Mac OS 9
(Part of the Mac OS Classic family)
Screenshot
Screenshot of Mac OS 9
Developer
Apple Computer Inc.
Web site: http://www.apple.com/support/macos9/
Release information
Release date:	October 23, 1999
Current version:	9. Events 4004 BC - Creation of the world begins according to the calculations of Archbishop James Ussher 42 BC - Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) 2. 2, December 6, 2001
Source model:	Closed source
License:	Proprietary
Kernel type:	nanokernel
Support status
Unsupported (Internet only)

Sherlock 2 for Mac OS 9 with the new metallic appearance

Mac OS 9 is the final major release of Apple's "Classic" Mac OS. Events 1060 - Béla I of Hungary is crowned king of Hungary 1240 - Mongol invasion of Rus: Kiev Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. A software license (or software licence in commonwealth usage is a Legal instrument governing the usage or redistribution of copyright protected software In Computer science, the kernel is the central component of most computer Operating systems (OS Apple Inc, ( formerly Apple Computer Inc, is an American Multinational corporation with a focus on designing and manufacturing Consumer electronics Mac OS is the trademarked name for a series of Graphical user interface -based Operating systems developed by Apple Inc Introduced on October 23, 1999, Apple positioned it as "The Best Internet Operating System Ever," highlighting Sherlock 2's Internet search capabilities, integration with Apple's free online services known as iTools, and improved Open Transport networking. Events 4004 BC - Creation of the world begins according to the calculations of Archbishop James Ussher 42 BC - Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Sherlock, named after Sherlock Holmes, is the file and web searching tool made by Apple Inc Open Transport was the name given by Apple Computer to their implementation of the Unix -originated System V STREAMS, replacing MacTCP

While Mac OS 9 lacks the functionality of a modern operating system, such as protected memory and full pre-emptive multitasking^[1], lasting improvements include the introduction of an automated Software Update engine and support for multiple users. Memory protection is a way to control memory usage on a computer and is core to virtually every Operating system. Pre-emption or preemption in Computing is the act of temporarily interrupting a task being carried out by a computer system, without requiring Multi-user is a term that defines an Operating system or Application software that allows concurrent access by multiple users of a Computer.

Apple discontinued development of Mac OS 9 in 2002, transitioning all future development to Mac OS X. Mac OS X (mæk oʊ ɛs tɛn is a line of computer Operating systems developed marketed and sold by Apple Inc, the latest of which is pre-loaded on all currently Since that time, no updates have been released. The final updates to Mac OS 9 addressed compatibility issues with OS X while running in the Classic Environment and compatibility with Carbon applications. Carbon is Apple Inc 's procedural API for the Macintosh Operating system, which permits a good degree of forward and backward compatibility

Features

Apple billed Mac OS 9 as including "50 New Features" and heavily marketed its Sherlock 2 software, which introduced a 'channels' feature for searching different online resources and introduced a QuickTime-like metallic appearance. Sherlock, named after Sherlock Holmes, is the file and web searching tool made by Apple Inc QuickTime is a Multimedia framework developed by Apple Inc, capable of handling various formats of Digital video, Media clips sound text Mac OS 9 also featured integrated support for Apple’s suite of Internet services known as iTools (later re-branded as .Mac) and included improved TCP/IP functionality with Open Transport 2. The Internet Protocol Suite (commonly TCP/IP) is the set of Communications protocols used for the Internet and other similar networks Open Transport was the name given by Apple Computer to their implementation of the Unix -originated System V STREAMS, replacing MacTCP 5.

Other features new to Mac OS 9 include:^{[2] [3]}

• Integrated support for multiple user accounts without using At Ease. At Ease was an alternative to the Macintosh Desktop developed by Apple Computer in the early 1990s It provided a simple environment
• Support for voice login through VoicePrint passwords.
• Keychain, a feature allowing users to save passwords in protected keychains. Keychain is Apple Inc 's password management system in Mac OS X and Mac OS 9.
• A Software Update control panel for automatic download and installation of Apple system software updates.
• A redesigned Sound control panel and support for USB audio.
• Speakable Items 2. 0, also known as PlainTalk, featuring improved speech synthesis and recognition along with AppleScript integration. PlainTalk is the collective name for several Speech synthesis ( MacInTalk) and Speech recognition technologies developed by Apple Inc. ^[4]
• Improved font management through FontSync.
• Remote Access Personal Server 3. 5, including support for TCP/IP clients over Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP). In networking, the Point-to-Point Protocol, or PPP, is a data link protocol commonly used to establish a direct connection between two nodes
• An updated version of AppleScript with support for TCP/IP. AppleScript is a Scripting language devised by Apple Inc, and built into Mac OS.
• Personal File Sharing over TCP/IP.
• USB Printer Sharing, a control panel allowing certain USB printers to be shared across a TCP/IP network.
• 128-bit file encryption in the Finder.
• Support for files larger than 2 GB. A gigabyte (derived from the SI prefix Giga-) is a unit of Information or Computer
• Unix volume support. Unix (officially trademarked as UNIX, sometimes also written as Unix with Small caps) is a computer
• CD Burning in the Finder (introduced in Mac OS 9. The Finder is the default application program used on the Mac OS and Mac OS X Operating systems that is responsible for the overall user-management 1).
• Addition of a 'Window' menu to the Finder (introduced in Mac OS 9. 1)

