Chapter 1. Starting with Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard
Apple's operating system for its Mac computers (named Mac OS X) is now in its seventh incarnation (10.6) and has been given the moniker Snow Leopard. This follows Apple's tradition of naming the Mac OS X operating system after big cats, which started when the code name for Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah was leaked and Apple decided to stick with it.
Users familiar with Mac OS X will find themselves right at home with Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, while users migrating from a Windows PC will discover a big wow factor when they run Mac OS X for the first time. Whereas the Windows operating system acts a base to launch other applications, Mac OS X technologies and information in applications permeate throughout the system.
The result is a very different experience because users can seamlessly perform tasks. But Windows users need not fear working in a different operating system; OS X is surprisingly simple and effective, and it follows many computing conventions: Technologies such as the desktop, folders, and windows work in the same way on an Apple system as a Microsoft-based one.
In this chapter, we first look at some of the key technologies that make up Mac OS X, and at some of the new technologies that have been introduced in Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. Then we take you through the system requirements and installation methods ...
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