The .Mac SDK will allow you to build applications with networked features to leverage .Mac's 24/7 service and over one half million paying members--all without any network programming. And with version 1.1, you can now join the .Mac Affiliate Program and earn a commission for every .Mac membership your application generates.

There are many reasons your application might need to access hardware: Receiving mouse and keyboard events, accessing devices, such as a FireWire DV camcorder, and driving a device from an application are just a few. Although only code that resides in the kernel can access hardware directly, Mac OS X provides many services that allow you to communicate with hardware from plug-ins, applications, shared libraries, and other code running outside the kernel.

This document describes how software running in Mac OS X can access hardware by communicating with the kernel, focusing on services the I/O Kit provides to develop an application-based driver. Many applications, however, will be able to handle all their hardware-access needs using high-level APIs, such as Open Transport and QuickTime, that are available through Carbon and Cocoa. To help you determine which approach is right for you, and for a summary of other services Mac OS X provides for hardware access from applications, see "Hardware-Access Options".

This document includes many code fragments illustrating the various tasks involved in developing an application that accesses hardware, but it is not intended to be a step-by-step cookbook for accessing a particular type of device. To determine how to access a particular device, see "I/O Kit Family Device-Access Support"; For each device family it specifies how to access a device in that family and where to find more detailed documentation.

The Enterprise Object technology brings the benefits of object-oriented programming to database application development. You can use the Enterprise Objects frameworks to build feature-rich database applications that encapsulate your business logic, yet are independent of any particular data source. Enterprise Objects allows you to focus on writing business logic that brings your stored data to life rather than on writing SQL or other database code to access that data.

There are many solutions on the market that provide technology to feed today's information-hungry applications from vast amounts of data in various data sources. However, almost all these solutions are vendor-specific and force the applications you write to depend on a particular data source.

As your application and business needs evolve, these restraints will likely prevent your applications from reaching their full potential. With Enterprise Objects, however, you can build data-driven applications that are independent of any particular data source or data access mechanism. An application built with Enterprise Objects can more easily adapt to new requirements and changing business needs.

Multithreading is a technique generally used to improve performance and enhance the perceived responsiveness of applications. Especially on computers with more than one processor, multithreading can allow a program to execute multiple pieces of code simultaneously. Of course, multithreading also has its dangers. Protecting critical data structures and synchronizing the efforts of multiple threads requires careful thought and consideration.

This document introduces you to the basic concepts associated with creating a multithreaded application. It also provides examples and guidance for how to use the multithreading technologies in Mac OS X.

Many Carbon applications running in Mac OS X are still using QuickDraw, the legacy Mac OS two-dimensional graphics library. There are some compelling reasons for these applications to switch to using Quartz 2D, the native two-dimensional graphics library in Mac OS X.

Carbon developers starting out with Quartz 2D sometimes face a steep learning curve. They need to learn about a different imaging model, learn how the capabilities in Quartz 2D compare with those in QuickDraw, and learn how to use the Quartz 2D API. The purpose of this document is to provide information and advice that helps developers with QuickDraw experience begin to make the transition to using Quartz 2D.

This document introduces the architecture of the mass storage driver stack and describes how to write in-kernel drivers for mass storage devices and media filter schemes for content on mass storage media. It includes sample code that illustrates how to develop both in-kernel logical unit and protocol services drivers and in-kernel filter-scheme drivers.

Because this book focuses on kernel-resident drivers for mass storage devices that mount file systems or are bootable, it provides only a brief description of application-based drivers for other mass storage devices, such as tape drives. For general information on how to write drivers for such devices, see Accessing Hardware From Applications.

This developer note describes Apple Computer's Xserve G5. The note provides information about the internal design of the computer, its input-output and expansion capabilities, and issues affecting compatibility.

This developer note is intended to help hardware and software developers design products that are compatible with the Macintosh products described here. If you are not already familiar with Macintosh computers or if you would simply like additional technical information, refer to Chapter A, "Supplemental Reference Documents."

Embedding and executing AppleScripts within your application bundle allows you to quickly add functionality to your application without changing any code which otherwise becomes very complicated.

AppleScriptRunner contains a folder within its application bundle, "AppleScripts" which contains a number of customizable AppleScripts. The selected AppleScript is executed while passing it a Text parameter. How do you send email from your application? AppleScriptRunner allows you to send email by running the enclosed "Mail" AppleScript. How do you add Text-To-Speech? Just call the enclosed "Speak" AppleScript.

By packaging up functionality into AppleScripts called by an application it could allow users to create their own customizable alerts/events, extend the behavior of the main application, package functionality into components, and more.

This sample code shows how to create a Thread Controller HIObject which will act as the controller between the User Interface and the thread.

Thus the User Interface controls the thread and the thread can easily communicate with the User Interface.

Relies mainly on the PostEventToQueue API (CarbonEventsCore.h).

Technical Notes provide late breaking information about new Apple technologies and supplementary documentation discussing some of the more complex issues related to programming for the Mac OS.

Technical Q&As are short question and answer formatted pages that provide answers to questions frequently received at Apple Developer Technical Support.