CIOS 110 Lesson 11 #1

On the surface, it may seem as though Mac OS X is just prettier than OS 9. Sure, there's the dock and the scalable icons, and we can't forget the little drop shadows under each open window. It definitely puts the G in GUI, and looking back at OS 9 makes one realized how dated and archaic 9 looks. But under the surface of the pretty graphics are some serious changes.

The multitasking abilities and memory protection of OS X allow the system to run many applications simultaneously without the system bogging down. The system is based on Unix, meaning that Linux software can be reconfigured to run on OS X.

Currently, Mac is moving forward with OS X, and each new development is emphasizing the visual elements and the "digital lifestyle" applications like the iLife suite, which includes iTunes (music purchasing, organization and sharing ... how this program is not considered music piracy is beyond me), iMovie and iDvd (which combine to let users easily import their raw video footage from camcorders and create movies with effects such as titles and transitions, plus dvds with menu templates and chapters). Need more proof that the OS is evolving? Well, a picture is worth 1,000 words. (Apologies for the Windows comparisons - I found the image online.)