View source for Rhapsody (operating system)

{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Short description|Apple operating system}}
{{Infobox OS
| name = Rhapsody
| screenshot = Apple Rhapsody screenshot.png
| caption = Rhapsody, with a drawing application and a [[QuickTime]] movie playing
| developer = [[Apple Inc.|Apple Computer]]
| family = {{flat list|
* [[Macintosh operating systems|Macintosh]]
* [[Unix-like]]
* [[Berkeley Software Distribution|BSD]]/[[NeXTSTEP]]
}}
| version_number =
| source_model = [[Closed source]]
| latest_release_version = Developer Release 2
| latest_release_date = {{Start date and age|1998|05}}
| kernel_type = [[Hybrid kernel]]
| influenced = [[macOS]]
| influenced by = [[NeXTSTEP]], [[Classic Mac OS]], [[Copland (operating system)|Copland]]
| ui =
| license = Only released to developers
| preceded by = [[OpenStep#OPENSTEP for Mach|OPENSTEP for Mach]]
| working_state = Historic
| website =
| supported_platforms = [[PowerPC]], [[IA-32]]
}}
{{macOS topics}}
'''Rhapsody''' is an [[operating system]] that was developed by [[Apple Inc.|Apple Computer]] after its purchase of [[NeXT]] in the late 1990s. It is the fifth major release of the [[Mach (kernel)|Mach-based]] operating system that was developed at NeXT in the late 1980s, previously called [[NeXTSTEP]] and [[OpenStep#OPENSTEP for Mach|OPENSTEP for Mach]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rhapsodyos.org/ |title=Shaw's Rhapsody Resource Page |access-date=May 3, 2009 |archive-date=April 28, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090428224510/http://www.rhapsodyos.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Rhapsody was targeted to developers for a transition period between the [[Classic Mac OS]] and [[Mac OS X]]. Rhapsody represented a new and exploratory strategy for Apple, more than an operating system, and runs on [[x86]]-based PCs and on [[Power Macintosh]].

Rhapsody's OPENSTEP for Mach-based{{Efn|Note the capitalization. "OpenStep" refers to the object-oriented framework developed jointly by NeXT and Sun Microsystems, while "OPENSTEP for Mach" is what NeXT's NeXTSTEP operating system was called after version 4.0.|name=openstep}} Yellow Box [[API]] frameworks were ported to [[Windows NT]] for creating cross-platform applications. Eventually, the non-Apple platforms were discontinued, and later versions consist primarily of the [[OpenStep]] operating system ported to Power Macintosh, merging the [[Copland (operating system)|Copland]]-originated [[Graphical user interface|GUI]] of [[Mac OS 8]] with that of OPENSTEP for Mach. Several existing [[classic Mac OS]] frameworks were ported, including [[QuickTime]] and [[AppleSearch]]. Rhapsody can run Mac OS 8 and its applications in a [[paravirtualization]] layer called Blue Box for backward compatibility during migration to Mac OS X.

== Background ==

=== Naming ===
Rhapsody follows Apple's pattern through the 1990s of music-related [[codename]]s for operating system releases (see [[Rhapsody (music)|''Rhapsody'' (music)]]). Apple had canceled its previous next-generation operating system strategy of [[Copland (operating system)|Copland]] (named for American composer, [[Aaron Copland]]) and its pre-announced successor Gershwin (named for [[George Gershwin]], composer of ''[[Rhapsody in Blue]]'').{{Sfn|Singh|2006|p=24}} Other musical code names include Harmony ([[System 7 (Macintosh)|Mac OS 7.6]]), Tempo ([[Mac OS 8]]), Allegro ([[Mac OS 8#Mac OS 8.5|Mac OS 8.5]]), and Sonata ([[Mac OS 9]]).

=== Previous attempts to develop a successor to the Classic Mac OS ===
{{See also|macOS version history#Development}}
In the mid-1990s, [[Classic Mac OS|Mac OS]] was falling behind Windows.{{Sfn|Schlender|Tetzeli|2015|pp=190-197}} In 1993, Microsoft had introduced the next-generation [[Windows NT]], which was a processor-independent, [[multiprocessing]] and [[multi-user]] operating system.<ref>{{Citation |last=Cutler |first=Dave |title=Microsoft Windows Internals |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780735619173 |year=2005 |editor1-last=Russinovich |editor1-first=Mark |contribution=Preface |edition=fourth |publisher=Microsoft Press |isbn=0-7356-1917-4 |author-link=Dave Cutler |editor2-last=Solomon |editor2-first=David A |editor1-link=Mark Russinovich |editor2-link=David A. Solomon |url-access=registration}}.</ref> At the time, Mac OS was still a single-user OS, and had gained a reputation for being unstable. Apple made several attempts to develop modern replacements for Mac OS, which all failed, harming public confidence in the company, while [[Macintosh]] sales continued to decline. Apple's most promising next-generation operating system, [[Copland (operating system)|Copland]], was mismanaged and had to be abandoned in 1996. In response, Apple CEO [[Gil Amelio]] decided to acquire or license an already-built operating system from another company. Apple's executive team considered [[BeOS]], NeXT's [[NeXTSTEP]], Sun Microsystems' [[Oracle Solaris|Solaris]], and Windows NT, and eventually acquired [[NeXT]] in December 1996.{{Sfn|Schlender|Tetzeli|2015|pp=190-197}}

