System 6
Encyclopedia
System 6 is a graphical user interface
-based operating system
for Macintosh
computers. It was released in 1988 by Apple Computer and was part of the Mac OS
line of operating systems. System 6 was shipped with various Macintosh computers until it was succeeded by System 7
in 1991. The boxed version of System 6 cost 49 USD when introduced. System 6 is classed as a monolithic
operating system. It featured an improved MultiFinder
, which allowed for co-operative multitasking. The last version of System 6 was released in 1991.
. MacroMaker was criticized for its lack of features when compared to Microsoft
's AutoMac III, which was already available commercially. As MacroMaker only recorded the locations of mouse-clicks inside windows and not what was being clicked or exactly when, users soon found that it could not be used to automate more sophisticated programs. The pre-recorded clicks would miss buttons if they had moved or failed to appear upon playback. MacroMaker was not compatible with System 7
, which used AppleScript
instead.
, which allowed the user to launch multiple applications and switch between them. Many programs and features did not function correctly with Switcher. Also, Switcher did not display windows of other applications beside the selected one. It was not included with the operating system, but was available from Apple for purchase separately. Both System 5 and System 6 had a feature called MultiFinder
instead, which was much more mature and widely used in System 6. MultiFinder could be enabled or disabled, with a reboot. If disabled, the Finder would quit when the user launched another application, thus freeing RAM
for it. If enabled, the system behaved as in the familiar multitasking tradition, with the desktop and windows of other applications in the screen's background.
laser printer
s. New software drivers allowed the ImageWriter LQ to be used on AppleTalk
local area networks and supports use of tabloid, or B, size paper (11 by 17 in (279.4 by 431.8 mm)). System 6 also included QuickerDraw, a piece of system software used to accelerate the drawing of color screen images on the Macintosh II
. It was licensed to Apple and Radius Inc
by its programmer, Andy Hertzfeld
.
cannot be used to launch applications. The current application icon in the upper right-hand corner of the menu bar
cycles between open applications; it is not a menu. System 6 supports 24 bit
s of addressable random access memory (RAM), which allowed a maximum of 8 megabyte
s of RAM with no provision for virtual memory
. These limitations were fixed in System 7. System 6 also has a hard drive capacity limit; it supports up to 2 gigabyte
s (GBs) and 65,536 files on a drive. This is a limitation of the Hierarchical File System
it used, which was not increased until System 7.5 which first increased the limit to 4 GB.
The Trash (or "Wastebasket" in the British version) empties when the Finder terminates. If MultiFinder is not running, this occurs as soon as an application launches. Icons on the desktop in System 6 are not organized into a single folder, as in later operating systems. Instead, the system records whether each file is on the desktop or not. This is inefficient and confusing, as the user cannot browse to the desktop in applications besides the Finder, even within the standard Open and Save As dialog box
es. Furthermore, these dialogs are primitive, mostly unchanged since 1984. The lack of alias
es, shortcuts to files, was another limitation of file management on System 6. Custom file and folder icons are also not supported. These problems were all remedied in System 7.
A maximum of 15 Desk Accessories
may be installed at one time, including the Chooser, Scrapbook, and Control Panel. System 6 uses the Control Panel desk accessory to access all the installed control panels, which imposes severe user interface limitations. Desk Accessories cannot be installed or removed within the Finder; this requires the Font/DA Mover utility. System 7 also fixed this. Control panels, however, are contained in separate files.
Few accoutrements exist for the interface personalization which later became an Apple trademark. The Finder allows each icon to be assigned a color, but the desktop background is limited to an 8x8 pixel color tiled pattern (color patterns were introduced in System 5), and standard window frames are all black and white. However, many "INIT
" extension files existed to add color and customization. System 7 later allowed the user to change the color and various other aspects of the user interface. By 1989, the System 6 user interface was in need of a change. In comparison to the NeXTSTEP
operating system of the time, System 6 did not make use of sound, and its user interface presented several limitations in terms of file management and the way windows were displayed.
, Microsoft Works
and 4th Dimension
were not fully compatible with System 6. There were also software bugs in the Color Manager, Script Manager, and Sound Manager extension
files. Apple announced that 66 bugs were fixed when the 6.0.1 update was released in September 1988. However, a major bug involving text spacing of screen fonts was found in 6.0.1 after distribution began. This led to the quick release of 6.0.2, which solved this problem. Some customers waited longer until moving to System 6 because of the poor reputation already gained.
