OS X is a much anticipated amalgam of the Mach 3.0 microkernel from Carnegie-Mellon University, and FreeBSD 3.2, a more traditional open-source Unix-compatible operating system from the FreeBSD Project. But knowing that OS X is a microkernel wrapped up in a Unix OS, which is in turn wrapped up in a whole new layer of graphical user interface (GUI) technology, doesn't tell the whole story. Is OS X just another fancy GUI-based operating desktop system like Windows or is it a more industrially useful server-centric operating system like FreeBSD or Linux-based OS's? Crafting user interfaces is Apple's widely acknowledged forte; FreeBSD technology is known to power major Internet sites like Yahoo and Sony Japan. So which is it?

Or is it both? It is possible for one operating system to satisfy both the needs of someone like myself, a FreeBSD developer who expects a lot of power and flexibility from an operating system, and the average user who just wants to point and click?

If the answer to that question is yes, then the arrival of Mac OS X could augur some significant changes in the operating system marketplace. A powerful OS that runs popular applications would represent a Unix that has finally grown up. And it would present us with a truly interesting question: Should Microsoft be worried? I say yes, because Mac OS X can potentially challenge Windows both in usability and in industrial reliability; but, no, because Apple's slice of the market is still too small, and Microsoft's sway with developers and independent software vendors is too high.

Apple's chances would increase greatly if instead of merely incorporating portions of an open-source operating system in Mac OS X, the company fully committed to the open-source software development model and freed all of its OS source code. Being truly open would allow Apple the ability to spread its technology in an almost viral fashion to new markets, with an army of volunteers doing the kinds of hardcore programming work that would enable the Macintosh operating system to work on multiple hardware systems. Apple plus the open-source community could challenge Microsoft.

The rest of this essay is divided into two parts. Readers who are unafraid of a geekily technical (and Unix-heavy) appreciation of OS X can go right on to the next section. Readers who would rather cut to the chase for a consideration of the potential implications of OS X for the software industry should go straight to the final section.

The Free Software Project
Read Andrew Leonard's book-in-progress on Linux and open source -- and post your comments.