 2001. The 68020-powered Macintosh LC , in its distinctive “pizza box” case, was available for US$1800; it offered color graphics and was accompanied by a new, low-cost 512×384-pixel monitor. The Macintosh IIsi , essentially a 20 MHz IIci with only one expansion slot, cost US$2500. All three machines sold well, although Apple’s profit margin was considerably lower than on earlier machines. 1991 saw the much-anticipated release of System 7 , a 32-bit rewrite of the Macintosh Operating System that improved its handling of color graphics, memory addressing, networking, and Co-operative Multitasking , and introduced Virtual Memory . Later that year, Apple introduced the Macintosh Quadra 700 and 900, the first Macs to employ the faster Motorola 68040 processor. They were joined by improved versions of the previous year’s hits, the Macintosh Classic II and Macintosh LC II . The latter was upgraded to use a 16 MHz 68030 CPU. At the same time, the first three models in Apple’s enduring PowerBook range were introduced—the PowerBook 100, a miniaturized Macintosh Portable; the 16 MHz 68030 PowerBook 140; and the 25 MHz 68030 PowerBook 170. They were the first portable computers with the keyboard behind a palm rest, and with a built-in pointing device (a Trackball ) in front of the keyboard. In 1992, Apple started to sell a low-end Mac, the Performa , through nontraditional dealers. At Apple dealers, a mid-range version of the Quadra series called the Macintosh Centris was offered, only to be quickly renamed Quadra when buyers became confused by the range of Classics, LCs, IIs, Quadras, Performas, and Centrises. Apple also unveiled the miniaturized PowerBook Duo range. It was intended to be docked to a base station for desktop-like functionality in the workplace. The PowerBook Duo was dropped from the Apple product line in early 1997. The next evolutionary step in Macintosh CPUs was a switch to the RISC PowerPC architecture developed by the AIM Alliance of Apple Computer, IBM, and Motorola. Since its introduction, the Power Macintosh line proved to be highly successful, with over a million units sold by late 1994, three months ahead of Apple’s one-year goal. In the same year, Apple released the second-generation PowerBook models, the PowerBook 500 series, which introduced the novel Trackpad . Despite these technical and commercial successes, Microsoft and Intel began to rapidly lower Apple's Market Share with the Windows 95 operating system and Pentium processors respectively. These significantly enhanced the multimedia capability and performance of IBM compatible PCs, and brought Windows still closer to the Mac GUI . In response, Apple started the Macintosh Clone program to regain its foothold in the desktop computer market. This succeeded in increasing the Macintosh's market share somewhat, but at the cost of undermining Apple's bottom line. The company saw regular losses over the period when clones were manufactured. As a result, when Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, he stopped the whole operation, reasoning that despite the machines often providing more value to the consumer, Apple was losing a lot of money in the clone market. This decision caused significant financial losses for companies like Motorola which had invested substantial resources in starting up their own Mac-compatible lines. 1998 to the present: New beginnings In 1998, a year after Steve Jobs had returned to the company, Apple introduced an all-in-one Macintosh that was similar to the original Macintosh 128K: the IMac , a new design that did away with most Apple standard connections, such as SCSI and ADB , in favor of two USB ports. It featured a new design; its translucent plastic case, originally Bondi Blue , and later many other colors, is considered an Industrial Design hallmark of the late 1990s. The iMac proved to be phenomenally successful, with 800,000 units sold in 1998, making the company an annual profit of US$309 million — Apple's first profitable year since Michael Spindler took over as CEO in 1995. At MacWorld 1999, San Francisco, Steve Jobs stated that they had sold over 1.35 million iMacs the previous quarter. The Power Macintosh was redesigned with a similar 'blue and white' aesthetic. In 1999, Apple introduced a new operating system, Mac OS X Server 1.0 (codenamed Rhapsody), with a new GUI and powerful Unix underpinnings. Its NeXT-like GUI left many Mac users disappointed, and wondering what the next generation of the Mac OS GUI would look like. Mac OS X was based on OPENSTEP , the operating system developed by Steve Jobs’ post-Apple company, NeXT. Mac OS X was not released to the public until September 2000, as the Mac OS X Public Beta , with an Aqua interface, much different from Mac OS X Server 1.x. It cost US$29.99 and allowed adventurous Mac users to sample Apple’s new operating system and provide feedback to the company on what they wanted to see in the actual release. The initial release of OS X, 10.0 (nicknamed Cheetah), was released on March 24 , 2001 . Subsequent releases were 10.1 Puma , ( September 25 , 2001 ), 10.2 Jaguar , ( August 24 , 2002 ), 10.3 Panther , ( October 24 , 2003 ), and 10.4 Tiger , ( April 29 , 2005 ). Version 10.5 Leopard is scheduled to be released to the public October 2007. is the first Mac notebook to use an Intel processor. It was released at Macworld 2006.]] In mid-1999, Apple introduced the IBook , a new consumer-level, portable Mac that was designed to be similar in appearance to the iMac that had been introduced a year earlier. Six weeks after the iBook’s unveiling, more than 140,000 orders had been placed, and by October the computer was as much a sales hit as the iMac. Apple continued to add new products to their lineup, such as the EMac and PowerBook G4 , as well as make two major upgrades of the iMac. On January 11 , 2005 , Apple announced the release of the Mac mini priced at US$499, the least expensive Mac to date. In 2006, Apple Switched from PowerPC microprocessors to microprocessors manufactured by Intel. In recent years, Apple has seen a significant boost in sales of Macs. Many claim that this is due, in part, to the success of the IPod , a Halo Effect whereby satisfied iPod owners purchase more Apple equipment. The iPod Digital Audio Player s have recaptured a brand awareness of the Mac line that had not been seen since its original release in 1984. From 2001 to 2007, Mac sales increased continuously on an annual basis. On July 25 , 2007 , Apple released its third quarter results, reporting shipment of 1,764,000 Macs— exceeding the previous company record for quarterly Mac shipments by over 150,000. CURRENT PRODUCT LINE See Also: Comparison of Macintosh models HARDWARE The current Mac product family uses Intel , standardized in 1998 with the iMac; and FireWire , a technology developed by Apple to support higher-performance devices; while USB is ubiquitous today, FireWire is mainly reserved for high-performance devices such as hard drives or video cameras. The majority of Mac computers have historically shipped with a single-button Mouse . This changed in August 2005,5 when Apple released the four-button Mighty Mouse (a wireless version was made available on July 25, 2006) and began to ship it with new desktop Macs. Starting with a new iMac G5 released in October 2005,6 Apple started to include built-in ISight cameras to appropriate models, and a media center interface called Front Row that can be operated by Remote Control for accessing media stored on the computer. In 2007 a new form-factor development, not supported by Apple, is a Mac turned into a , a tablet PC running Mac OS X that is created by re-engineering a standard MacBook . Processor architecture The original Macintosh used a Motorola 68000 , a 16/32-bit (32-bit internal) CISC processor that ran at 8 MHz. The Macintosh Portable and PowerBook 100 both used a 16 MHz version. The Macintosh II featured a full 32-bit Motorola 68020 processor, but the Mac ROMs at the time contained software that only supported 24-bit memory addressing, therefore using only a fraction of the chip's memory addressing capabilities unless a software patch was applied. Macs with this limitation were referred to as not being “32-bit clean.” The successor Macintosh IIx introduced the Motorola 68030 processor, which added a Memory Management Unit . The 68030 did not have a built-in Floating Point Unit (FPU); thus, '030-based Macintoshes incorporated a separate unit—either the 68881 or 68882 . Lower-cost models did without, although they incorporated an FPU socket, should the user decide to add one as an option. The first “32-bit clean” Macintosh that could use 32-bit memory addressing without a software patch was the IIci. In 1991, Apple released the first computers containing the Motorola 68040 processor, which contained the floating point unit in the main processor. Again, lower-cost models did not have FPUs, being based on the cut-down Motorola 68LC040 instead. After 1994 Apple used the PowerPC line of processors, starting with the PowerPC 601 , which were later upgraded to the 603 And 603e and 604, 604e, And 604ev . In 1997, Apple introduced its first computer based on the significantly upgraded PowerPC G3 processor; this was followed in 1999 with the PowerPC G4 . The last generation of PowerPC processor to be introduced was the 64-bit PowerPC 970FX ("G5") , introduced in 2003. During the transition to the PowerPC, Apple’s “Cognac” team wrote a 68030-to-PowerPC Emulator that booted very early in OS loading. Initially the emulation speed wasn't stellar, but later versions used a Dynamic Recompilation emulator which boosted performance by caching frequently used sections of translated code. The first version of the OS to ship with the earliest PowerPC systems was estimated to run 95% emulated. Later versions of the operating system increased the percentage of PowerPC native code until OS X brought it to 100% native. The PowerPC 604 processor introduced Symmetric Multiprocessing (SMP) to the Macintosh platform, with dual PowerPC 604e-equipped Power Macintosh 9500 and 9600 models. The G3 processor was not SMP-capable, but the G4 and G5 were, and Apple introduced many dual-CPU G4 and G5 Power Macs. The top of the range