Mac OS 8 Revealed, with CD-ROM [Paperback]

Tony Francis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 5, 1996

With the next release of the Macintosh operating system, Apple will provide a state-of-the-art platform for developers to create new software products. At the core of Mac OS 8 is a redesigned operating system foundation based on microkernel technology that will dramatically increase user productivity.Author Tony Francis worked closely with the Mac OS 8 engineering team to provide the inside story of the design and development of this innovative technology. The book describes the technical geography of Mac OS 8 and illustrates how the system's user benefits can be implemented in software and hardware products.Written for developers, system administrators, and information systems professionals, Mac OS 8 Revealed explains the key technologies of Mac OS 8: * How Mac OS 8 exploits preemptive multitasking to perform many operations concurrently; * How the new memory protection model insulates the microkernel and other operating system services to provide system stability; * How to provide automatic, intelligent assistance to users; * How to allow the user to customize and scale the human interface. The accompanying CD-ROM contains an electronic version of the book with animated illustrations that demonstrate the capabilities of Mac OS 8. Simply click on a screen shot marked with a film strip in the book and see how a new feature in the operating system works. 0201479559B04062001

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Written with administrators, information systems managers, and developers in mind, Mac OS 8 Revealed is a detailed technical tour through the heart of the new Macintosh operating system. From the look-and-feel of the new interface to creating software for the new platform, this is the perfect primer for those Mac professionals who are considering making the upgrade.

Chapter topics include the architecture of the new multitasking operating system, the virtual memory system, dynamic storage allocation, the Human Interface Toolbox, and OS 8's new networking capabilities. The included CD-ROM contains an animated tour of the operating system features and interface.

From the Back Cover

0201479559B04062001

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Addison Wesley Publishing Company (August 5, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201479559
• ISBN-13: 978-0201479553
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,570,704 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Don't Bother, July 29, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Mac OS 8 Revealed, with CD-ROM (Paperback)

This book is based on Mac OS 8 as conceived in the "Copland" days (back when it was intended to be the "next-generation" operating system for Mac OS.) Although some of the topics are relevant and interesting, this is NOT a book about the Mac OS 8 that was released in July of 1997. Buyer beware.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't buy this, unless looking for historical information., January 12, 1998

By 

David Fell (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mac OS 8 Revealed, with CD-ROM (Paperback)

This book is based on Copland, the planned 'next generation' operating system that was scrapped in late 1996 or early 1997. It has nothing to do with the Mac OS 8.0, which was released in '97. Its an entirely different product.

If you are interested in what -could have been- had Copland not been scrapped, this is the book.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Copland Review Very Informative, April 17, 2000

By 

Hank Grabowski - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mac OS 8 Revealed, with CD-ROM (Paperback)

I know why many of the reviewers gave the book only one or two stars. They were disappointed in that it had nothing to do with the actual product MacOS 8, but instead deals with the vaporware product also known as Copland.

As far as it's review of Copland is concerned it is a very interesting book. I wish there was some more detail in regards to some of the low level stuff (such as task scheduling etc.). The book however provided a very interesting view of how Apple was going to try and transition between it's then current OS and a new "modern" OS. The level of detail is high enough to be informative, yet technical enough to provide potential developers with some understanding of how to (re)design their software to work under MacOS 8 Copland.

My hats off to the author, even though it turned out to be a waist of paper from a productivity standpoint.