==Announcement==
Rhapsody was announced by Gil Amelio at the January 7, [[Macworld/iWorld#Macworld 1997 SF|1997 Macworld Expo SF]],<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=January 7, 1997 |title=Amelio Pledges a Smooth Shift To New Mac Operating System |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB852593605260749500 |access-date=2023-02-05 |website=The Wall Street Journal |language=en-US |archive-date=February 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205234415/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB852593605260749500 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=MacExpo97>{{cite press release|title=Apple Announces Future Macintosh Operating System (OS) Strategy and Road Map|url=http://product.info.apple.com/pr/press.releases/1997/q2/970107.pr.rel.macos.html|website=Apple.com|publisher=Apple Computer, Inc.|access-date=February 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990116231607/http://product.info.apple.com/pr/press.releases/1997/q2/970107.pr.rel.macos.html|archive-date=January 16, 1999|date=January 7, 1997|url-status=dead}}</ref> and first demonstrated at the May 1997 [[Worldwide Developers Conference]] (WWDC).{{Sfn|Singh|2006|pp=27-29}}<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=May 13, 1997 |title=Apple Tries to Woo Developers As a Crucial Conference Starts |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB863535047966660500 |access-date=2023-02-05 |website=WSJ |language=en-US |archive-date=February 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205234420/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB863535047966660500 |url-status=live }}</ref><!-- Needs an additional sentence clarifying that Rhapsody was an attempt to merge NeXTSTEP and Mac OS -->
=== Pitch to developers ===
At Macworld SF 1997, [[Steve Jobs]] said that Mac OS and its [[Macintosh Toolbox]] placed developers on the "fifth floor", Windows NT on the "seventh floor", while Rhapsody's OpenStep{{Efn|name=openstep}} [[Library (computing)|libraries]] would let developers start on the "twentieth floor".<ref name="CHMMacworld97">{{Cite web |last=Hansen |first=Hsu |date=2016-03-15 |title=The Deep History of Your Apps: Steve Jobs, NeXTSTEP, and Early Object-Oriented Programming |url=https://computerhistory.org/blog/the-deep-history-of-your-apps-steve-jobs-nextstep-and-early-object-oriented-programming/ |access-date=2023-02-06 |website=Computer History Museum |language=en |archive-date=November 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221116061910/https://computerhistory.org/blog/the-deep-history-of-your-apps-steve-jobs-nextstep-and-early-object-oriented-programming/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Jobs argued that this would make it faster to implement existing apps, and would allow even small developer teams to create innovative apps.<ref name="CHMMacworld97" /> At the time, fewer than 25% of Americans used computers, and many thought the computing industry was "just waiting to take off"; most existing applications were office tools, and "the software for the vast majority of people [had] yet to be written".{{Sfn|Feiler|1997|pp=xxiv-14}} Jobs gave the examples of [[Lighthouse Design]], which had created an entire [[office suite]] for NeXTSTEP with only 18 employees; Tim Berners-Lee, who had created [[WorldWideWeb]], the first [[web browser]], on NeXTSTEP; and [[Dell]], which created its first [[E-commerce|eCommerce]] website using NeXT's [[WebObjects]].<ref name="CHMMacworld97" />

Since Yellow Box was also available on Windows as a [[dynamic-link library]] (DLL), Yellow Box apps would be able to run on both Rhapsody and Windows through a recompile.{{Sfn|Feiler|1997|pp=15, 30-35}} Microsoft provided no equivalent that would enable [[Windows API|Win32]] apps to run on other platforms.<ref name=":7">{{Cite news |last=Gomes |first=Lee |date=1997-05-13 |title=Apple Says Rhapsody Programs Will Run on Current Mac OS |language=en-US |work=Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB863480014554226000 |access-date=2023-02-05 |issn=0099-9660 |archive-date=February 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205234410/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB863480014554226000 |url-status=live }}</ref> Additionally, Rhapsody itself could be installed on either [[PowerPC]] Macintoshes or Intel [[x86]] PCs, enlarging developers' potential customer base.{{Sfn|Feiler|1997|pp=15, 30-35}}