Graphical user interface
In computing, a graphical user interface is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices with images rather than text commands. GUIs can be used in computers, hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players or gaming devices, household appliances and...
-based operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
for Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
computers. It was released in 1988 by Apple Computer and was part of the Mac OS
Mac OS
Mac OS is a series of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Inc. for their Macintosh line of computer systems. The Macintosh user experience is credited with popularizing the graphical user interface...
line of operating systems. System 6 was shipped with various Macintosh computers until it was succeeded by System 7
System 7
System 7 is the name of a Macintosh operating system introduced in 1991.System 7 may also refer to:* System 7 , a British dance/ambient band* System 7 , 1991 album* IBM System/7, a 1970s computer system...
in 1991. The boxed version of System 6 cost 49 USD when introduced. System 6 is classed as a monolithic
Monolithic system
Monolithic system can have different meanings in the contexts of computer software and hardware.-In software:A software system is called "monolithic" if it has a monolithic architecture, in which functionally distinguishable aspects , are not architecturally separate components but are...
operating system. It featured an improved MultiFinder
MultiFinder
MultiFinder was the name of an extension software for the Apple Macintosh, introduced on August 11, 1987 and included with System Software 5. It added the ability to co-operatively multitask between several applications at once – a great improvement over the previous systems, which could only...
, which allowed for co-operative multitasking. The last version of System 6 was released in 1991.
MacroMaker
A new feature called MacroMaker was included with System 6. When enabled, it allowed users to record mouse and keyboard input as "macros." MacroMaker had a unique user interface, which aimed to look and act like a tape recorderTape recorder
An audio tape recorder, tape deck, reel-to-reel tape deck, cassette deck or tape machine is an audio storage device that records and plays back sounds, including articulated voices, usually using magnetic tape, either wound on a reel or in a cassette, for storage...
. MacroMaker was criticized for its lack of features when compared to Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
's AutoMac III, which was already available commercially. As MacroMaker only recorded the locations of mouse-clicks inside windows and not what was being clicked or exactly when, users soon found that it could not be used to automate more sophisticated programs. The pre-recorded clicks would miss buttons if they had moved or failed to appear upon playback. MacroMaker was not compatible with System 7
System 7
System 7 is the name of a Macintosh operating system introduced in 1991.System 7 may also refer to:* System 7 , a British dance/ambient band* System 7 , 1991 album* IBM System/7, a 1970s computer system...
, which used AppleScript
AppleScript
AppleScript is a scripting language created by Apple Inc. and built into Macintosh operating systems since System 7. The term "AppleScript" may refer to the scripting system itself, or to particular scripts that are written in the AppleScript language....
instead.
Multitasking
Cooperative multitasking made its Macintosh debut in March 1985 with a program called Switcher by Andy HertzfeldAndy Hertzfeld
Andy Hertzfeld is a computer scientist who was a member of the original Apple Macintosh development team during the 1980s. After buying an Apple II in January 1978, he went to work for Apple Computer from August 1979 until March 1984, where he was a designer for the Macintosh system software...
, which allowed the user to launch multiple applications and switch between them. Many programs and features did not function correctly with Switcher. Also, Switcher did not display windows of other applications beside the selected one. It was not included with the operating system, but was available from Apple for purchase separately. Both System 5 and System 6 had a feature called MultiFinder
MultiFinder
MultiFinder was the name of an extension software for the Apple Macintosh, introduced on August 11, 1987 and included with System Software 5. It added the ability to co-operatively multitask between several applications at once – a great improvement over the previous systems, which could only...
instead, which was much more mature and widely used in System 6. MultiFinder could be enabled or disabled, with a reboot. If disabled, the Finder would quit when the user launched another application, thus freeing RAM
Ram
-Animals:*Ram, an uncastrated male sheep*Ram cichlid, a species of freshwater fish endemic to Colombia and Venezuela-Military:*Battering ram*Ramming, a military tactic in which one vehicle runs into another...
for it. If enabled, the system behaved as in the familiar multitasking tradition, with the desktop and windows of other applications in the screen's background.
