September 26, 2026
Software on the Mac mini
We have plenty of software, but what this is about is software unique
to the Mac world, and resources for learning about it.
XNU
X is not unix - XNU is the operating system kernel.
Mac OS X is now "MacOS. Also relevant is the Darwin OS.
It all began with NeXT and the NeXTstep operation system.
Despite the slogan "X is not Unix", MacOS obtained UNIX
certification in 2007. XNU began as a microkernel, but
has become more monolithic as it became clear that certain
functionality really needed to be in the kernel for performance
reasons.
Have any comments? Questions?
Drop me a line!
Adventures in Computing / tom@mmto.org