=== Pitch to users ===
Apple pitched Rhapsody to users by emphasizing its improved stability and responsiveness. For example, on classic Mac OS, incoming faxes could leave the machine frozen until the fax completes; and if an app crashed, it could take down the whole system and require a reboot, potentially leading to data loss.{{Sfn|Feiler|1997|pp=xxii-xxiv}}<ref name=":6">{{Cite magazine |last1=Fliegel |first1=Tova |last2=Gruman |first2=Galen |date=March 1997 |title=What's Next for the Mac OS? |magazine=Macworld |pages=32–37}}</ref> Additionally, Rhapsody would inherit NeXTSTEP's [[local network]] sharing functionality, and make it easy to share data across apps.{{Sfn|Feiler|1997|pp=xxii-xxiv}} At Macworld SF 1997, Steve Jobs vaunted NeXTSTEP's maturity by pointing out that it had been adopted by many large organizations, including [[Wall Street]] banks and the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]].<ref name="CHMMacworld97" /> ''BYTE magazine'' described NeXTSTEP as "field-tested, time-proven code" in January 1998, ten years after the operating system's introduction.<ref name=":8">{{Cite magazine |last=Thompson |first=Tom |date=January 1998 |title=A First Look at Rhapsody |magazine=[[Byte (magazine)|BYTE]] |pages=45–46}}</ref>

=== Planned transition from Mac OS ===
Apple's plan was to maintain compatibility with "most" existing Mac OS applications through Blue Box but require apps to be rewritten for Yellow Box to take advantage of Rhapsody's new features. Blue Box would run in a window, and support System 7 apps ([[Motorola 68000 series|Motorola 68k]] and PowerPC), but would only be able to support apps that did not need to communicate with the hardware. Throughout Rhapsody's development, Apple would continue to release major upgrades to the classic Mac OS, which would remain supported for several years after Rhapsody's public release.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Mossberg |first=Walter S. |title=Sticking With the Mac Requires Patience and a Big Leap of Faith |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB853971443414703000 |access-date=2023-02-05 |newspaper=Wall Street Journal |date=January 23, 1997 |language=en-US |archive-date=February 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205234417/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB853971443414703000 |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Architecture ==
[[File:Planned Rhapsody architecture.svg|thumb|Rhapsody's architecture]]Rhapsody runs on a modified [[Mach (kernel)|Mach]] 2.5 kernel and [[4.4BSD]] Unix environment. Atop that were the threaded, object-oriented Yellow Box libraries, the Blue Box compatibility layer for Mac OS applications, and a [[Java virtual machine]].<ref name=":8" />{{Sfn|Singh|2006|pp=27-28}} Rhapsody combines NeXT's [[OpenStep]] object-oriented framework, NeXT's other frameworks ([[WebObjects]], [[Enterprise Objects Framework]]), and Apple's Mac OS technologies (including [[AppleScript]], [[QuickTime]] Media Layer, [[ColorSync]], [[Apple event]]s).{{Sfn|Feiler|1997|p=xxii}}<ref name=":6" /> Rhapsody uses the [[Unix File System]] (UFS) for hard disks, and [[Network File System]] on network drives.<ref name=":8" />

Pixels are drawn onscreen using [[Display PostScript]] instead of Mac OS's [[QuickDraw]]. Since Display PostScript relies on the same [[PostScript]] language that is used to communicate with printers, no conversion process is required when printing, and printed documents are more faithful to how they look onscreen.{{Sfn|Feiler|1997|pp=207-208}}

Rhapsody supports app development in three programming languages: Objective-C, Java, and C++.{{Sfn|Feiler|1997|pp=72}}

=== Kernel ===
Rhapsody uses Carnegie Mellon University's [[Mach (kernel)|Mach]] 2.5 kernel, which was modified to add support for the Network File System, [[SCSI]] disks, and removable devices like [[CD-ROM]]s and [[Jaz drive]]s. This kernel lacks [[symmetric multiprocessing]] (SMP) support, which was planned to be added in a later release of Rhapsody that would use a Mach 3.0 kernel.<ref name=":8" /> Mach had been created at CMU by [[Avie Tevanian]], who was in charge of Rhapsody's development as Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, a role he previously held at NeXT.{{Cn|date=February 2023}}

In a WWDC 1997 presentation, [[Jeff Robbin]] said Rhapsody was based on Mach 2.6.{{Cn|date=March 2023}}<!-- the presentation slides are on the web, but I can't link due to [[WP:COPYLINK]]. Secondary source should be found, and which Rhapsody release Mach 2.6 was introduced in -->

=== Blue Box ===
Blue Box is a [[Reentrancy (computing)|non-reentrant]] virtualization layer that allows Rhapsody to run classic Mac OS apps. It was released after Rhapsody DR1, in the form of an application called {{Mono|MacOS.app}} that loaded a Macintosh ROM file stored on disk. Blue Box did not support Mac OS applications that needed hardware access or that relied on non-public Mac OS APIs.{{Sfn|Singh|2006|p=29}}<ref name=":8" />

Blue Box beta 1.0 only worked in full screen, requiring users to press {{Key press|cmd|enter}}  to exit the environment, and it implements networking through [[Open Transport]], instead of Rhapsody's [[Berkeley sockets|BSD sockets]]. Later versions of Blue Box could run Mac OS in a window.{{Sfn|Singh|2006|p=29}}

Rhapsody's Blue Box environment, available only on [[PowerPC]] due to [[paravirtualization]], provides runtime compatibility with Mac OS 8 applications. All virtualized applications and their associated windows are encapsulated within a single Blue Box desktop window instead of being interspersed with native Yellow Box applications.

