Source : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing

Macintosh Operating System
     
         (Mac OS) {Apple Computer, Inc.}'s
        proprietary {operating system} for their {Macintosh} family of
        {personal computers}.
     
        The part of the operating system that simulates the desktop is
        called "{Finder}."  The {multitasking} version of Finder was
        called "{MultiFinder}" until {multitasking} was integrated
        into the core of the OS with the introduction of System 7.0 in
        1990.
     
        The Macintosh series provides a built-in graphics language,
        called "{QuickDraw}", which provides a {standard} for software
        developers.
     
        Mac OS 8, scheduled for delivery in July 1997, contains a
        number of significant improvements, including new
        human-interface features, increased system stability and
        performance, a {PowerPC} processor-native Finder, tighter
        integration of {Internet} access through panel-based
        "assistants," Personal Web Sharing, and the ability to run
        {Java applets} and programs through Mac OS Run Time for {Java}.
     
        Mac OS X ("X" for 10) is based on {FreeBSD}.  Apple released
        the {kernel} of Mac OS X Server as "{darwin}", under an {open
        source} license.
     
        See also {Macintosh file system}, {Macintosh user interface}.
     
        (2002-06-29)