Apple opens Tiger Darwin kernel

Apple has released buildable Darwin/Mac OS X kernel source code for Mac OS X 10.4.7, following rumors that the company was shying away from the open-source movement. "As of today, we are posting buildable kernel sources for Intel-based Macs alongside the usual PowerPC (and other Intel) sources, starting with Mac OS X 10.4.7," said Ernest Prabhakar, open-source product manager for Apple. "We regret the delay in readying the new kernel for release, and thank you for your patience." the Cupertino-based company has also launched Mac OS Forge -- a new community site to support WebKit and other open-source projects focused on Mac OS X -- specifically aimed at those looking to transition from Opendarwin.org, which closed down in late July.

Apple is also encouraging community participation with a new open-source calendaring server, releasing source code to the new iCal Server in Leopard Server on Mac OS Forge under the Apache License. Additionally, to further enable and encourage cross-platform adoption, the company is re-releasing APSL sources for Bonjour service discovery and Launchd process management under the Apache License hosted on Mac OS Forge.

"Apple is more excited than ever about the power of Open Source development to create value for our (and your) products and customers," said Prabhakar. "I'll be offline much of this week due to WWDC, but I look forward to working with all of you as we move forward to Leopard."

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