How OS X runs applications

Potential switchers are amazed at the installation process for many OS X apps: drag-and-drop. Mac users take it for granted (until we have to bother with an installer, of course). But what makes it possible to just double-click an icon and have applications "magically" operate? 0xFE has explored the process OS X uses to execute applications (which means, run your software in non-codeboy speak). 0xFE's inquiry began as he tried to use a couple of common *NIX commands: ldd and objdump. They don't work in OS X, because of the peculiar (for developers) way the Mac now handles executables.

I'm not going to pretend I understand more than the mere basics of what 0xFE explains, but it is a fascinating read into the guts of OS X. It also highlights something we know about Apple: take a process that could be difficult, and make it easier. I've been banging my head on Ubuntu for Pete's sake, where (with Synaptic being the exception) installing apps yourself is not an intuitive task. Notice I didn't claim it was difficult. But anything is easy with enough training. Millions of folks used to use DOS on a regular basis too,
but I don't see Vista booting in CLI, do you?

[Via Slashdot]