Apple Updates Darwin To Version 6.0.2

A pple Computer, Inc. has released Darwin version 6.0.2 for both PowerPC and x86 compatible computers. Darwin is the open source kernel, or core, of Mac OS X and is a version of the BSD UNIX operating system. The new version of Darwin brings it up to date with Jaguar.

Apple lists general system requirements on the Darwin download page.

The minimum configuration is 32 MB of physical RAM (64 recommended) and 1 GB of disk space (2 GB recommended) on the target drive partition. You will need 300MB of free disk space to download a CD image.

The ReadMe notes also have a list of known issues. From those notes:

Darwin 6.0.2 corresponds with Mac OS X v10.2. Notable changes to Darwin include:

  • Mac OS X v10.2 operating system improvements See http://www.apple.com/macosx/ for details

Known Issues

  • Darwin 6.0.2 should not be installed onto a Mac OS X partition. It is a goal for a future release of Darwin to be easily interchanged into a Mac OS X system.
  • The contents of this CD cannot entirely be reproduced from the source in anoncvs.opensource.apple.com. It contains binary versions of certain non-open source drivers.
  • Tulip ethernet cards require a special driver. Tulip ethernet chips were used in the Beige G3, slot loaded iMacs, and the AGP-based PowerMac G4is. The driver is licensed under the Third Party Driver Software License Agreement (SLA) (internal use - no redistribution permitted) and is available from: http://www.opensource.apple.com/projects/darwin/6.0/release/ThirdPartyDrivers.tar.gz
  • Special driver required for nVIDIA graphics card. The driver is licensed under the Third Party Driver SLA (internal use - no redistribution permitted) and is available from: http://www.opensource.apple.com/projects/darwin/6.0/release/ThirdPartyDrivers.tar.gz
  • Special driver required for certain DVD computer models with ATI graphics cards. The driver is licensed under the Third Party Driver SLA (internal use - no redistribution permitted) and is available from: http://www.opensource.apple.com/projects/darwin/6.0/release/ThirdPartyDrivers.tar.gz
  • SCSI CD-ROM drives are not supported

x86 Known Issues

IDE drives may not work on x86. Try it, if it doesnit work, itis a known problem.

Video cards must support VESA 2.0 framebuffer modes on x86. Try it, if your console looks weird, or doesnit appear, itis a known problem.

More information can be found at Appleis DarwinWeb page. Darwin is open source software.