I came across several different articles regarding a wide variety of topics, but they all center around Apple's OS, user interface design, and the concept of cruft. I found them to be quite interesting, and I learned a lot. I think I'm going to force the IPRO 305 students to read a few of them before they start redesigning the HawkTour interface.

When Good Interfaces Go Crufty
A good introduction to the basic concept of cruft, which, as the article states, should be familiar to any programmer worth his salt, especially those involved in UI design. Unfortunately, few programmers, let alone computer users, realize what sort of cruft they've become accustomed to through regular computer use.

The Art of the Parlay
An interesting discussion of the common belief that Apple could be Microsoft if they'd made some different decisions in the 80's. An interesting history lesson, and includes some comparisons of the Apple and Microsoft approach to product design.

In the Beginning was the Command Line
A historical look at BeOS and how that OS was an attempt to attack cruft. Too bad it failed to become popular (for various reasons).