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Additional Features

Although many parts of Mac OS X are the same as other UNIX-based operating systems, Mac OS X also includes many things that set it apart. This chapter lists some of the key details that distinguish Mac OS X from most other UNIX-based operating systems. These may not be important for a basic port of a simple application, but the more robust your application and the more tightly it integrates with the underlying operating system, the more important it is to understand the additional functionality provided by the operating system. Most of the information here is covered only as an overview, with references to more detailed documentation where appropriate.

This chapter is of interest to all varieties of developers, though different developers will have different interests, depending on the nature of your application.

Contents:

AppleScript and AppleScript Studio
Audio Architecture
Boot Sequence
Configuration Files
Device Drivers
The File System
The Kernel
Open Directory and the dscl Tool
Printing (CUPS)
Bonjour
Scripting Languages
Security and Security Services

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