Mac OS 9 and Classic

PowerPC versions of Mac OS X include a compatibility layer called Classic, enabling users to run applications and hardware requiring Mac OS 9 from within Mac OS X. PowerPC is a RISC Instruction set architecture created by the 1991 Apple – IBM – Motorola alliance known as AIM Mac OS X (mæk oʊ ɛs tɛn is a line of computer Operating systems developed marketed and sold by Apple Inc, the latest of which is pre-loaded on all currently This is achieved through booting a full Mac OS 9 system. As a result, Mac OS 9 must be installed on the computer for Classic to function. Most Mac OS 9 applications run well in Classic, although some applications demonstrate screen redraw problems. In addition, scanner drivers and many other utilities no longer work.

In May 2002, at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose, California, Steve Jobs, accompanied by a coffin, held a mock funeral^[5] to announce that Apple had stopped development of Mac OS 9. Steven Paul Jobs (born February 24 1955 is the Co-founder, Chairman, and CEO of Apple Inc and former CEO of Pixar Animation A coffin (also known as a casket in North American English) is a funerary Box used in the display and containment of deceased remains – either for A funeral is a Ceremony marking a person's Death. Funerary customs comprise the complex of Beliefs and practices used by a Culture to remember Mac OS 9. 2. 2, introduced in December 2001, was the final version of Mac OS 9, and the end of the classic Mac OS.

In June 2005, Jobs announced that the Macintosh platform would be transitioning to Intel x86 microprocessors. See also X86 assembly language The generic term x86 refers to the most commercially successful Instruction set architecture in the history of Personal Developer documentation of the Rosetta PowerPC emulation layer revealed that applications written for Mac OS 8 or 9 would not run on x86-based Macs. Rosetta is a lightweight dynamic translator for Mac OS X distributed by Apple. The Classic Environment remains in the PowerPC version of Mac OS X 10. 4, however x86 versions of OS X do not officially support Classic.

As a workaround for Intel-based Macs, Mac OS 9 can be emulated up to version 9. 0. 4 by using SheepShaver, a PowerPC emulator. SheepShaver is an Open source PowerPC Apple Macintosh Emulator originally designed for BeOS and Linux. It cannot emulate above 9. 0. 4 because SheepShaver does not emulate a memory management unit. A memory management unit ( MMU) sometimes called paged memory management unit ( PMMU) is a Computer hardware component responsible for handling The PearPC PowerPC emulator does not support Mac OS 9. PearPC is an architecture-independent PowerPC platform Emulator capable of running many PowerPC Operating systems, including Mac OS X ^[6]

Support for Classic in PowerPC versions of Mac OS X was discontinued as of Mac OS X v10.5. Mac OS X version 105 “Leopard” is the sixth major release of Mac OS X, Apple’s desktop and server Operating system for Macintosh

Version history

Updates to Mac OS 9 include 9. 0. 4, 9. 1, 9. 2. 1, and 9. 2. 2. Mac OS 9. 0. 4 was a collection of bug fixes primarily relating to USB and FireWire support. OS 9. 1 included integrated CD burning support in the Macintosh Finder and added a new Window menu in the Finder for switching between open windows. The Finder is the default application program used on the Mac OS and Mac OS X Operating systems that is responsible for the overall user-management Mac OS 9. 2, which required at least a G3 processor, increased performance noticeably.

Availability

Retail copies of Mac OS 9 are still available from several Internet businesses at varying prices. Mac OS 9 is no longer available from Apple. Mac OS 9 is not yet classified as abandonware, as it is still in wide use by those who cannot upgrade to Mac OS X due to hardware limitations, or prefer it to Mac OS X. Abandonware refers to Computer software that is no longer sold or supported or whose Copyright ownership may be unclear for various reasons

References

External links

• Technote TN1176 Mac OS 9 from apple. com
• Mac OS 9 "Special Report" from MacInTouch
• Apple | iMac Firmware Update
• Run Mac OS 9 on an Intel Mac