>> How different is MacOS? Is it just a typical Unix environment with a 
>> different UI shell running on top? Or is it more fundamentally different 
>> than that under the hood?
> 
>   It is quite different from typical unix systems. For example, it
> implements many file system features (such as metadata) that typical
> unix systems don't have. Also the windowing system is its own entity
> and has nothing to do with unix.

If you look at any typical Unix, you'll see the following things:

- The /dev folder.
- init and getty (and that whole TTY mess).
- Runlevel scripts (written in Bash, obviously).
- at and cron.
- UIDs, GIDs, setuid, setgid, sticky bit and associated chaos.

How much of this sort of thing does MacOS have?

>   Of course the great thing is that you *can* compile and run most unix
> programs in it if you want. IIRC it can even emulate the X windowing system
> so you can run graphical unix programs as well.

Yeah... I recall Haskell doesn't have any bindings for the native UI 
yet, so many people on MacOS evidently run X so they can use the 
standard X bindings instead...

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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