MachTen

Last updated
MachTen
Developer Tenon Intersystems
OS family Unix-like BSD
Working stateDiscontinued
Source model Closed source
Latest release 4.1.4
Supported platforms Macintosh: Motorola 68000, then PowerPC
Kernel type Microkernel
License Commercial, proprietary
Official website www.tenon.com/products/machten

MachTen is a Unix-like operating system from Tenon Intersystems. It is based on 4.4BSD and the Mach kernel, and features the X Window System and GNU programming tools. It runs only as a classic Mac OS application program (in a virtual machine) on Macintosh computers.

Contents

History

MachTen development started in 1989, culminating in the first release in 1991, utilising Mach 2.5 and delivering 4.3BSD, [1] specifically 4.3BSD-Reno. [2] The second release of the software arrived in 1992, updated to provide X Window System facilities. Although Macintosh System 7 was reportedly not supported initially, [3] the software was eventually delivered supporting System 7 as well as System 6 with MultiFinder. [4]

Tenon followed up in 1993 with release 2.1, this being the first version of the product to support virtual memory, memory protection and "an improved paging model" for traditional Mac applications. [5] From this point, the software was available in two editions, Personal MachTen and Professional MachTen, also bundling previously separate development tools. Virtual memory support was offered in the professional edition. [6] Release 2.1.1, announced in 1994, introduced virtual memory support for the Motorola 68040 processor. [7] The Professional MachTen branch, intended for Motorola 68000-based Macintoshes, ended with release 2.3. [8] This release, announced in 1996, sought to provide a low-cost Web server solution for 68000 family Mac models. [9]

In 1995, a new branch of the product, Power MachTen, was established to support Power Macintosh models, with release 4.0 supporting shared libraries and memory-mapped files, and offering a 4.4BSD-based, POSIX-compliant distribution. [10] Release 4.1 followed in March 1998, [11] and release 4.1.1 in July 1998 with updated software and discounted prices. [12] Power MachTen lacks some of the features of Professional MachTen (including true virtual memory and protected memory models), but takes full advantage of the PowerPC processor and is compatible with Mac OS 9 through its final version, 4.1.4. MachTen is no longer developed, and is functionally superseded by macOS.

Description

In contrast to Apple's A/UX implementation of Unix, which runs directly on the Macintosh hardware and provides support for traditional Mac applications by hosting the Mac OS Toolbox on top of Unix, MachTen runs an entire Unix software stack within a Mac application. [4] This approach of hosting Unix on top of the Mac environment included hosting the BSD Fast File System on top of the Hierarchical File System (HFS), resulting in certain limitations of HFS being imposed on the Unix environment, notably a 31-character limit on filenames. Other filesystems such as Network File System volumes are not affected by such limitations. However, implementing filesystem support in this way allowed Unix programs to access arbitrary Mac files in a relatively transparent fashion and did not require a dedicated partition. [2]

Filesystem performance when using the shell and Unix commands was reported as being around three times slower than A/UX and six times slower than the equivalent operations in the Finder. However, Finder operations were only marginally slowed down by MachTen, in contrast with a two-fold slowdown in A/UX, this being attributed to the Mac OS running as an application in Apple's Unix environment. Using the bundled GNU C Compiler with MachTen was described as "painful" in version 2.0 of the software given the general filesystem performance. [4]

Other integration features included the embedding of the Internet Protocol in AppleTalk network packets, permitting the use of traditional Unix network technologies such as FTP, Telnet and remote login, and to be able to run Unix services such as Sendmail. This effectively integrated TCP/IP with LocalTalk without disrupting AppleTalk networking. [2] However, this encapsulation resulted in lower transfer rates than achievable using A/UX and "sluggish" performance. [4]

MachTen did not require a memory management unit to be fitted to computers running the software. This permitted a broader audience for the Unix environment amongst existing Mac users than A/UX, which required such hardware to enforce traditional Unix memory protection. In its first version, this made it possible for Unix programs to "bring down the entire system". Support for virtual memory was also absent. However, compared to A/UX, which required a "high-end Mac and a lot of disk space", system requirements for MachTen were lower, and compatibility with existing Mac software greater. [2] Later versions introduced memory protection and paging for Unix programs on machines with memory management hardware fitted. [8]

Although reported to use the Mach 3.0 microkernel from version 2.0, [3] review coverage indicated that Mach 3.0 was still to be adopted, along with usage of 4.4BSD that would be free of AT&T code, [4] this being pertinent in the light of the UNIX System Laboratories, Inc. v. Berkeley Software Design, Inc. lawsuit. [3] Other products utilising Mach were identified as potentially upstaging MachTen, notably the PowerOpen Environment from the AIM alliance of Apple, IBM and Motorola targeting the PowerPC architecture and utilising OSF/1 to "combine AUX and AIX", [13] and MacMach from the institution that created Mach itself, targeting 68000 family systems. However, MacMach had Unix licensing restrictions that were likely to make the product unattractive to individuals and small organisations. [4] IBM and Apple would later discuss the possibility of a Mac OS personality for IBM's Workplace OS based on a variant of Mach 3.0. [14]

References

  1. ↑ "Tenon's Mach for the Mac Product Now Shipping". Unigram/X. 8 July 1991. p. 2. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Rosen, Alexis (8 October 1991). "MachTen makes many Macs Unix machines". MacWEEK. pp. 58, 60. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 "Tenon Debuts Latest Mach-on-Mac System Software". Unigram/X. 13 July 1992. p. 3. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bacon, Ian (November 1992). "Battling for the UNIX Crown". MacUser. pp. 221–222, 224, 226, 228, 230, 232–233. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  5. ↑ "Tenon Debuts UNIX/MACH Virtual Memory For MachTen" (Press release). Tenon Intersystems. 17 March 1993. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  6. ↑ Streeter, April (22 March 1993). "Tenon cuts price, reconfigures MachTen line". MacWEEK. pp. 16, 18. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  7. ↑ "Professional MachTen Available for Apples AV Machines" (Press release). Tenon Intersystems. 15 February 1994. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  8. 1 2 "Professional MachTen 2.3". Tenon Intersystems. 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  9. ↑ "Tenon Announces Dramatic Price Reduction and New Features for 68K MachTen" (Press release). Tenon Intersystems. 14 June 1996. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  10. ↑ "Tenon Unveils New MachTen Architecture" (Press release). Tenon Intersystems. 8 August 1995. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  11. ↑ "Tenon Unveils New UNIX For Power Macintosh" (Press release). Tenon Intersystems. 2 March 1998. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  12. ↑ "Tenon Enhances UNIX for Power Macintosh and Lowers Price" (Press release). Tenon Intersystems. 27 July 1998. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  13. ↑ Corcoran, Cate (4 November 1991). "Apple reveals plans for updated A/UX, PowerOpen Unix development alliance". InfoWorld. pp. 1, 115. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  14. ↑ Dimpfel, Lois (November 22, 1993). "Big Blue's Dimpfel has high hopes for Workplace OS". InfoWorld (Interview). Interviewed by Stuart J. Johnson. p. 106. Retrieved September 20, 2017.

See also

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.