<s>
MkLinux	B-Application
(	O
for	O
Microkernel	B-Operating_System
Linux	B-Operating_System
)	O
is	O
an	O
open-source	B-Application
software	I-Application
computer	O
operating	B-Operating_System
system	I-Operating_System
begun	O
by	O
the	O
Open	B-Application
Software	I-Application
Foundation	I-Application
Research	O
Institute	O
and	O
Apple	O
Computer	O
in	O
February	O
1996	O
,	O
to	O
port	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
to	O
the	O
PowerPC	B-Architecture
platform	I-Architecture
,	O
and	O
Macintosh	B-Device
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
name	O
refers	O
to	O
the	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
kernel	I-Operating_System
being	O
adapted	O
to	O
run	O
as	O
a	O
server	O
hosted	O
on	O
the	O
Mach	B-Operating_System
microkernel	I-Operating_System
,	O
version	O
3.0	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MkLinux	B-Application
started	O
as	O
a	O
project	O
sponsored	O
by	O
Apple	O
Computer	O
and	O
OSF	B-Application
Research	I-Application
Institute	I-Application
,	O
to	O
get	O
"	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
on	O
Mach	B-Operating_System
"	O
ported	O
to	O
the	O
Macintosh	B-Device
computer	O
and	O
for	O
Apple	O
to	O
explore	O
alternative	O
kernel	B-Operating_System
technologies	O
on	O
the	O
Mac	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
there	O
was	O
no	O
officially	O
sponsored	O
PowerPC	B-Architecture
port	O
of	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
none	O
specifically	O
for	O
Macintosh	B-Device
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
OSF	B-Application
Institute	O
,	O
owner	O
of	O
the	O
Mach	B-Operating_System
microkernel	I-Operating_System
and	O
several	O
other	O
Unix-based	O
technologies	O
,	O
was	O
interested	O
in	O
promoting	O
Mach	B-Operating_System
on	O
other	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
the	O
design	O
of	O
the	O
later	O
macOS	B-Application
versions	O
10	O
and	O
newer	O
(	O
not	O
to	O
be	O
confused	O
with	O
the	O
contemporaneous	O
Mac	B-Application
OS	I-Application
versions	O
9	O
and	O
older	O
)	O
,	O
MkLinux	B-Application
was	O
designed	O
to	O
take	O
full	O
advantage	O
of	O
the	O
Mach	B-Operating_System
microkernel	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
contrast	O
,	O
macOS	B-Application
inherited	O
from	O
NeXTSTEP	B-Application
the	O
hybrid	B-Operating_System
kernel	I-Operating_System
named	O
XNU	B-Operating_System
,	O
wherein	O
the	O
BSD	O
kernel	B-Operating_System
personality	O
is	O
grafted	O
on	O
Mach	B-Operating_System
,	O
which	O
are	O
both	O
run	O
together	O
in	O
a	O
single	O
kernel	B-Operating_System
address	B-General_Concept
space	I-General_Concept
for	O
faster	O
performance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
effort	O
was	O
spearheaded	O
by	O
Apple	O
's	O
VP	O
of	O
Development	O
Tools	O
Ike	O
Nassi	O
and	O
Brett	O
Halle	O
at	O
Apple	O
,	O
and	O
development	O
was	O
later	O
split	O
between	O
two	O
main	O
people	O
:	O
Michael	O
Burg	O
on	O
device	O
drivers	O
and	O
distribution	O
at	O
Apple	O
in	O
Cupertino	O
,	O
California	O
;	O
and	O
Nick	O
Stephen	O
on	O
Mach	B-Operating_System
porting	O
and	O
development	O
at	O
the	O
OSF	B-Application
in	O
Grenoble	O
,	O
France	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
key	O
individuals	O
to	O
work	O
on	O
the	O
project	O
included	O
François	O
Barbou	O
at	O
OSF	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Vicki	O
Brown	O
and	O
Gilbert	O
Coville	O
at	O
Apple	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MkLinux	B-Application
was	O
officially	O
announced	O
at	O
the	O
1996	O
World	O
Wide	O
Developers	O
Conference	O
(	O
WWDC	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
free	O
CD	O
containing	O
a	O
binary	O
distribution	O
of	O
MkLinux	B-Application
was	O
handed	O
out	O
to	O
the	O
attendees	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
mid	O
1998	O
,	O
the	O
community-led	O
MkLinux	B-Application
Developers	O
Association	O
took	O
over	O
development	O
of	O
the	O
operating	B-Operating_System
system	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
MkLinux	B-Application
distribution	O
is	O
much	O
too	O
large	O
for	O