Blue Box later became the [[Classic environment]],{{Sfn|Singh|2006|p=29}} which remained in Mac OS X until [[Mac OS X Tiger]], with support for Classic dropped in [[Mac OS X Leopard]].

=== Yellow Box ===
Yellow Box is Rhapsody's development platform. It consists of much of the OpenStep framework, combined with a runtime, and a development environment. Since Yellow Box also had a Windows NT implementation, apps made for it could also run natively on [[Microsoft Windows]], and would look like normal Windows applications. Yellow Box includes three major frameworks: [[Foundation Kit|Foundation]], [[AppKit|Application Kit]], and Display PostScript. It also includes NeXTSTEP's [[Project Builder]] and [[Interface Builder]] development tools.{{Sfn|Singh|2006|p=29}}{{Sfn|Feiler|1997|pp=15, 30-35}}

Yellow Box has full support for [[preemptive multitasking]], [[Multithreading (computer architecture)|multithreading]], and [[protected memory]] (which would have only been partially supported under the previous Copland project). Third-party apps would need to be rewritten for Yellow Box to take advantage of Rhapsody's new features.<ref name=":6" />

In May 1997, Amelio announced that Yellow Box would be renamed ''Concert''.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Morgan |first=Justin |date=July 1997 |title=Concert's API Goes Cross-Platform |magazine=BYTE magazine |pages=51–52}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Thurrott |first=Paul |date=May 12, 1997 |title=Apple will release Rhapsody on Intel PCs as well as PowerPC systems |url=https://www.itprotoday.com/windows-78/apple-will-release-rhapsody-intel-pcs-well-powerpc-systems |access-date=2023-03-29 |website=ITPro Today |language=en |archive-date=March 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329100613/https://www.itprotoday.com/windows-78/apple-will-release-rhapsody-intel-pcs-well-powerpc-systems |url-status=live }}</ref>

Yellow Box was later used as the foundation for Mac OS X's [[Cocoa (API)|Cocoa]] framework.{{Sfn|Singh|2006|p=29}}

=== Java virtual machine ===
Rhapsody's Java virtual machine is derived from Sun's [[Java Development Kit|JDK]] 1.1.3, which was modified so that Java apps could call Yellow Box [[API]]s. Rhapsody DR1 included Sun's Java compiler and libraries.<ref name=":8" />

== Developer releases ==
{{Missing information|section|the second developer release of Rhapsody|date=June 2023}}
Apple issued two developer releases of Rhapsody for both the [[PowerPC]] and Intel [[x86]] architectures.{{Sfn|Singh|2006|pp=27-29}}

=== Developer Release 1 ===
The first developer release of Rhapsody was released on October 13, 1997 (for Power Macintosh){{Sfn|Linzmayer|2004|p=278}} to 10,000 developers, who were given two [[Compact disc|CDs]]: the bootable Rhapsody installer, and another CD with sample source code (including a version of TextEdit in Java that calls Yellow Box APIs). Apple modified its implementation of [[Open Firmware]] to allow users to dual boot Rhapsody and Mac OS by holding down {{Key press|caps lock}}. DR1 did not have Blue Box, and was missing many promised Mac OS technologies like QuickTime, AppleScript, and [[AppleTalk]]; its main purpose was to give developers a shipping version of Yellow Box so they could start rewriting their apps for it. DR1 has OPENSTEP for Mach's Workspace Manager instead of the Mac OS [[Finder (software)|Finder]].<ref name=":8" /> Within the following weeks, Apple also released the Windows version of the Yellow Box runtime, as well as DR1 of ''Rhapsody for PC Compatibles'' (Intel), and the first release of Blue Box.<ref name=":10">{{Cite web |title=Apple delivers Blue Box early |url=https://www.arnnet.com.au/article/114093/apple_delivers_blue_box_early/ |access-date=2023-03-29 |website=ARNnet |archive-date=March 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329141317/https://www.arnnet.com.au/article/114093/apple_delivers_blue_box_early/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The overall developer reaction to DR1 was positive.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Microsoft Unveils Mac Browser As Developer Meeting Continues |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB863641586524264500 |access-date=2023-02-05 |newspaper=Wall Street Journal |date=May 14, 1997 |language=en-US |archive-date=February 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205234412/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB863641586524264500 |url-status=live |last1=Newswires |first1=Dow Jones }}</ref> ''BYTE magazine''<nowiki/>'s Tom Thompson described DR1 as a "[[Jekyll-and-Hyde]] mixture" of an "amazingly Mac-like" user interface and hard-to-use NeXTSTEP components, some of which could only  be configured properly through the [[command line]], but said it "did not crash once" during his testing.<ref name=":8" />

