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Special Report: The paradigm of the future? Apple today shook up the entire computer industry by announcing not only the availability of MacOS X Server, but of a new effort from Apple to promote Open Source and ensure the convergence of the MacOS, OPENSTEP, and BSD/Linux/UNIX in one package branded by Apple. Quite impressive, huh?
PricingAs expected, Apple announced a much lower price for the entire package. The newly revised pricing ($499) reflects numerous different forces pulling on Apple including developers, and an effort to have MacOS X Server adopted by as many as possible. Slashing the price in half means that Apple can squeeze into more smaller offices. Unlike the contentions of some, the price differential may be the difference needed for a SOHO or medium size company looking to possibly use MacOS X Server. For the curious, that $500 savings could justify the need to purchase the software beyond buying on account of MacOS X Server's pure specs. Premier members of Apple's Developer Connection do in fact get a free copy of MacOS X Server, which had not been the case in January. All other developers (including students) can get the software for $99. This version of MacOS X Server is for the most part a full-version, but is restricted to five NetBoot, MacManager, and Apple file services clients. Why, you may ask? Because this is the version is for development and coding and testing. The client restriction is merely to prove that this isn't the MacOS X Server that you would expect. It fits the needs of developers nicely without them having to shell out $500. Also, according to Apple's educational pricing guide, MacOS X Server is available for $250. It is unknown as to whether individual students can purchase the software for this price. According to those writing in, the education price is not an individual price but an institutional price, and cannot be ordered by individuals alone. According to Brock Gunter-Smith, the education pricing of MacOS X Server in Canada pricing is $399(C). He also notes that there is indeed no such distinction between individuals and institution in the Canadian distribution model. From what we have heard from others as well, the case is, in part, this: Educational institutions can buy the boxes, and students, faculty, and institution-related arms can buy the software from the instituitions at student prices.
AvailabilityYou can purchase MacOS X Server as a standalone shrink-wrapped software package from the Apple Store. (We will add notes on availability from on-line stores as soon as we can.) If you are looking to have MacOS X Server in your hands today, it's not going to happen. The wait that has consumed as all will continue for about another week. Or you can purchase it in one of the many hardware packages from the Apple Store: Option 1: (and the one Apple is pushing heavily as a $5000 Internet server)MacOS X Server running on: All software bundles will be shipped within the next 5-14 days.
What do you get?This package will come with 4 CD's:
That's not it, of course. No sir. Not on such a momentous day as this. Coming with this package is an unlimited client license. This license extends to Apple File Sharing users, NetBooting clients, and all other types of clients. And to clarify some odd notes floating around the Internet, the MacOS X Server license is for one (1) single server. You may not install MacOS X Server on multiple computers using the same software license. Doing so is a direct violation of your license agreement, and is illegal.
Project DarwinWhat is most surprising is the announcement not of the software, nor what would come with the package, but a little project called Darwin. As best as we can tell, Darwin a reference to the dolphin from SeaQuest. :P What Darwin is is an Open Sourcing of the "base" or core of MacOS X Server. This does not mean anything close to the totality of MacOS X Server. Instead, Apple will be working with outside developers in an open sourcing of:
What Darwin is not is a complete version of MacOS X Server and its YellowBox technology. As many have pointed out, it would be greatly disadvantageous for Apple to open source what is, essentially, the basis for WebObjects. Doing so would hurt Apple in many ways. Darwin gives Apple two things:
The Darwin project will also aim to help get help tuning other Open Source projects, such as Apache and Perl, for speed under Darwin. Darwin's influence over the long term is, of course, yet to be decided, but for now, it looks like a very interesting project. You can read more about Darwin and register for the program at http://www.publicsource.apple.com/
What does this mean?!?When Netscape announced a couple of years ago that they would be open-sourcing their browser, many scoffed. What were they doing, they asked? How could they get away with giving away their product for free whilst they gave away their source code as well? Well, Apple going open-source is a completely different beast. Whereas Netscape went open-source to save its life, Apple has gone open-source to shake everyone up. If you think about it, Apple going open source makes plenty of sense. Digital, IBM, and others all have their own versions of UNIX. They not only pour time and sweat into their products, but they each independently work on the source code for the internal workings of the operating systems. Now, if you're the size of an IBM or have the reputation of a Digital, then it doesn't matter too much that you're doing all the work because, in essence, you are well respected as a vendor of a high quality UNIX. Since Apple is not releasing a high-end UNIX, but instead MacOS X Server, which is UNIX plus many other goodies, it is almost nonsensical to keep the UNIX underpinnings proprietary. Instead, they will enlist duty-inspired Mac, NeXT, and UNIX/Linux developers to help shore up the source code of the lower level software, like the kernel, in an effort to save some development costs and development time. It is an effort to shake up the very foundations of the computer industry. But Apple didn't just say "Hey, let's dump MacOS X Server without a GUI and Yellow Box" in a product called Darwin, and let it run. There's actually some method to what many consider to their madness. Darwin doesn't include the Macintosh ROMs or the entirety of Open Firmware. Nothing related to the MacOS itself is in Darwin. Instead, it's just UNIX and some Apple technologies, like HFS(+) support and AppleTalk and some more. That doesn't make Darwin useless by any means, but it does make sense to Apple as long as you remember that they aren't open-sourcing their entire operation. And that is the main distinction from Netscape. Netscape simply took their product and opened it to essentially to try to save themselves. Apple is not in danger of dying (anymore), and did not need to open source the Darwin project.
We will be updating this report throughout the day to bring it as up to date and comprehensive as humanly possible, including what wasn't announced on Tuesday, and some of the still lacking areas in the shipping product and some possible workarounds. If you would like to add anything to the report, please e-mail us and let us know. |
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All content - ©1998-2012 - Mark J. Hershenson |
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The MacOS Xclave is hosted by green-ant.com.