Hardware support
System 6 included support for the Apple ImageWriter LQ and other PostScriptPostScript
PostScript is a dynamically typed concatenative programming language created by John Warnock and Charles Geschke in 1982. It is best known for its use as a page description language in the electronic and desktop publishing areas. Adobe PostScript 3 is also the worldwide printing and imaging...
laser printer
Laser printer
A laser printer is a common type of computer printer that rapidly produces high quality text and graphics on plain paper. As with digital photocopiers and multifunction printers , laser printers employ a xerographic printing process, but differ from analog photocopiers in that the image is produced...
s. New software drivers allowed the ImageWriter LQ to be used on AppleTalk
AppleTalk
AppleTalk is a proprietary suite of protocols developed by Apple Inc. for networking computers. It was included in the original Macintosh released in 1984, but is now unsupported as of the release of Mac OS X v10.6 in 2009 in favor of TCP/IP networking...
local area networks and supports use of tabloid, or B, size paper (11 by 17 in (279.4 by 431.8 mm)). System 6 also included QuickerDraw, a piece of system software used to accelerate the drawing of color screen images on the Macintosh II
Macintosh II
The Apple Macintosh II was the first personal computer model of the Macintosh II series in the Apple Macintosh line and the first Macintosh to support a color display.- History :...
. It was licensed to Apple and Radius Inc
Radius (computer)
Radius was an American computer hardware firm founded in May 1986 by Burrell Smith, Andy Hertzfeld, Mike Boich, Matt Carter, Alain Rossmann and other members of the original Mac team specializing in Macintosh equipment....
by its programmer, Andy Hertzfeld
Andy Hertzfeld
Andy Hertzfeld is a computer scientist who was a member of the original Apple Macintosh development team during the 1980s. After buying an Apple II in January 1978, he went to work for Apple Computer from August 1979 until March 1984, where he was a designer for the Macintosh system software...
.
Limitations
System 6's Apple menuApple menu
The Apple menu has been a feature in Apple's Mac OS since its inception. It is the first item on the left hand side of the menu bar. The Apple menu's role has changed throughout the release history of Mac OS, but the menu has always featured a version of the Apple logo.-System 6 and earlier:In...
cannot be used to launch applications. The current application icon in the upper right-hand corner of the menu bar
Menu bar
A menu bar is a region of a screen or application interface where drop down menus are displayed. The menu bar's purpose is to supply a common housing for window- or application-specific menus which provide access to such functions as opening files, interacting with an application, or displaying...
cycles between open applications; it is not a menu. System 6 supports 24 bit
Bit
A bit is the basic unit of information in computing and telecommunications; it is the amount of information stored by a digital device or other physical system that exists in one of two possible distinct states...
s of addressable random access memory (RAM), which allowed a maximum of 8 megabyte
Megabyte
The megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000...
s of RAM with no provision for virtual memory
Virtual memory
In computing, virtual memory is a memory management technique developed for multitasking kernels. This technique virtualizes a computer architecture's various forms of computer data storage , allowing a program to be designed as though there is only one kind of memory, "virtual" memory, which...
. These limitations were fixed in System 7. System 6 also has a hard drive capacity limit; it supports up to 2 gigabyte
Gigabyte
The gigabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage. The prefix giga means 109 in the International System of Units , therefore 1 gigabyte is...
s (GBs) and 65,536 files on a drive. This is a limitation of the Hierarchical File System
Hierarchical File System
Hierarchical File System is a file system developed by Apple Inc. for use in computer systems running Mac OS. Originally designed for use on floppy and hard disks, it can also be found on read-only media such as CD-ROMs...
it used, which was not increased until System 7.5 which first increased the limit to 4 GB.
The Trash (or "Wastebasket" in the British version) empties when the Finder terminates. If MultiFinder is not running, this occurs as soon as an application launches. Icons on the desktop in System 6 are not organized into a single folder, as in later operating systems. Instead, the system records whether each file is on the desktop or not. This is inefficient and confusing, as the user cannot browse to the desktop in applications besides the Finder, even within the standard Open and Save As dialog box
Dialog box
In a graphical user interface of computers, a dialog box is a type of window used to enable reciprocal communication or "dialog" between a computer and its user. It may communicate information to the user, prompt the user for a response, or both...
es. Furthermore, these dialogs are primitive, mostly unchanged since 1984. The lack of alias
Alias (Mac OS)
In Mac OS System 7 and later, an alias is a small file that represents another object in a local, remote, or removable file system and provides a dynamic link to it; the target object may be moved, and the alias will still link to it...
es, shortcuts to files, was another limitation of file management on System 6. Custom file and folder icons are also not supported. These problems were all remedied in System 7.