=== User interface ===
Rhapsody's user interface was considered preliminary, with the developer previews focusing on the system's underlying architecture.{{Sfn|Feiler|1997|p=xxii}} Its user interface was a blend of the [[OpenStep#OPENSTEP for Mach|OPENSTEP for Mach]] UI and Mac OS 8's [[Platinum (Macintosh)|Platinum UI]],{{Sfn|Singh|2006|pp=27-28}} with the latter originating with the cancelled Copland prototype. Developer Release 1 (DR1) does not have Mac OS's [[Finder (software)|Finder]], and has OPENSTEP for Mach's Workspace Manager, [[Shelf (computing)|Shelf]], and [[Miller columns|column view]]. The Shelf was eliminated in favor of OPENSTEP for Mach's [[Dock (macOS)|Dock]]; and Finder was added, inheriting column view.

== Reception ==
Developers were "impressed" and "enthusiastic" about Apple's plans, but, with Copland in mind, many were skeptical of Apple's ability to deliver on these plans, and the Macintosh's declining sales raised doubts about Apple's odds of survival. As a result, "many" developers were unwilling to commit to rewriting their apps for Rhapsody, which posed a [[chicken-and-egg problem]], since Rhapsody would not be commercially successful without apps rewritten to take advantage of its new features.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":7" />

Technology columnist [[Walt Mossberg]] observed that many third-party developers were already abandoning the Mac due to its shrinking market share, and that NeXTSTEP's lack of consumer applications, combined with the need to rewrite apps for Rhapsody, "[made] buying a Mac a relatively risky investment" compared to buying a [[Windows 95]] or [[Windows NT]] computer.<ref name=":1" />

To assuage developers' concerns, Apple announced in May 1997 that it would add support for Yellow Box apps to Mac OS, to make the transition from Mac OS smoother. However, the same month, Apple announced in an [[SEC filing]] that contrary to its previous [[earnings guidance]], it would fail to return to profitability by the fourth quarter of [[fiscal year]] 1997 (ending in September), and that it expected Macintosh [[net sales]] to continue to decline.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":7" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Duncan |first=Geoff |date=1997-05-26 |title=Yellow Box, Blue Box, Rhapsody & WWDC |url=https://tidbits.com/1997/05/26/yellow-box-blue-box-rhapsody-wwdc/ |access-date=2023-03-29 |website=TidBITS |language=en |archive-date=March 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329141315/https://tidbits.com/1997/05/26/yellow-box-blue-box-rhapsody-wwdc/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In Q4 FY1997, quarterly Macintosh sales declined from 932,000 to 625,000 [[year-over-year]], and Apple had an [[operating loss]] of $24 million (though it still had $1.45 billion in cash).<ref name=":9">{{Cite magazine |last=Beale |first=Stephen |date=January 1998 |title=Apple ships Rhapsody to developers |magazine=Macworld |pages=22–23}}</ref> Shortly before the August 6, [[Macworld/iWorld#Macworld 1997 Boston|1997 Macworld Expo Boston]], Amelio tried to obtain a commitment from Microsoft to release [[Microsoft Office|Office]] for Rhapsody, but [[Bill Gates]] refused.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Amelio |first1=Gil |title=On the Firing Line |last2=Simon |first2=William L. |publisher=[[HarperBusiness]] |pages=253 |author-link=Gil Amelio}}</ref> Some small developers announced Rhapsody ports of their apps, including Stone Design's Create, Anderson Financial systems' PasteUp, Onyshuk & Associates' Glyphix, OpenBase, and Dantz Development's [[Retrospect (software)|Retrospect]].<ref name=":9" />

In February 1998, ''Macworld'' columnist [[David Pogue]] wrote:

{{Blockquote|text=The intriguing thing about Apple's upcoming Rhapsody OS is that it'll be available for Mac and Intel computers. What if it's a huge hit? What if it's cheaper and less troublesome than Windows and NT? What if it dawns on software companies that they can write one Rhapsody program and sell it on both "Mac" and "Windows" machines? The experience of using a computer is determined mostly by its system software. In other words, Rhapsody will put Apple elegance on any personal computer, no matter who made it. Every PC in the world will become, in effect, a Mac. On the other hand, a Rhapsody triumph would mean nobody'd have to buy computers from Apple anymore. Has Apple thought this thing through?<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Pogue |first=David |date=February 1998 |title=The Apple Doomsday Scenario |magazine=Macworld |pages=192, 194}}</ref>}}

