[www.cultofmac.com]

April 7, 1997: Apple’s System 7 operating system receives its last update with the shipping of Mac OS 7.6.1.
The update brings a few bug fixes and support for Apple’s new PCI Power Macs and the PowerBook 3400. Most importantly, it marks the end of the System 7 era, which dawned way back in 1991.

Unlike today, when we receive an ostensibly new version of macOS every year, things moved at a slower pace in the 1990s. System 7 arrived in May 1991, bringing some great features such as introducing QuickTime to Macs.

It was the first Apple operating system available on compact discs. (Customers could also get it on a set of 15 floppies.) System 7 was also the Mac operating system that faced off against the world-conquering (at least in terms of popularity) Windows 95.

Before Windows 95 hit shelves on August 24, 1995, Cupertino employees rode around with bumper stickers reading, “Windows 95 = Macintosh ’89.” The joke likened Microsoft’s new operating system to a 4-year-old Mac OS.

The Mac OS 7.6 update brought with it a name change from System 7 to Mac OS. It also added virtual memory and memory management, a new caching system for File Manager, PowerPC Resource Manager routines, and performance improvements.

Unlike today’s free macOS updates, users who wanted System 7.6.1 paid for it — even if they already bought an earlier version of System 7. Considering that it added only minor improvements, this became a point of contention.

The quest for something new
Inside Apple, System 7’s days had been numbered for some time by early 1997. Ever since March 1994, Apple talked up the operating system’s follow-up. Named “Copland,” Apple envisioned it as a full top-to-bottom rethink of Mac OS.

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Ways to improve web conference image and sound quality. [forums.macresource.com]

My memory is cloudy, but I think I remember 7.6.1 being a particularly good update.

Windows 95 = Macintosh '89 was my in-company signature on the email program (QuickMail) for a while.

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7.6.1 was a very good update, I ran it on a great m,any machines from the LCIII to PCI PowerMacs at the time. It was also faster and more stable than 7.5.x.

The only negative about it was you needed a Mac with 32-bit clean ROMs to run it so the LCII, IIci and IIsi and older machines couldn't run it to get the stability and speed improvements. We had a lot of those where I worked at the time.

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Lew Zealand

The only negative about it was you needed a Mac with 32-bit clean ROMs to run it so the LCII, IIci and IIsi and older machines couldn't run it to get the stability and speed improvements. We had a lot of those where I worked at the time.

There was a way around that - those machines can run 8 as well.

these were exciting days - new technology every month it seemed

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p8712

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Lew Zealand

The only negative about it was you needed a Mac with 32-bit clean ROMs to run it so the LCII, IIci and IIsi and older machines couldn't run it to get the stability and speed improvements. We had a lot of those where I worked at the time.

There was a way around that - those machines can run 8 as well.

Cool! I was not so adventurous with the OS back then.

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pRICE cUBE
Unlike today’s free macOS updates, users who wanted System 7.6.1 paid for it — even if they already bought an earlier version of System 7. Considering that it added only minor improvements, this became a point of contention.

I mentioned this to my son last night that Apple used to charge for a new OS. He was stunned.

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p8712

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Lew Zealand

The only negative about it was you needed a Mac with 32-bit clean ROMs to run it so the LCII, IIci and IIsi and older machines couldn't run it to get the stability and speed improvements. We had a lot of those where I worked at the time.

There was a way around that - those machines can run 8 as well.

Mode32 ?
==

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p8712

Quote
Lew Zealand

The only negative about it was you needed a Mac with 32-bit clean ROMs to run it so the LCII, IIci and IIsi and older machines couldn't run it to get the stability and speed improvements. We had a lot of those where I worked at the time.

There was a way around that - those machines can run 8 as well.

Well version 8 was essentially the the next OS 7 update renamed to 8 to end the Mac clone business at 7.6.1, so it ran on almost anything that could run 7.6.1. There were components of 8 that still had the version 7 info in them.

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Buzz

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p8712

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Lew Zealand

The only negative about it was you needed a Mac with 32-bit clean ROMs to run it so the LCII, IIci and IIsi and older machines couldn't run it to get the stability and speed improvements. We had a lot of those where I worked at the time.

There was a way around that - those machines can run 8 as well.

Mode32 ?
==

Born Again - an I know there are other hacks - but it's so long I can't remember.

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p8712

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Buzz

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p8712

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Lew Zealand

The only negative about it was you needed a Mac with 32-bit clean ROMs to run it so the LCII, IIci and IIsi and older machines couldn't run it to get the stability and speed improvements. We had a lot of those where I worked at the time.

There was a way around that - those machines can run 8 as well.

Mode32 ?
==

Born Again - an I know there are other hacks - but it's so long I can't remember.

"Wish You Were" was another method. With a 32 bit clean ROM from a iifx, a Mac SE/30 could run OS8.

Although I never used Cyberdog or Opendoc, 7.6.1 was my favorite, until 9.1 came along. It's been downhill from there.

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JoeH

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p8712

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Lew Zealand

The only negative about it was you needed a Mac with 32-bit clean ROMs to run it so the LCII, IIci and IIsi and older machines couldn't run it to get the stability and speed improvements. We had a lot of those where I worked at the time.

There was a way around that - those machines can run 8 as well.

Well version 8 was essentially the the next OS 7 update renamed to 8 to end the Mac clone business at 7.6.1, so it ran on almost anything that could run 7.6.1. There were components of 8 that still had the version 7 info in them.

I remember Power Computing would sell you a PowerTower and include a MacOS 8 disk!

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San Antonio, TX (in the old city)


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