On LugRadio they sometimes talk about the role of a vendor/organization in creating Linux distributions. There’s Debian, Fedora, Mandrake, and others, and what sets them apart (to some degree) is what they include in their distribution.
Now, when it comes to Windows, Microsoft determines what goes into it, as it should be, but I think that while Microsoft is still suffering from the Not Invented Here syndrome, it’s nice to see Apple leave the Not Invented Here stuff in their past.
I know, there are plenty of things Apple sticks into Mac OS X that are invented at Apple, but those are often the good bits (iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie) that help define the “Mac experience.”
The most recent delightful (to me) outside thingy being added to Mac OS X is SQLite:
Another feature of Tiger is SQLite support, which incorporates the SQLite library into the system to provide an embeddable, zero-configuration SQL database engine for applications.
Developers who link their applications to this library can access SQL databases without running a separate relational database management system (RDBMS) process. The library can also be used to create local database files and manage the tables and records in that file.
Apple chose to incorporate a nice little application/framework that could potentially make some developers lives much easier. This seems to be something that keeps happening. While Apple is incrementally making small improvements, Microsoft continues to tout it’s master plan for a Brave New World of Windows codenamed Longhorn, that will completely revolutionize how you use a computer.
If you want to revolutionize how you use a computer, try some little bits of open-source here and there, and eventually, you’ll be all “revolutionized” and stuff.
Improvement can come in little steps, not just great leaps…
(I think we should start calling Longhorn “Copland ][” eh?)