== Strategy ==
In a meeting with [[Michael Dell]], owner of PC maker [[Dell]], Steve Jobs demonstrated Rhapsody on Intel x86, and offered to license the operating system to Dell for distribution on its PCs. The deal failed, however, when Jobs insisted that all of its computers ship with both Mac OS and Windows so that consumers could choose the platform they prefer (which would have resulted in Dell having to pay royalties to Apple for every computer it sells), as opposed to Dell's preference that the choice of OS be a factory option.<ref>{{cite web |last=Guglielmo |first=Connie |date=October 6, 2021 |title=The Apple-Dell deal that could have changed history |url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing/the-steve-jobs-deal-with-dell-that-could-have-changed-apple-and-tech-history |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028223313/https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing/the-steve-jobs-deal-with-dell-that-could-have-changed-apple-and-tech-history/ |archive-date=October 28, 2021 |access-date=October 29, 2021 |website=CNET |language=en}}</ref>{{Context inline|date=February 2023}}<!-- Clarify this paragraph with more context on Jobs's evolving thoughts on cloning. -->

In mid-1997, after Amelio was ousted as Apple's CEO and Jobs informally replaced him, the company grew quieter on Rhapsody, leading to speculation over its fate. At the October 1997 Seybold publishing conference, Jobs announced that the transition would be more "gradual" than previously announced by Amelio, and would follow a "dual-OS" strategy, with Rhapsody oriented towards servers, followed by a consumer release several years later, imitating Microsoft's Windows NT strategy.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Carlton |first=Jim |date=October 3, 1997 |title=Apple to Gradually Roll Out Rhapsody; No Quick Transition |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB875829381910830000 |access-date=2023-02-05 |website=WSJ |language=en-US |archive-date=February 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205234409/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB875829381910830000 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite news |last=Carlton |first=Jim |date=1998-05-12 |title=Apple Kills Its Plan to Use Rhapsody As New Macintosh Operating System |language=en-US |work=Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB894913096899527000 |access-date=2023-02-05 |archive-date=February 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205234413/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB894913096899527000 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{Sfn|Linzmayer|2004|p=278}}

At WWDC 1998 held in May, Apple stated that "not a single" major third-party developer had committed to rewriting their apps for Rhapsody. Apple instead unveiled their [[Mac OS X]] strategy: classic Mac OS applications would not need a complete rewrite to run well on the system, which Jobs said could have taken as long as two years; instead, applications could run on Mac OS X with only "minor adjustments".<ref name=":4" /> Apple also ported existing classic Mac OS frameworks into Mac OS X and developed the cross-platform [[Carbon (API)|Carbon API]] for Mac OS 9 and X as the transition layer.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Siracusa |first=John |date=2008-04-03 |title=Rhapsody and blues |url=https://arstechnica.com/staff/2008/04/rhapsody-and-blues/ |access-date=2023-02-05 |website=Ars Technica |language=en-us |archive-date=November 4, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151104224017/https://arstechnica.com/staff/2008/04/rhapsody-and-blues/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Widely used Mac OS libraries like [[QuickTime]] and [[AppleScript]] were ported and published to developers. Carbon allows full compatibility and native functionality for both platforms, while enabling new features.{{Cn|date=February 2023}} Apple also announced that [[Adobe Inc.|Adobe]], [[Microsoft]] and [[Macromedia]] were on board with the new strategy, and had committed to releasing their applications for Mac OS X.<ref name=":4" /> Programmer [[Dave Winer]] celebrated the new strategy.<ref name=":5">{{cite web |last=Winer |first=Dave |date=May 12, 1998 |title=Rhapsody Cancelled |url=http://www.scripting.com/davenet/1998/05/12/rhapsodyCancelled.html |website=DaveNet |access-date=February 2, 2010 |archive-date=November 29, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101129002332/http://scripting.com/davenet/1998/05/12/rhapsodyCancelled.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

