Mac operating systems

Mac operating systems are software platforms developed by Apple for Macintosh computers. The family includes classic Mac OS and its Unix-based successor, macOS.

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System 1: The first version of Apple’s Macintosh operating system, released in 1984. It introduced the visual desktop environment that began the Mac operating-system family.
Darwin (operating system): The open-source Unix-based core of Apple’s operating systems, combining the XNU kernel with system components. It provides the foundational layer beneath macOS.
Classic Mac OS: The original Macintosh operating-system line, ending with Mac OS 9 before Mac OS X. Its architecture and interface model differed sharply from the Unix-based successor.
Macintosh: Apple’s family of personal computers, introduced in 1984 and commonly called Mac. Mac operating systems were designed to run on this hardware family.
System 7: A major classic Mac OS release introduced in 1991, adding virtual memory and cooperative multitasking support. It marked a mature phase of classic Mac OS before Apple pursued a new system architecture.
XNU: The hybrid kernel used by Darwin, combining Mach components with elements derived from BSD Unix. It manages core operating-system functions beneath macOS services and applications.
Unix: A family of operating systems and standards built around portable, multiuser computing principles. macOS inherits Unix foundations absent from classic Mac OS.
Carbon (API): A programming interface that let developers adapt classic Mac applications for Mac OS X. It eased the transition from classic software to the new system.
Copland: Apple’s unfinished operating-system project of the 1990s, intended to modernize Mac OS. Its cancellation helped lead Apple to seek an external foundation for the next Mac system.
Aqua (user interface): Apple’s graphical user interface introduced with Mac OS X. Its visual design distinguishes the modern Mac desktop from classic Mac OS.