PARC, NeXT veteran helped create OS X

Apple's former Senior VP of Mac OS Software Bertrand Serlet has joined the board of directors at Parallels, the virtualization software company in a non-executive role. Serlet, who did stints involving both science and programming at Xerox PARC as well as Steve Jobs' former company NeXT, left Apple last year to focus "less on products and more on science." His role at Parallels will be to help supply additional vision and direction for both its flagship product and its server-management tools.

Serlet was part of a large crew of former NeXT employees who came with Jobs when he returned to running Apple in the late 90s. Serlet had contributed much to NeXTSTEP and OpenStep, the heart of OS X software. He also worked on WebObjects and CoreFoundation, building on the work of his predecessor in the Software Engineering VP job, Avie Tevanian. He was with Apple for 14 years (including a decade-long stint at Ariba), and is also working with a cloud-based startup Upthere.

Parallels is best known for its self-named product, one of the three major virtualization solutions for running Windows and other operating systems on the Mac, allowing it to be the most versatile of the three mainstream platforms in its ability to run nearly any other operating system (past or present). The company started in 2004 primarily focusing on Windows and Linux server virtualization, but came to prominence when Apple unveiled the Intel-based version of OS X in 2006 and the first Mac version came out. The company continues to sell the Plesk server automation software.

by MacNN Staff