A maximum of 15 Desk Accessories
Desk Accessory
A desk accessory is a small helper-type application that can be run concurrently with any other application on the system. Early examples, such as SideKick and Macintosh desk accessories, used special programming models to provide a small degree of multitasking on a system that initially did not...
may be installed at one time, including the Chooser, Scrapbook, and Control Panel. System 6 uses the Control Panel desk accessory to access all the installed control panels, which imposes severe user interface limitations. Desk Accessories cannot be installed or removed within the Finder; this requires the Font/DA Mover utility. System 7 also fixed this. Control panels, however, are contained in separate files.
Few accoutrements exist for the interface personalization which later became an Apple trademark. The Finder allows each icon to be assigned a color, but the desktop background is limited to an 8x8 pixel color tiled pattern (color patterns were introduced in System 5), and standard window frames are all black and white. However, many "INIT
Init
init is a program for Unix-based computer operating systems that spawns all other processes. It runs as a daemon and typically has PID 1. The boot loader starts the kernel and the kernel starts init...
" extension files existed to add color and customization. System 7 later allowed the user to change the color and various other aspects of the user interface. By 1989, the System 6 user interface was in need of a change. In comparison to the NeXTSTEP
NEXTSTEP
NeXTSTEP was the object-oriented, multitasking operating system developed by NeXT Computer to run on its range of proprietary workstation computers, such as the NeXTcube...
operating system of the time, System 6 did not make use of sound, and its user interface presented several limitations in terms of file management and the way windows were displayed.
Reception
The initial releases of System 6 were unstable; many third party software developers did not receive copies before its release, resulting in widespread compatibility problems. At first, many common software programs such as Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Excel
Microsoft Excel is a proprietary commercial spreadsheet application written and distributed by Microsoft for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. It features calculation, graphing tools, pivot tables, and a macro programming language called Visual Basic for Applications...
, Microsoft Works
Microsoft Works
Microsoft Works is an integrated package software that is produced by Microsoft. Works is smaller, less expensive, and has fewer features than Microsoft Office or other major office suites. Its core functionality includes a word processor, a spreadsheet and a database management system...
and 4th Dimension
4th Dimension (Software)
4th Dimension is a relational database management system and IDE developed by Laurent Ribardière. 4D was created in 1984....
were not fully compatible with System 6. There were also software bugs in the Color Manager, Script Manager, and Sound Manager extension
Extension (Mac OS)
On the Apple Macintosh operating system prior to Mac OS X, extensions were small pieces of code that extended the system's functionality. They were run initially at start-up time, and operated by a variety of mechanisms, including trap patching and other code modifying techniques. Initially an...
files. Apple announced that 66 bugs were fixed when the 6.0.1 update was released in September 1988. However, a major bug involving text spacing of screen fonts was found in 6.0.1 after distribution began. This led to the quick release of 6.0.2, which solved this problem. Some customers waited longer until moving to System 6 because of the poor reputation already gained.
