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Relationship between Unix, Linux and macOS ?

1.) can someone explain to me what the relationship is between these 3 softwares/ operating systems?

2.) are the command lines used in macOS-Terminal the same for the terminals in Linux operating systems (Ubuntu, Debian 10, etc.)

3.) would apple computers be more compatible with linux networks and servers than a windows computer?


Thank you very much for your help!

Thomas

iMac 21.5", macOS 10.15

Posted on Apr 29, 2020 8:05 AM

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User profile for user: John Galt
John Galt
User level: Level 10
140,732 points

Posted on Apr 29, 2020 8:30 AM

  1. macOS is based on Berkeley UNIX which is an open system. Taking it back a step, macOS was derived from NeXTSTEP which Apple purchased in its entirety back in 1999. BSD Unix was released in 1977. Unix itself has its origins in mainframe computers built around 1970, so it's probably the oldest and certainly the most extensively developed operating system still in use today.
  2. More or less yes. Since Unix itself is open source there have been countless modifications and additions to it, so although there is an enormous amount of commonality between systems, not all commands will work on all systems. Many macOS components are Apple proprietary. Some macOS components are open source even though Apple developed them. iOS, tvOS, and watchOS are all derived from the same source, and share many of the same identical components.
  3. Being a "Unix-like" operating system, yes. There are network communication standards completely unrelated to the operating systems on which those systems are running though.
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User profile for user: John Galt
John Galt
User level: Level 10
140,732 points

Apr 29, 2020 8:30 AM in response to Community User

  1. macOS is based on Berkeley UNIX which is an open system. Taking it back a step, macOS was derived from NeXTSTEP which Apple purchased in its entirety back in 1999. BSD Unix was released in 1977. Unix itself has its origins in mainframe computers built around 1970, so it's probably the oldest and certainly the most extensively developed operating system still in use today.
  2. More or less yes. Since Unix itself is open source there have been countless modifications and additions to it, so although there is an enormous amount of commonality between systems, not all commands will work on all systems. Many macOS components are Apple proprietary. Some macOS components are open source even though Apple developed them. iOS, tvOS, and watchOS are all derived from the same source, and share many of the same identical components.
  3. Being a "Unix-like" operating system, yes. There are network communication standards completely unrelated to the operating systems on which those systems are running though.
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Relationship between Unix, Linux and macOS ?

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