"One of the most frequently used Cocoa classes is NSImage which, as the name suggests, is all about displaying and manipulating image data. The imageNamed: method of this class retrieves an image reference for you - provided that you know the name of the image you're after. Many of the images that can be retrieved via the imageNamed: method have well documented names, but there's a lot of stuff in there that's not well-known. It's those images - including some for Windows - that I'll be digging into here. I shall also give you source code to a little utility that uses an entirely different mechanism to retrieve images used by OS X."
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Member since:2005-06-29
I've been taught in school, as well as at university where I actually study English, that both are correct.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostrophe#Possessive_apostrophe
More specifically:
The 'x' is an /s/ sound, and as such, it is okay to omit the 's'.
Member since:2005-07-22
Member since:2006-01-02
I was also taught to not put the 's' after s-sounds early on, and then taught the opposite (rather vehementently) later on in HS and college. From a linguistic standpoint, it really makes no sense to leave it off since "'s" is a clitic (that attaches to a whole phrase), not just some optional or irregular possessive suffix that goes on a single noun.
Member since:2006-11-24
the X can never be an "s" sound because ever since the release of OS "X" people out there are being educated that it is read OS "ten" that is the name of the product, not "OS X" literally -- and there is no "S" in "ten". Therefore the correct writing has to be OS X's (read: OS ten's)
Member since:2008-09-05
Thom-- interesting article, but I have to agree with the other grammar nerds here. 'Mac OS X' is correctly pronounced 'Mac OS Ten' which certainly does not end with an 's' sound. Thus, the correct possessive is 'Mac OS Ten's' or, in written form, 'Mac OS X's'.
If the pronunciation was X (like the letter X), then either way would be considered correct. However, 'The Elements of Style'-- which is an excellent little guide on how to write well-- says in Rule #1 under 'Elementary Rules of Usage' to always end singular possessives in an 's, regardless of the final consonant. I personally follow the 'Elements of Style' rule, rather than the 'whatever you want' rule I was taught in school.
Using an 's in this case is probably the best bet, since there are two commonly-used pronunciations of Mac OS X (the correct 'ten' and incorrect 'X'). The 's is right in both cases; the ' is only right in one of the two.
Anyway, forgive us for nitpicking and keep up the great work :-).
Member since:
2006-01-02
Don't you mean "Discover OS X's Hidden Artistic Side"?