Compatibility
System 6 was officially supported by Apple for many different machines, some of which were shipped with System 6. It may be that some Apple computers for which System 6 was not officially supported may nevertheless be able to run it, perhaps with limitations.| Macintosh Model | Model Date | 6.0.8 | 6.0.7 | 6.0.5 | 6.0.4 | 6.0.3 | 6.0.2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 128K Macintosh 128K The Macintosh 128K machine, released as the "Apple Macintosh", was the original Apple Macintosh personal computer. Its beige case contained a monitor and came with a keyboard and mouse. An indentation in the top of the case made it easier for the computer to be lifted and carried. It had a selling... |
1984 | ||||||
| 512K Macintosh 512K The Macintosh 512K Personal Computer, also known as the "Fat Mac", is the second of a long line of Apple Macintosh computers, was the first update to the original Macintosh 128K. It was virtually identical to the previous Mac, differing primarily in the amount of built-in memory , which quadrupled... |
1984 | ||||||
| 512Ke Macintosh 512Ke The Macintosh 512K enhanced was introduced in April 1986 as a cheaper alternative to the top-of-the-line Macintosh Plus, which had debuted three months previously. It was the same as the Macintosh 512K but with the 800K disk drive and 128K of ROM used in the Macintosh Plus. Like its predecessors,... |
1986 | ||||||
| XL/Lisa Macintosh XL Macintosh XL was a modified version of the Apple Lisa personal computer made by Apple Computer, Inc. In the Macintosh XL configuration, the computer shipped with MacWorks XL, a Lisa program that allowed 64 K Macintosh ROM emulation... |
1985 | ||||||
| Plus Macintosh Plus The Macintosh Plus computer was the third model in the Macintosh line, introduced on January 16, 1986, two years after the original Macintosh and a little more than a year after the Macintosh 512K, with a price tag of US$2599... |
1986 | ||||||
| SE Macintosh SE The Macintosh SE was a personal computer manufactured by Apple between March 1987 and October 1990. This computer marked a significant improvement on the Macintosh Plus design and was introduced by Apple at the same time as the Macintosh II.... |
1987 | ||||||
| SE/30 Macintosh SE/30 The Macintosh SE/30 is a personal computer that was designed, manufactured and sold by Apple Computer, Inc. from 1989 until 1991. It was the fastest and most expandable of the original black-and-white compact Macintosh series.... |
1989 | ||||||
| Classic Macintosh Classic The Macintosh Classic was a personal computer manufactured by Apple Computer. Introduced on October 15, 1990, it was the first Apple Macintosh to sell for less than US$1,000. Production of the Classic was prompted by the success of the Macintosh Plus and the SE... |
1990 | ||||||
| Classic II Macintosh Classic The Macintosh Classic was a personal computer manufactured by Apple Computer. Introduced on October 15, 1990, it was the first Apple Macintosh to sell for less than US$1,000. Production of the Classic was prompted by the success of the Macintosh Plus and the SE... |
1991 | : 6.0.8L | |||||
| Portable Macintosh Portable The Macintosh Portable was Apple Inc.'s first attempt at making a battery-powered portable Macintosh personal computer that held the power of a desktop Macintosh... |
1989 | ||||||
| II Macintosh II The Apple Macintosh II was the first personal computer model of the Macintosh II series in the Apple Macintosh line and the first Macintosh to support a color display.- History :... |
1987 | ||||||
| IIx Macintosh IIx The Macintosh IIx was introduced by Apple in 1988 as an incremental update of the original Macintosh II model. It replaced the 16 MHz Motorola 68020 CPU and 68881 FPU of the II with a 68030 CPU and 68882 FPU ; and the 800 KB floppy drive with the 1.44 MB SuperDrive... |
1988 | ||||||
| IIcx Macintosh IIcx Half a year following the release of the Macintosh IIx passed before Apple introduced the Macintosh IIcx in 1989. Despite resembling the IIx to a great extent and providing the same performance, the IIcx was quieter than its predecessor. The design was also made much more compact by reducing the... |
1989 | ||||||
| IIci Macintosh IIci The Apple Macintosh IIci was an improvement on the Macintosh IIcx. Sharing the same compact case design with three expansion slots, the IIci improved upon the IIcx's 16 MHz Motorola 68030 CPU and 68882 FPU, replacing them with 25 MHz versions of these chips. The IIci came with either a 40 or... |
1989 | ||||||
| IIfx Macintosh IIfx The Macintosh IIfx was a model of Apple Macintosh computer, introduced in 1990 and discontinued in 1992. At introduction it cost from US $9,000 to US $12,000, depending on configuration, and was the fastest Mac... |
1990 | ||||||