As part of the landmark [[United States v. Microsoft Corp.|Microsoft antitrust trial]], Avie Tevanian argued that Rhapsody's failure was partly caused by Windows's dominance, which made new operating system platforms inherently uncompetitive; however, ''[[The Register]]''<nowiki/>'s John Lettice argued that "those [Yellow Box] APIs Apple couldn't get developers to support [...] are of course APIs that NeXT couldn't get developers to support". Lettice described Rhapsody as inherently flawed, stating that: "The theory of this school of OS development [that] says you allow users to run their existing apps while making it possible for a whole new generation of compelling apps to take over in the long run" is a strategy that "has not so far worked in practice".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lettice |first=John |date=November 5, 1998 |title=Who killed Apple's Rhapsody? |url=https://www.theregister.com/1998/11/05/who_killed_apples_rhapsody/ |access-date=2023-03-25 |website=The Register |language=en |archive-date=March 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230325170103/https://www.theregister.com/1998/11/05/who_killed_apples_rhapsody/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Though developers were expecting Rhapsody DP3,{{Inconsistent|date=February 2023}} Steve Jobs announced at the [[Macworld/iWorld#Macworld 1998 NY|July 1998 MacWorld Expo NY]] that an improved version of Rhapsody would be publicly released as [[Mac OS X Server 1.0]], which would bundle [[WebObjects]], the [[QuickTime Streaming Server]], and an [[Apache HTTP Server|Apache]] web server.{{Sfn|Singh|2006|p=31}}<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Beale |first=Stephen |date=September 1998 |title=Jobs Touts Apple Comeback in Expo Keynote |magazine=[[Macworld]] |page=27}}</ref>

== Legacy ==
Apple forked Rhapsody into [[Darwin (operating system)|Darwin]], an [[open source]] operating system that is the foundation for Apple's current commercial operating systems.{{Sfn|Singh|2006|p=31}}

Since Rhapsody could run on both PowerPC and Intel x86, some commentators speculated that Apple could be planning to switch the Macintosh from PowerPC to Intel processors.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1997-10-13 |title=Apple Ships Early Version Of Rhapsody, Cuts Prices |language=en-US |work=Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB876767285765765500 |access-date=2023-02-05 |issn=0099-9660 |archive-date=February 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205234418/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB876767285765765500 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=1997-11-04 |title=Apple Computer Says It Plans To Cut Number of Distributors |language=en-US |work=Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB878592048724754000 |access-date=2023-02-05 |issn=0099-9660 |archive-date=February 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205234411/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB878592048724754000 |url-status=live }}</ref> This [[Mac transition to Intel processors|switch occurred in 2005]], with Apple revealing that it had internally tested Intel [[Software build|builds]] of Mac OS X since the year 2000.{{Sfn|Schlender|Tetzeli|2015|pp=373-374}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Snell |first=Jason |date=January 11, 2006 |title=Chip Story: The Intel Mac FAQ, 2006 edition |url=https://www.macworld.com/article/178446/intelfaq2006.html |access-date=2022-12-15 |website=Macworld |language=en |archive-date=February 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230219193806/https://www.macworld.com/article/178446/intelfaq2006.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2016, historian Hanson Hsu called Steve Jobs's vision for developers "prescient" (Jobs's vision is described in the [[#Pitch to developers|''§Pitch to developers'']] section). Many NeXTSTEP innovations were foundational to Mac OS X, including the [[Cocoa (API)|Cocoa]] framework, Interface Builder (which became part of [[Xcode]]), and the [[Objective-C]] programming language. These technologies attracted many indie developers to the [[Mac (computer)|Mac]], and are still in use today on the Mac; they were later used on the [[iPhone]], the [[iPad]], the [[Apple Watch]], and the [[Apple TV (device)|Apple TV]].<ref name="CHMMacworld97" />

== System requirements ==
The PowerPC version of Rhapsody DR1 required 32{{Nbsp}}MB of [[Random-access memory|RAM]] (64{{Nbsp}}MB recommended), and 1{{Nbsp}}GB of disk space, and only officially supported the Power Macintosh [[Power Macintosh 9500|9500]], [[Power Macintosh 9600|9600]], [[Power Macintosh 8500|8500]] and [[Power Macintosh 8600|8600]].<ref name=":8" />

==Release history==
Apple initially planned to release a developer preview of Rhapsody in the third quarter of 1997. It would be followed in January 1998 by a consumer release codenamed Rhapsody Premier, containing a preliminary version of Blue Box, the compatibility environment that would allow Rhapsody to run Mac OS apps. The full Blue Box would come in Rhapsody Unified, planned for mid-1998.<ref name=":6" /> <!--Expand: indicate how well (or poorly) Apple stuck to its preannounced release schedule; at the time, Apple's inability to deliver software on time was considered noteworthy by secondary sources -->

Rhapsody's version numbers start at version 5.0, since it was a rename of NeXT's {{Em|OPENSTEP for Mach}} operating system, whose last version was OPENSTEP for Mach 4.2. Though Apple never released Rhapsody 5.2, some speculated that it was meant to be Rhapsody Premier.{{Cn|date=February 2023}}

