Apple Closes OS X Intel Kernel Out of Piracy Fears

May 16th, 2006 at 3:00 PM - News by Brad Cook

The Intel version of Mac OS X has a closed kernel, thanks to fears over piracy, according to InfoWorldis Tom Yager. While the kernel in the PowerPC version of OS X was open source, and thus alterable, the new one "no longer possesses the quality that elevated Linux to its status as the second most popular commercial OS," Mr. Yager wrote.

He added, however, that Appleis official position on the matter is that the OS X x86 kernel is "in flux," and his hope is that when the company ships Intel-based Xserves and Power Macs, its "flux settles into a strategy that favors demanding users and developers."

Thereis more in his opinion column, which is available at MacCentral.

Commenting is not available in this section entry.

Recent Headlines - Updated November 10th

Tue, 10:39 AM: Hot Forum Topic - Multi-drive Data Shuffle
9:59 AM: News - Google Offers Up Free Wi-Fi for the Holidays
9:34 AM: Product News - MiniMail 2 Adds Snow Leopard Support
8:58 AM: News - AT&T: iPhone Tethering Really is Coming… Eventually
8:16 AM: News - Apple Releases Security Update 2009-006 for Leopard, Snow Leopard
Mon, 7:20 PM: Rumor - Apple May Update iPod touch in December
6:45 PM: Product News - MacUpdate Desktop Updated to 5.0.1 with New Features, Bug Fixes
5:16 PM: News - Apple Releases Mac OS X 10.6.2 - Guest Account Bug Fixed, Much More [Updated]
4:12 PM: Games - New For iPhone: Star Rangers, Air Force Supremacy, Blood Beach, More
2:51 PM: Apple Stock Watch - Radio Shack Jumps 14% on iPhone Deal, Apple Up 3%
2:25 PM: Games - EA Scoops Up Social Games Publisher Playfish
1:51 PM: Deal Brothers - Western Digital 1TB SATA Intellipower Hard Drive: $84.99

The Mac Observer Reader Specials

TypeStyler For Mac OS X is Now Shipping! Download The Free Fully Functional 60 Day Tryout at www.typestyler.com
RamJet Memory: Mac Pro 8-core 8GB Kit $199.99, 4GB Kits $109.99! Sale on MacBook and MacBook Pro 8GB kits $549.99! New MacBook DDR3 2GB for $49.99. iMac and Mac mini 4GB Kits for $79.99! 1TB SATA Hard Drives for $109.99! Click here
OWC: Mercury On-The-Go FW800+USB2 up to 1.0TB. Bus Powered, no external power supply needed. Macworld Editors Choice, CNET Very Good Starting from $99.97, 500GB $159.99. Click here
If you're using a Mac, then you've gotta check out Full Tilt Poker for Mac. This Full Tilt Poker bonus code does the unthinkable, it actually rewards!
For the latest Apple products use Ciao, a price comparison website, to find laptops like MacBook Air. Then find the best prices on MP3 players and use our comparison tool to evaluate mobile phones like the Apple iPhone.
Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.

Apple Stock Quote

AAPL: $201.7299. Change: +0.2699.
(Prices delayed up to 20 minutes.)
Discuss in our Apple Finance Board

Hot Topics

What's the buzz? These articles have TMO readers talking.

Psystar to Court: Just Say We’re Legit - 27 Comments
Apple Magic Mouse is no Magic Bullet - 18 Comments
AT&T Sues Verizon Alleging Misleading “There’s A Map For That” Ads - 18 Comments
CNET Dubs iPhone the Worst Phone in the World - 17 Comments
Fortune CEO of the Decade: Steve Jobs - 14 Comments
Apple May Update iPod touch in December - 11 Comments

TMO Express

Join the TMO Express Daily Newsletter to get the latest Mac headlines in your e-mail every weekday. Find out more!

Top Deals From DealBrothers.com

Recent Features

Get the latest installments of TMO Columns, Podcasts, & Blogs.

© The Mac Observer, Inc. -- All rights reserved. All information presented on this site is copyrighted by The Mac Observer, Inc. except where otherwise noted. No portion of this site may be copied without express written consent. Other sites are invited to link to any aspect of this site provided that all content is presented in its original form and is not placed within another frame. The Mac Observer is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple, Inc.