Datasheet

Figure 1-1

You are probably already familiar with the topmost layer: the applications that run on Mac OS X (like

Mail, iTunes, Safari, and so on). These applications are all written against a collection of application

frameworks. These frameworks are special libraries that provide the code and all the other resources

(icons, translated strings, and so on) to perform common tasks. For example, the Cocoa framework con-

tains a number of resources necessary to make a Cocoa application.

All Mac OS X applications use graphics to some extent, ranging from simply presenting its user interface

to processing graphical data like QuickTime movies. The system provides several specialized libraries

for working with graphics and graphics files.

These layers rest on the broad shoulders of the core operating system, which at the lowest level is

responsible for making your Macintosh run. For example, the core OS handles reading from and writing

to your hard drive and random access memory (RAM), it manages your network connections, it powers

down the computer when it falls to “sleep,” and so on. In fact, any program that talks to your hardware

in any way ultimately goes through the core OS.

Throughout this book you examine Mac OS X in detail through Slide Master, an application that builds

and displays photo slide shows. You will build Slide Master bit-by-bit as you learn more about how the

elements of Mac OS X come together. The Slide Master application and its source code can be down-

loaded from Wiley’s website; so you can check your work against our complete solution as you go.

This is a good time to take a quick tour of Slide Master. You can download Slide Master from Wiley’s

website, make a slide show, and view your handiwork. In doing so, you touch on all the major areas of

the Mac OS X operating system.

Try It Out Slide Master

Download the files for this chapter from www.wrox.com. Refer to the Introduction for instruc-

tions on finding the files you need from the Wrox website. You can search for the book by its

ISBN number: 978-0-7645-7399-6. You are looking for a file named

Chapter01.zip.

2. Uncompress the Chapter01.zip archive using your favorite decompression tool. (Mac OS X

10.3 and later supports uncompressing

.zip files directly in the Finder.) Inside you will find the

Slide Master application, a folder of pictures called

Images, and a folder of source code.

3. Run the Slide Master application by double-clicking it in Finder. The application opens an unti-

tled document window.

4. Add the pictures in the Images folder to Slide Master by choosing Slide Show➪ Add Slide. You

can select all the files at once from the open panel. The images appear in a drawer to the side of the

document window and the main window displays the selected image, as shown in Figure 1-2. You

can use the arrow keys to change the selection.

Applications

Frameworks and UI

Graphics and Media

Core Operating System

Chapter 1

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