OS X is Apple's operating system that runs on Macintosh computers. Painting my macbook. It was first released in 2001 and over the next few years replaced Mac OS 9 (also known as Mac OS Classic) as the standard OS for Macs. It was called 'Mac OS X' until version OS X 10.8, when Apple dropped 'Mac' from the name.
You'll find a complete list of OS X version code names, along with internal code names (if available): OS X 10 beta: Kodiak - 13 September 2000 OS X 10.0: Cheetah - 24 March 2001 OS X 10.1: Puma - 25 September 2001 OS X 10.2: Jaguar - 24 August 2002 OS X 10.3 Panther (Pinot) - 24 October 2003 OS X. Apple decided to change the name in order to fit with the names of iOS, watchOS, and tvOS. So no more Roman numerals (or that annoying person who insists on calling it “OS ex”). Some trivia, if. Keeping in touch has never been more essential. So iOS 14 gives you new ways to stay.
OS X was originally built from NeXTSTEP, an operating system designed by NeXT, which Apple acquired when Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997. Like NeXTSTEP, OS X is based on Unix and uses the same Mach kernel. This kernel provides OS X with better multithreading capabilities and improved memory management compared to Mac OS Classic. While the change forced Mac developers to rewrite their software programs, it provided necessary performance improvements and scalability for future generations of Macs.
The OS X desktop interface is called the Finder and includes several standard features. OS X does not have a task bar like Windows, but instead includes a menu bar, which is fixed at the top of the screen. The menu bar options change depending on what application is currently running and is only hidden when full screen mode is enabled. The Finder also includes a Dock, which is displayed by default on the bottom of the screen. The Dock provides easy one-click access to frequently used applications and files. The Finder also displays a user-selectable desktop background that serves as a backdrop for icons and open windows.
When you start up a Mac, OS X loads automatically. It serves as the fundamental user interface, but also works behind the scenes, managing processes and applications. For example, when you double-click an application icon, OS X launches the corresponding program and provides memory to the application while it is running. It reallocates memory as necessary and frees up used memory when an application is quit. OS X also includes an extensive API, or library of functions, that developers can use when writing Mac programs.
While the OS X interface remains similar to the original version released in 2001, it has gone through several updates, which have each added numerous new features to the operating system. Below is a list of the different versions of OS X, along with their code names.
- Mac OS X 10.0 (Cheetah)
- Mac OS X 10.1 (Puma)
- Mac OS X 10.2 (Jaguar)
- Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther)
- Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)
- Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
- Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard)
- Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion)
- OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion)
- OS X 10.9 (Mavericks)
- OS X 10.10 (Yosemite)
Updated: December 31, 2014
Cheetah, puma, jaguar, panther, tiger, leopard, snow leopard and lion. Zoo exhibit? Animal Planet lineup? Actually, these are monikers for each version of Apple's OS X operating system. Cheetah was released in March 2001 and the newest incarnation of OS X, Lion (v10.7), was released in January 2011.
Apple isn't the only computer company to name its offerings after images easily conjured by the general public. Google, for example, names its Android operating systems after sweets like cupcakes, gingerbread and honeycomb [source: Sutter].
Advertisement
Advertisement
While Google isn't likely to run out of dessert titles anytime soon, there are a finite number of big cat species -- and Apple's already named an operating system after almost all of them (they've got Lynx and Cougar trademarked, too). There are, however, still a couple dozen species of small- and medium-sized wild cats whose names are still up for grabs, like the ocelot and jaguarundi.
![Apple operating system names Apple operating system names](https://www.klipfolio.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/dashboard_examples/financial-performance-dashboard.png?itok=K4twQOiT)
With Apple's penchant for consistently naming its products, odds are they'll want to continue with feline-friendly labeling. It's the same approach the company took when it slapped a lowercase 'i' at the fore of a new product line: iPhone, iPod, iMac, iWork, iLife and iPad.
But why choose symbolic names instead of numbers? After all, it's all ones and zeros to operating system architects anyway. Turns out, the catchy OS names are chosen with consumers in mind. It's less confusing to remember a name like Lion instead of a number like 10.7. Lengthy combinations of letters and numbers seem to be particularly difficult to remember. Quick, what printer model do you own?
Still, Apple's never revealed the impetus behind its naming strategies. It hasn't escaped the attention of Mac followers that some of the operating system names correspond with World War II German armored vehicles, such as the Panther and Tiger [source: Tank Museum]. Some critics believe Apples OS names were inspired by British Mac-clone-maker Shaye, a competitor that gave Apple a brief but powerful run for its money during the mid-1990s. Shaye's computers were named for lions, panthers, tigers, leopards, jaguars, pumas and cheetahs, among others -- similar to the titles that Apple has used for its operating systems since 2001.
Microsoft -- one of Apple's chief rivals -- has oscillated between naming its operating systems with numbers and names. For example, it released Windows 1.0 in 1985, Windows 95 (version number 4.0) in 1995, Windows Vista (version number 6.0) in 2006 and Windows 7 (version number 6.1) in 2009 [source: Microsoft].
Today, Apple ranks fourth among the world's largest computer companies, behind HP, Acer and Dell, but is gaining ground with the popularity of mobile devices like the iPad [source: Brodkin]. And that's a lot of sales, no matter what the product is named.
Advertisement
Related Articles
- Fact or Fiction: Apple
Apple Computer Operating System Names
Sources
Mac Os History Timeline
- Bilton, Nick. 'Is it Time for Apple to Retire the Cats?' NYtimes.com. Feb. 10, 2010. (Aug. 15, 2011) http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/is-it-time-for-apple-to-retire-the-cats/
- Brodkin, Jon. 'Apple's iOS Doubles Operating System Market Share.' NetworkWorld.com. May 2, 2011. (Aug. 15, 2011) http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/050211-apple-ios-share.html
- EveryMac.com. 'Mac Clones: Shaye.' (Aug. 15, 2011) http://www.everymac.com/systems/shaye/index-shaye-mac-clones.html
- International Society for Endangered Cats Canada. 'Big Wild Cats.' (Aug. 15, 2011) http://www.wildcatconservation.org/Big-Cats.html
- McKracken, Harry. 'The Amazing World of Version Numbers.' Technologizer.com. July 14, 2009. (Aug. 18, 2011) http://technologizer.com/2009/07/14/version-numbers/2/
- Microsoft.com. 'A History of Windows.' (Aug. 15, 2011) http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/history
- Morgan, Charles. 'Name that Cat: What Breed Should OS 10.7 Be?' Gigaom.com. Sept. 16, 2009. (Aug. 15, 2011) http://gigaom.com/apple/what-breed-of-cat-will-os-10-7-be/
- Rose, Michael. 'Where OS X 'Big Cat' Code names Really Come From.' Tuaw.com. March 10, 2007. (Aug. 14, 2011) http://www.tuaw.com/2007/03/10/where-os-x-big-cat-code-names-really-come-from/
- Sutter, John. 'Why Does Google Name its Android Products After Desserts?' Feb. 4, 2011. (Aug. 15, 2011) CNN.com. http://articles.cnn.com/2011-02-04/tech/google.honeycomb.android.names_1_google-android-android-os-randall-sarafa?_s=PM:TECH
- Tank Museum. 'Military-Historical Museum of Armored Vehicles and Equipment.' (Aug. 15, 2011) http://www.tankmuseum.ru/p6.html
- Wehner, Mike. 'Mac OS X Turns 10: Screenshots of every Revision from Cheetah to Lion.' Tecca.com. March 24, 2011. (Aug. 15, 2011) http://www.tecca.com/news/2011/03/24/mac-os-x-10th-anniversary-screenshots/