When Apple released OS-X in 1999, it seemed like an even bet as to whether the change from their proprietory, ROM locked Macintosh OS would break the company. In retrospect, the fears seem baseless. OS-X has made the Apple range of computers highly competitive, as the leaders in the Unix desktop marketplace, largely because remarkably few users even realise that they are using a Unix based system.
OS-X can be confusing for people coming from Windows because of the Unix under the hood but it also confuses Unix users due to the exceptionally tight integration between the underlying Unix and the Aqua desktop manager that is the public face of the operating system.
