Darwin
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OpenDarwin shutting down
OpenDarwin, a project that I would imagine most TUAW readers didn't know about, is shutting down. The original idea behind OpenDarwin was to create features and bug fixes for Darwin, the UNIX foundation of OS X, which Apple would roll into the code that they distribute. Sadly, it would seem, that relationship didn't pan out as people thought it might over the last 4 years. The project admins of other projects hosted on the OpenDarwin servers have been contacted and I am sure people are clamoring to set up redirects and new hosting.A chapter has closed in the Apple open source effort.[via Niall Kennedy]
Clarification: Apple has not closed the Intel-based Darwin kernel
OSNews is reporting that Ernest Prabhakar, Apple's Open Source and Open Standards product manager, has stated in the Fed-Talk mailing that Apple has not actually closed Mac OS X's Darwin kernel for the Intel version of the OS; they simply haven't released it yet. Speculation about Apple closing the kernel arose from the fact that other non-kernel Darwin sources actually have been released, and the previous PowerPC-based kernel is still available as open source as well.Ernest wanted to make sure that tech media didn't confuse 'speculation' with 'fact'. A good lesson we all could benefit from.
Apple to users: Don't hack your Intel Mac
Ah, the halcyon days of OS X, they seem to be coming to a close. What the hell am I talking about? Why, Apple's decision to close the kernel of OS X on their new Intel machines. This means that no longer can you recompile, slim down, or otherwise monkey around the kernel of OS X (if you are on Intel hardware).Why would Apple suddenly turn very proprietary when they were yelling Open Source from the rooftops not so long ago (and you can still hack your kernel on pre-Intel hardware)? One word: piracy. Apple doesn't want some enterprising young hooligan to get OS X running on other Intel hardware.Let's hope that Apple has a change of heart, since they themselves say that Darwin (the open source project that covers OS X's kernel) is in 'flux.'Thanks, Eliot!
A glimpse into working with Apple on Open Source
Writing for Deamon News, Rob Braun gives up a brief history of Apple's Open Source Efforts. It seems that working with Apple on the open source components of OS X (i.e. Darwin) hasn't always been an easy proposition, and with the release of the Intel Macs Apple seems to be holding back key parts of Darwin on Intel.I'm no coder, but this is an interesting read nonetheless.
