Mac OS X Cocoa API: History, Features, and Future

Introduction to the Cocoa API

This report is a summary and review of one of the main facets of what is commonly referred to as the most advanced operating system in the world: Mac Operating System version 10, or Mac OS X. Specifically, this report focuses on what is known as Cocoa. In short, Cocoa is the application programming interface (API) built into Mac OS X. Anyone familiar with Apple's history would know that Steve Jobs played a significant role in how Mac OS X and the Cocoa API came to be, and much of that pathway did not involve Apple directly. While other options exist for programming within the Apple operating system, Cocoa is the framework that should be used for natively programmed applications in Mac OS X.

Origins: NeXT Computers and NeXTSTEP

As alluded to in the introduction, Steve Jobs did not always have a smooth history with Apple. Apple was founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Subsequently, an experienced executive named John Sculley was hired to head the company, and there was considerable growth. However, Sculley and Jobs eventually came into direct conflict, which culminated in Jobs departing and forming his own company—NeXT Computers. Upon founding NeXT, Jobs hired a number of highly skilled engineers who went on to develop several notable products, including a computer, a printer, a factory, and a comprehensive set of development tools. These items were well ahead of the technology curve at the time, which is perhaps why the company's sales efforts ultimately failed and the company shifted to a software-only operation. The operating system and development tools that emerged from this period came to be known as NeXTSTEP. While it was by no means a hit with the average consumer, the OS was very popular within the scientific and technical communities. Investment banks and intelligence agencies were also enthusiastic adopters of the product (Hillegass).

The most important aspect of that operating system was its core architecture. Rather than using a concealed and proprietary operating system foundation, the NeXTSTEP operating system and its associated tools were based on a Unix core. Unix is open source and has been used prolifically throughout the information technology community for many years. The particular variant used by NeXTSTEP was the BSD Unix core. Unix was chosen for several reasons. First, its open-source nature made it easier for outside developers to program for the operating system. Second, the Unix core is considerably more stable than Windows XP or other versions of Windows. Third, the networking capabilities of Unix are superior to those of other operating systems (Hillegass).

From NeXTSTEP to Mac OS X Cocoa

After Steve Jobs left Apple to run his own company, he later returned, and Apple and NeXT were merged. This proved pivotal because the NeXTSTEP OS eventually became what is now known as Apple's Mac OS X. Before that merger, Apple—not unlike Microsoft—did not reveal its proprietary secrets or source code. However, Apple did eagerly release and share the Unix portions of the operating system, a release that came to be known as Darwin. The operating system as a whole came with a set of libraries and programming tools that allowed developers to interact with the associated window manager in an efficient and results-oriented way. These libraries came to be called frameworks. This collection of tools was eventually called OpenStep, and it later became known as Cocoa—the current Mac OS X API.

Programming in the Cocoa environment has primarily been done using Objective-C. Many people may be familiar with C++, but Objective-C is notably different. Both C++ and Objective-C are object-oriented languages, which distinguishes them from older, more archaic programming languages. However, they differ in that Objective-C can be written loosely yet still function effectively. In other words, programmers working with Objective-C can write relatively informal code and the program will still work despite that informality. Beyond that, Objective-C is considered by many to be easy to learn and use compared to more dated programming languages that carry much steeper learning curves (Hillegass).

Cocoa's Strengths and Widespread Adoption

Regardless of its name over the years, Cocoa has been enormously successful among those who use it. One reason is that experimentation is extremely easy when creating and assembling a program. One developer who used it was able to create both a web browser and a web server using the framework. Professionals in the securities analysis field found it equally accessible despite having high demands, owing to the need to build and modify complex financial models. As previously noted, the intelligence community within the United States government was an avid user of the NeXTSTEP line of software. While they have been less than forthcoming about their specific uses, they were apparently acquiring copies of the operating system and what is now known as Cocoa in large quantities. The Cocoa framework was already so popular that it was ported to Solaris and Windows NT. As a result, the Cocoa programming framework performed well regardless of the computer manufacturer or processor. Processor brands it worked well with included Intel, Motorola, Hewlett Packard PA-RISC, and SPARC chips.

Because NeXTSTEP originated outside of Apple and was later integrated when Jobs returned, Apple did not actually use the framework on a Mac machine until Mac OS X Server in 1999—a release code-named Rhapsody. Apple had attempted to develop its own version of NeXTSTEP, called Project Copland, but that effort failed. Apple ultimately acquired NeXTSTEP in 1996, bringing the platform into the Mac ecosystem along with Steve Jobs's return. As noted, NeXTSTEP and the Cocoa API that comes with it became Mac OS X (Hillegass).

Works Cited

Hillegass, Aaron. "What Is Cocoa? A Brief History of Cocoa." Java Samples. n.p., 2016. Web. 29 June 2016.

Stevenson, Scott. Cocoa & Objective-C. Sebastopol, Calif.: O'Reilly, 2010. Print.

Thompson, Matt. "The Death of Cocoa." Nshipster.com. n.p., 2014. Web. 29 June 2016.