{| class="wikitable"
!Version
!Code name
!Platform
!Date
![[uname|OS name]]
!Darwin version
|-
| rowspan="2" |Rhapsody Developer Release 1
|Grail1Z1
|[[PowerPC]]
|October 13, 1997{{Sfn|Linzmayer|2004|p=278}}
| rowspan="2" |Rhapsody 5.0
|rowspan=4 {{N/A}}
|-
|Grail1Z4
|[[IA-32]] (Intel x86)
|''weeks later''<ref name=":10" />
|-
| rowspan="2" |Rhapsody Developer Release 2
|Titan1T7
|PowerPC
| rowspan="2" |May 14, 1998
| rowspan="2" |Rhapsody 5.1
|-
|Titan1U
|IA-32 (Intel x86)
|-
| colspan="6" style="background-color:#EAECF0; text-align:center" |''[[Mac OS X Server 1.0]] is also based on Rhapsody:''
|-
|Mac OS X Server 1.0
|Hera1O9
| rowspan="5" |PowerPC
|March 16, 1999
|Rhapsody 5.3
| style="text-align:center" |0.1
|-
|Mac OS X Server 1.0.1
|Loki1A2
''(also labelled Hera1O9)''
|April 15, 1999
|Rhapsody 5.4
|{{dunno}}<br>0.2
|-
|Mac OS X Server 1.0.2
|Loki2G1
''(also labelled Hera1O9+Loki2G1)''
|July 29, 1999
|Rhapsody 5.5
| rowspan="3" style="text-align:center" |0.3
|-
|Mac OS X Server 1.2
|Pele1Q10
|January 14, 2000
| rowspan="2" |Rhapsody 5.6
|-
|Mac OS X Server 1.2 v3
|Medusa1E3
|October 27, 2000<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shawcomputing.net/rhapsody/system/rhapsody_media/rhap_ver_1.html|title=Rhapsody Media - Identifying what media you have|accessdate=May 3, 2009|archive-date=July 2, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160702050942/http://www.shawcomputing.net/rhapsody/system/rhapsody_media/rhap_ver_1.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rhapsodyos.org/misc/rhap_timeline/Rhapsody_Timeline_1.html|title=Rhapsody Timeline|accessdate=May 3, 2009|archive-date=October 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181015092117/http://www.rhapsodyos.org/misc/rhap_timeline/Rhapsody_Timeline_1.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
|}

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===
* {{Cite book |last=Feiler |first=Jesse |title=Rhapsody Developer's Guide |publisher=[[Academic Press|AP Professional]] |year=1997 |isbn=9780122513343}}
* {{Cite book |last=Linzmayer |first=Owen W. |title=Apple Confidential 2.0 |publisher=[[No Starch Press]] |year=2004 |isbn=1-59327-010-0}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Schlender |first1=Brent |url= |title=Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader |title-link=Becoming Steve Jobs |last2=Tetzeli |first2=Rick |date=2015-03-24 |publisher=Crown |isbn=978-0-385-34741-9 |language=en}}
* {{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Amit |url= |title=Mac OS X Internals: A Systems Approach |date=2006-06-19 |publisher=Addison-Wesley Professional |isbn=978-0-13-270226-3 |language=en}}

==External links==
<!--*[http://www.nextarchive.net NeXT Archive]-->
* [http://www.shawcomputing.net/rhapsody/home.html Shaw's Rhapsody Resource Page]
* [http://toastytech.com/guis/rhap.html Toastytech GUI Gallery] — Screenshots of Rhapsody Developer Release 2
* [http://www.guidebookgallery.org/screenshots/rhapsodydr2 GUIdebook > Screenshots > Rhapsody DR2] — Screenshots of Rhapsody (Intel version) and its components.
* [http://news.com/Apple+shows+off+Rhapsody+OS/2100-1001_3-203615.html "Apple shows off Rhapsody OS"] — An article written shortly after Apple first demonstrated Rhapsody.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070225043831/http://www.macguild.org/rhapsody.html "Overall summary on Apple Rhapsody: A User Overview"] — An overview of Rhapsody's technologies.
* [http://www.osdata.com/oses/rhapsody.htm "Rhapsody" at OSData.com] — Technical specifications on the operating system.
* [http://www.docstoc.com/docs/14884149/Apple-Rhapsody-Blue-Box First Impressions On Apple Rhapsody Blue Box, Beta Version 1]
* [http://db.tidbits.com/article/2179 TidBITS: Yellow Box, Blue Box, Rhapsody & WWDC]
* [http://www.roughlydrafted.com/RD/RDM.Tech.Q1.07/4B800F78-0F75-455A-9681-F186A4365805.html Cocoa and the Death of Yellow Box and Rhapsody], By Daniel Eran Dilger, 2007-02-19, RoughlyDrafted

{{Apple Inc. operating systems}}
{{Darwin derivations}}
{{Unix-like}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rhapsody (Operating System)}}
[[Category:Apple Inc. operating systems]]
[[Category:Berkeley Software Distribution]]
[[Category:MacOS]]
[[Category:Mach (kernel)]]
[[Category:Discontinued operating systems]]
[[Category:X86 operating systems]]