macOS: the power of Unix serving the Apple ecosystem

macOS (formerly Mac OS X, then OS X) is the operating system developed by Apple for its Mac computers. Announced in 1998 and marketed from 2001, it is one of the pillars of the Apple ecosystem alongside iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, visionOS and audioOS.
The most recent version, macOS Tahoe (version 26), was launched on 15 September 2025 for the general public.

From the successor of Mac OS Classic, macOS is based on a Unix-type architecture, offering stability, security and efficiency recognized in both the professional world and the general public. The system derives from the technologies developed by NeXT, the company founded by Steve Jobs in the 1980s, acquired by Apple in 1997.
The first iteration, Mac OS X Server 1.0, was released in 1999, followed by the general public version in March 2001.

Since Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, macOS has received the UNIX 03 certification from The Open Group, first for Macs with Intel processor, then also for those equipped with Apple Silicon chips from macOS 11 (Big Sur).

Designed to take advantage of Apple hardware, macOS offers unique hardware and software integration, an elegant and intuitive interface, as well as close compatibility with other devices of the brand thanks to technologies such as Handoff, AirDrop, or Universal Control.

The server version of macOS shares the same architectural basis as the general public version, while offering specialized tools for network administration, messaging management and file services. Since Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion), this server version is distributed as a downloadable extension from the Mac App Store, simplifying its deployment.

In 2016, on the occasion of the WWDC, Apple formalized the return to a unified nomenclature: OS X became macOS, with the release of macOS Sierra (10.12).
Today, macOS continues its evolution by combining Unix heritage, Apple design and continuous innovation, to offer a computer experience that is both efficient, fluid and intuitive.

Internet, a 20th century history that continues

Internet: The history of a network that has become the heart of the digital world

The Internet is a global network of computer network interconnections, based on the TCP/IP protocol suite, which allows the exchange of information on a global scale. Today it is one of the most significant technological innovations in modern history, linking billions of computers, servers and connected objects around the world.

From military origins to scientific collaboration

The origins of the Internet date back to the late 1960s, at the heart of the Cold War. The ARPANET project, launched in 1969 by the US government's DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), aimed to create a decentralized communications network capable of resisting a nuclear attack. This pioneering network initially linked four American universities: UCLA, Stanford, UC Santa Barbara and UTah.

ARPANET quickly became a scientific research tool. In 1973, researchers Vinton Cerf and Robert Kahn developed the TCP/IP protocol, which will become the basic standard for Internet communications. On 1 January 1983, ARPANET officially adopted TCP/IP, marking the birth of the modern Internet.

Open to the public and the birth of the Web

In the 1980s, the network extended to new academic and governmental institutions. In 1991, British researcher Tim Berners-Lee at CERN invented the World Wide Web (WWW) — a system of hyperlinks and pages available through a browser — making the Internet accessible to the general public. The Web transformed the Internet from an academic tool into an unprecedented platform for communication, sharing and creation.

The era of democratization and mobility

During the 1990s and 2000, the Internet experienced exponential growth with the popularization of access providers, search engines (such as Yahoo!, then Google), online commerce (Amazon, eBay), and social networks (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube...). The arrival of broadband, then fibre optics, allowed a massive use of multimedia and streaming.

Starting in the 2010s, the rise of smartphones and connected objects (IoT) made the Internet ubiquitous in everyday life. Today, it links not only computers, but also phones, vehicles, sensors, watches and even smart homes.

A pillar of the modern world

The Internet has become the essential infrastructure of the digital society: it supports global communication, economy, research, education, entertainment, and public services.
Every day billions of data pass through it, and its evolution continues to shape the digital transformation of the planet.

Despite the challenges posed by cybersecurity, the protection of personal data or the digital divide, the Internet remains a universal symbol of connection, freedom and innovation — a network without frontiers that continues to evolve in the rhythm of humanity.

🐧 Free Software History

💡 Origins and philosophy

Free software is based on a simple idea: the user must be free to use, study, modify and redistribute a program.
This movement was rooted in the 1970s-1980s in the academic and computer research community, where code sharing was common before the rise of proprietary software.

In 1983, Richard Stallman, a researcher at MIT, launched the GNU project (GNU) with the aim of creating a fully free operating system. In 1985 he founded the Free Software Foundation (FSF), which defines the four fundamental freedoms of free software:

• Freedom to use the program for any use;
• Freedom to study the functioning of the source code;
• Freedom to modify it to suit its needs;
• Freedom to redistribute it, with or without modifications.

⚙️ Construction of a free ecosystem

The GNU project provides the essential tools (compilers, editors, libraries, etc.), but a functional kernel was missing.
It was in 1991, with the creation of the Linux kernel by Linus Torvalds, that the movement took off.
The combination of the Linux kernel and GNU tools gives rise to a complete system: GNU/Linux.

In the 1990-2000s, Linux distributions (Debian, Red Hat, Ubuntu...) and free licenses like the GNU GPL increased, giving rise to a true global community of developers.

🌍 Free and open source software

In the late 1990s, the term open source appeared, focusing on technical and collaborative aspects rather than militant philosophy.
The creation of the Open Source Initiative (OSI) in 1998 formalizes this movement, promoting the adoption of freedom by businesses and institutions.

🚀 Impact and legacy

Today, free software is everywhere: in servers, Android smartphones, the cloud, connected objects, and even supercomputers.
It embodies global collaboration, transparency and open innovation.
Symbolic projects such as Firefox, LibreOffice, GIMP, Apache, Kubernetes or Python are direct heirs..

💬 In summary

Born of an ideal of sharing and freedom, free software has profoundly transformed modern computing.
It proves that a global community can build powerful, reliable and open technologies outside traditional business models.

Linux, a proven system

Linux is an open source Unix operating system, launched in 1991 by Linus Torvalds. It is based on the Linux kernel, the core of the system, which manages computer hardware and software resources.

Thanks to its modular architecture, stability and proven security, Linux has become an essential reference in the computer world. Thousands of contributors around the world are participating in its continuous improvement, ensuring rapid innovation and full transparency of the code.

More than 100 Linux distributions (such as Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora or Arch Linux) have emerged, each adapted to specific needs — from the business server to embedded systems, supercomputers, smartphones, tablets... and personal or professional computers.

A true pillar of the free software movement, Linux embodies the power of open collaboration and continues to expand its influence in all areas of modern computing.

To learn more about free or open source software, it is here.