casual	O
users	O
to	O
have	O
downloaded	O
via	O
the	O
slow	O
dial-up	O
Internet	O
access	O
of	O
the	O
day	O
,	O
even	O
using	O
56k	O
modems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apple	O
later	O
released	O
the	O
Open	O
Firmware-based	O
Power	B-Device
Macintosh	I-Device
computers	O
,	O
an	O
official	O
PowerPC	B-Architecture
branch	O
of	O
the	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
kernel	I-Operating_System
was	O
created	O
and	O
was	O
spearheaded	O
by	O
the	O
LinuxPPC	O
project	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MkLinux	B-Application
and	O
LinuxPPC	O
developers	O
traded	O
a	O
lot	O
of	O
ideas	O
back	O
and	O
forth	O
as	O
both	O
worked	O
on	O
their	O
own	O
ways	O
of	O
running	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Debian	O
also	O
released	O
a	O
traditional	O
monolithic	O
kernel	B-Operating_System
distribution	O
for	O
PowerPC	B-Architecture
—	O
as	O
did	O
SUSE	O
,	O
and	O
Terra	O
Soft	O
Solutions	O
with	O
Yellow	B-General_Concept
Dog	I-General_Concept
Linux	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
Apple	O
dropped	O
support	O
for	O
MkLinux	B-Application
,	O
the	O
developer	O
community	O
struggled	O
to	O
improve	O
the	O
Mach	B-Operating_System
kernel	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
to	O
support	O
various	O
Power	B-Device
Macintosh	I-Device
models	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MkLinux	B-Application
continued	O
to	O
be	O
the	O
only	O
option	O
for	O
Macintosh	B-Device
NuBus	B-Device
computers	O
until	O
June	O
2000	O
,	O
when	O
PPC/Linux	O
for	O
NuBus	B-Device
Power	B-Device
Macs	I-Device
was	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MacTech	O
magazine	O
observed	O
this	O
of	O
the	O
general	O
state	O
of	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
on	O
Macintosh	B-Device
in	O
1999	O
:	O
"	O
Seen	O
as	O
a	O
Windows	O
NT	O
or	O
commercial	O
Unix	B-Application
killer	O
in	O
some	O
circles	O
,	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
also	O
promises	O
to	O
give	O
the	O
Mac	B-Application
OS	I-Application
a	O
boost	O
in	O
the	O
right	O
direction	O
and	O
might	O
even	O
give	O
Mac	B-Application
OS	I-Application
X	B-Operating_System
Server	O
a	O
run	O
for	O
its	O
money	O
among	O
Apple	O
shops.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
installation	O
process	O
was	O
seen	O
as	O
"	O
either	O
smooth	O
as	O
silk	O
or	O
very	O
,	O
very	O
rough	O
"	O
and	O
that	O
it	O
"	O
can	O
also	O
be	O
slightly	O
more	O
difficult	O
to	O
recompile	O
the	O
MkLinux	B-Application
kernel	B-Operating_System
because	O
of	O
the	O
extra	O
steps	O
to	O
placate	O
the	O
Mach	O
microkernel.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
MkLinux	B-Application
had	O
greater	O
hardware	O
compatibility	O
than	O
LinuxPPC	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
supporting	O
both	O
NuBus	B-Device
and	O
PCI	O
Macintosh	B-Application
systems	I-Application
whereas	O
LinuxPPC	O
only	O
supports	O
PCI	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Compared	O
to	O
LinuxPPC	O
,	O
MkLinux	B-Application
was	O
generally	O
known	O
as	O
having	O
a	O
performance	O
cost	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
overhead	O
of	O
the	O
Mach	B-Operating_System
kernel	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
environment	O
was	O
found	O
to	O
provide	O
a	O
potentially	O
adequate	O
desktop	O
suite	O
,	O
but	O
one	O
that	O
forgoes	O
the	O
entire	O
Macintosh	B-Device
experience	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
pure	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
MkLinux	B-Application
is	O
the	O
first	O
official	O
attempt	O
by	O
Apple	O
to	O
support	O
a	O
free	B-License
and	I-License
open-source	I-License
software	I-License
project	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
work	O
done	O
with	O
the	O
Mach	B-Operating_System
3.0	I-Operating_System
kernel	B-Operating_System
in	O
MkLinux	B-Application
is	O
said	O
to	O
have	O
been	O
extremely	O
helpful	O
in	O
the	O
initial	O
porting	O
of	O
NeXTSTEP	B-Application
to	O
the	O
Macintosh	B-Device
hardware	O
platform	O
,	O
which	O
would	O
later	O
become	O
macOS	B-Application
.	O
</s>
