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.