Power Macintosh G5 uses up to two Dual Core processors, for a total of four cores. On June 6 , 2005 , Steve Jobs announced that the company would begin transitioning the Macintosh line from PowerPC to Intel microprocessors (transition completed as of August 7 , 2006 ) and demonstrated a version of Mac OS X running on a computer powered by an Intel Pentium 4 CPU. Intel-powered Macs are able to run Macintosh software compiled for PowerPC processors using a Dynamic Translation system known as “ Rosetta .” The first Macs with Intel processors were the iMac and the 15-inch MacBook Pro, both announced at the Macworld Conference And Expo in January 2006. Throughout the year the Mac mini was transitioned to the Intel architecture, with users having choice of either Core Solo or Core Duo CPUs. The IBook product line was phased out by the MacBook and on August 7 , 2006 , the Power Mac G5 was discontinued in favor of the Mac Pro , based on the new Intel Xeon "Woodcrest". The Xserve was also transitioned to an Intel Xeon "Woodcrest". In the second half of 2006 Apple launched new iMac and MacBook lines using the Core 2 Duo processor. Expandability and connectivity ("USB") Type A cable; the USB has become standard on modern Mac computers.]] Apple detractors have always criticized the fact that Macs cannot be upgraded, as can most PCs. While most PC's use an ATX -formfactor logic board, power supply, and case, Apple has eschewed the popular standards as to give their design team maximum flexibility. However, Apple does use Intel processors, as well as industry-standard memory, drives, and peripherals. Historically, Macs were not designed to be taken apart. Ever since the original closed-box Macintosh in 1984, Apple has always preferred that upgrades take place outside the case. While PC users would open up their computer to install a second hard drive, Mac users would simply plug an external hard drive into their computer; this adds slight cost, but is easier for the average user to perform. Due to the Macs' unique designs, most tasks that involve opening the computer are relegated to Apple-certified technicians; otherwise, the machine's warranty is null and void. However, Apple Towers (such as the Mac Pro) allow the user access to all of the system's internals, and in these models, Apple has no problem with users adding or replacing common items such as memory, drives, or expansion cards. Internal Slots The earliest form of internal Macintosh expandability was the Processor Direct Slot (PDS), present from the SE onwards. It was basically a shortcut to the CPU Socket , not a bus—which also meant that parts for the PDS slot were tied to a specific Macintosh model, with the notable exception of the LC PDS slot, which was standardized across the entire LC line. The PDS slot could be used for processor upgrades, Ethernet cards, the Apple IIe Card , or video cards. The last line of Macintoshes to have PDS slots was the first generation of the Power Macs. The first Macintosh to feature a bus for expansion was the Macintosh II, in the form of six NuBus (parallel 32-bit bus) slots. The NuBus was abandoned in favor of PCI in the second-generation Power Macs, and the G4 introduced 64-bit PCI slots as well as an AGP slot for video cards. The Power Mac G5 quickly introduced PCI-X slots, which were short-lived, as the final G5's and the Mac Pro use PCI Express for graphics and expansion. Out of the current models (as of August 2007), only the Mac Pro and Xserve feature PCIe slots and standard hard drive bays for easy upgradability. The PCIe slots allow addition of (for example) RAID controllers, video cards, or specialty audio cards. The MacBook Pro features a PCIe slot, in the form of a single ExpressCard/34 slot. Processors The Mac mini, iMac and Mac Pro all feature upgradeable Intel processors,7 although Apple does not officially support this. The Power Mac G3, as well as the very first Power Mac G4, had a socketed processor which could be upgraded. From then on, the Power Macs had their processor(s) on a daughtercard. All other Macs, including the Mac mini, most iMacs, and all of Apple's notebooks, have the processor permanently soldered to the logic board. Nevertheless, this did not stop companies such as Daystar and Sonnet from marketing processor upgrades for almost every system. Memory For memory, Apple has used standard SIMM 's (30 and 72-pin), proprietary 168-pin DIMM s, and later, industry-standard SDRAM and DDR . Current Macs use regular DDR2 , and Fully_Buffered_DIMM 's for the Mac Pro and Xserve. All current Macs, save for the Mac mini, allow the user to upgrade the memory via an access door or removable panel. Disks The earliest Macintoshes used a proprietary serial port (a 19-pin D-subminiature connector) for external floppy or hard drives, until SCSI was introduced with the Macintosh Plus . SCSI remained the Macintosh drive medium of choice until the mid-1990's, when less expensive ATA drives were introduced, first on budget models, then across the whole range. Current Macs use Serial ATA for internal hard drives, ATA for internal optical drives, and FireWire or