Darwin is the second most widely deployed UNIX in the world, quietly powering every iPhone, Mac, Apple Watch, and VisionPro. While often overlooked in open source circles, Darwin shares deep roots with Linux—and in many ways, the systems have borrowed from, inspired, or diverged from each other in fascinating ways.

In this talk, we’ll explore what makes Darwin tick: its hybrid kernel architecture, Mach messaging model, BSD subsystem, modern launch system, security policy, and how Apple blends open source with proprietary innovation. Then, we’ll take it a step further: comparing Darwin’s model to Linux distributions like Fedora Silverblue, where immutable infrastructure, service management, and user isolation take different but converging paths.

Topics include:

The hybrid XNU kernel: Mach + BSD Launchd vs systemd Mach IPC vs Unix domain sockets and D-Bus Sandboxing and Mandatory Access Control: Apple’s seatbelt vs SELinux Rootless, System Integrity Protection (SIP), and OS hardening Filesystem layout and application distribution vs Flatpak/Silverblue’s model This talk is for Linux users, OS developers, and reverse engineers who want to understand the system beneath Apple’s polished UI—and how it compares to modern Linux desktop efforts that emphasize security, reliability, and immutability.

Come see how Darwin and Linux approach the same problems differently—and why understanding both makes you a better systems thinker.