USB 2.0 for external drives. Only the Power Macs, Mac Pros, Xserves, and MacBook have user-accessible drive bays to allow one or more hard drives to be installed internally. All other machines have one dedicated space for one hard drive. All Macs have one optical drive. The Mac Pro has room for either one or two. Mac OS X, naturally, understands the Mac OS Standard and Mac OS Extended file systems. It is also capable of using disks formatted with Windows's FAT or NTFS file systems, as well as the Unix File System . Currently, Mac OS X Leopard betas have read-only support for ZFS , while paid members of Apple Developer Connection get access to an in-development read-write ZFS driver. Peripherals The very first Macs (the Macintosh and the Macintosh 512K) used proprietary connectors for the keyboard and mouse. The Apple Desktop Bus was introduced with the Macintosh II and Macintosh SE. It was the standard input connector for keyboards and mice until USB was introduced with the iMac. The last Macintosh to have ADB was the Power Macintosh G3 (Blue & White) , alongside USB. Other legacy Macintosh peripheral connectors include the RS-432 serial ports, the GeoPort , and the AAUI port for networking. Networking Early Macs used the built-in serial ports for LocalTalk , which set up a fast (at the time) network between two machines. Later, an AAUI port was added. Eventually, Ethernet replaced everything, and emerged as the standard for networking not just Macs, but all computers. Fibre Channel adapters are also available for the Mac Pro and the Xserve. Apple introduced 802.11 wireless networking in 1999, with AirPort technology built into the IBook . Three years later, it was refined into the 802.11g -compatible AirPort Extreme . All current Macs, except for the Mac mini, have 802.11n -capable AirPort Extreme cards. All Macs with FireWire support IP over 1394, which allows for two machines to create a high-speed network with only a single cable, perhaps a nod to the earlier LocalTalk . Video For connecting displays, Apple used a DA-15 connector on all models prior to the Power Macintosh G3 (Blue & White) , which used a VGA Connector . The original AGP -based Power Mac G4 used VGA, complemented by a DVI port; almost all later Macs, however, used the Apple Display Connector in addition to a VGA or DVI port, until the last revisions of the Power Mac G5 came standard with two DVI ports. All current Macs now have one or more DVI ports. Apple includes DVI-to-VGA adapters with its computers. Video cards can be replaced by the user in a Power Mac (which used PCI; later, AGP; finally, PCIe) or the Mac Pro (which has four PCIe slots). While not user-accessible, the 24-inch iMac features an MXM -formfactor video card; however, there are no upgrades available for it. In all other Macs, the video card is integrated with the logic board and cannot be replaced. PowerPC -based Macs, for the most part, required compatible video cards. The current Intel-based Macs can use any EFI -compatible video card; normal PC video cards will work only if the user boots into Microsoft Windows . Some hackers, however, have found success "flashing" PC cards to work with Mac OS X in Apple's hardware. Mac Elite Wiki An independent project devoted to "flashing" PC cards into Macs. SOFTWARE Operating system See Also: Mac OS history desktop featured a radically new Graphical User Interface .]] was the first major upgrade of the Macintosh operating system.]] “Leopard” desktop. Although the interface has undergone many changes, some aspects remain, such as the Menu Bar at the top of the screen.]] The Macintosh operating system was originally known as the ''System Software'' or more simply ''System''. With the release of System 7.6, the official name became Mac OS. From 2001, the “classic” Mac OS was phased out in favor of the new BSD Unix-based Mac OS X. Apple had offered another UNIX system, A/UX , for its Macintosh servers earlier, but without much success. The Mac OS operating system is widely considered one of the main selling points of the Mac platform, and Apple heavily touts its releases with large release-day special events. Apple has generally chosen to stick with some loose user-interface elements in all of its releases, and many similarities can be seen between the legacy Mac OS 9 and the modern Mac OS X. Mac OS was the first widely used operating system with a graphical interface. No versions of the “classic” Mac OS featured a Command Line Interface . It was originally a single-tasking OS with limited background execution ability, but optional Co-operative Multitasking was introduced in System Software 5. The next major upgrade was System 7 in 1991, which featured a new full-color design, built-in multitasking, AppleScript , and more user configuration options. Mac OS continued to evolve up to version 9.2.2, but its dated architecture—though retrofitted a few times (for example, as part of the PowerPC port, a Nanokernel was added and later in Mac OS 8.6 was modified to support Multiprocessing Services ) —made a replacement necessary. |
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