| IIsi Macintosh IIsi The Macintosh IIsi was a compact three-box desktop unit, effectively a cut-down Macintosh IIci in a smaller case , made cheaper by the redesign of the motherboard and the deletion of all but one of the expansion card slots... |
1990 | ||||||
| LC Macintosh LC The Macintosh LC was Apple Computer's product family of low-end consumer Macintosh personal computers in the early 1990s. The original Macintosh LC was released in 1990 and was the first affordable color-capable Macintosh. Due to its affordability and Apple II compatibility the LC was adopted... |
1990 | ||||||
| LC II | 1992 | ||||||
| Quadra 700 Macintosh Quadra 700 The Macintosh Quadra 700 was introduced along with the Quadra 900 in October 1991 as Apple's first computers to use the Motorola 68040 processor, as well as the first to feature built-in Ethernet networking as many Unix workstations did... |
1991 | ||||||
| Quadra 900 Macintosh Quadra 900 The Macintosh Quadra 900 was a high-end personal computer introduced with the Quadra 700 in October 1991 as Apple Computer's first computers in the Quadra series using the Motorola 68040 processor. It was discontinued in 1992, and succeeded by the very similar Quadra 950. The Quadra 900 was more... /950 Macintosh Quadra 950 The Macintosh Quadra 950 was the third desktop computer in Apple Computer's Quadra line. It was based on Motorola's 68040 microprocessor rather than the 68LC040 . It replaced the Quadra 900, increasing the CPU clock rate from 25 MHz to 33 MHz, and improving the graphics support... |
1991/1992 | ||||||
| PowerBook 100 PowerBook 100 The PowerBook 100 was a portable subnotebook personal computer manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced on October 21, 1991 at the COMDEX computer expo in Las Vegas, Nevada. Priced at US$2,300, the PowerBook 100 was the low-end model of the first three simultaneously-released... |
1991 | : 6.0.8L | : limited | : limited | |||
| PowerBook 140 PowerBook 140 The PowerBook 140 was released in the first line of PowerBooks. It was the mid-range PowerBook, between the low-end 100 and the high-end 170. As with the PowerBook 170, and unlike the 100, this PowerBook featured an internal floppy drive. Codenames for this model are: Tim Lite, Tim LC,... 145/145B/170 PowerBook 170 The PowerBook 170 was released by Apple Inc. in 1991 along with the PowerBook 100 and the PowerBook 140. Identical to the 140, it was the high end of the original... |
1991/1992/1993 | ||||||
Version history
| System Version | Release Date | Finder Macintosh Finder The Finder is the default file manager used on Mac OS and Mac OS X operating systems; it is responsible for the overall user-management of files, disks, network volumes and the launching of other applications... Version |
MultiFinder MultiFinder MultiFinder was the name of an extension software for the Apple Macintosh, introduced on August 11, 1987 and included with System Software 5. It added the ability to co-operatively multitask between several applications at once – a great improvement over the previous systems, which could only... Version |
LaserWriter Version | Release Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.0 | 1988 | 6.1 | 6.0 | 5.2 | Initial Release |
| 6.0.1 | September 19, 1988 | 6.1.1 | 6.0.1 | 5.2 | Release for Macintosh IIx Macintosh IIx The Macintosh IIx was introduced by Apple in 1988 as an incremental update of the original Macintosh II model. It replaced the 16 MHz Motorola 68020 CPU and 68881 FPU of the II with a 68030 CPU and 68882 FPU ; and the 800 KB floppy drive with the 1.44 MB SuperDrive... (1988) |
| 6.0.2 | 1988 | 6.1 | 6.0.1 | 5.2 | Maintenance Release |
| 6.0.3 | March 7, 1989 | 6.1 | 6.0.3 | 5.2 | Release for Macintosh IIcx Macintosh IIcx Half a year following the release of the Macintosh IIx passed before Apple introduced the Macintosh IIcx in 1989. Despite resembling the IIx to a great extent and providing the same performance, the IIcx was quieter than its predecessor. The design was also made much more compact by reducing the... (1989) |
| 6.0.4 | September 20, 1989 | 6.1.4 | 6.0.4 | 5.2 | Release for Macintosh Portable Macintosh Portable The Macintosh Portable was Apple Inc.'s first attempt at making a battery-powered portable Macintosh personal computer that held the power of a desktop Macintosh... and IIci Macintosh IIci The Apple Macintosh IIci was an improvement on the Macintosh IIcx. Sharing the same compact case design with three expansion slots, the IIci improved upon the IIcx's 16 MHz Motorola 68030 CPU and 68882 FPU, replacing them with 25 MHz versions of these chips. The IIci came with either a 40 or... (1989) |
| 6.0.5 | March 19, 1990 | 6.1.5 | 6.0.5 | 5.2 | Release for Macintosh IIfx Macintosh IIfx The Macintosh IIfx was a model of Apple Macintosh computer, introduced in 1990 and discontinued in 1992. At introduction it cost from US $9,000 to US $12,000, depending on configuration, and was the fastest Mac... (1990) |
| 6.0.6 | 1990 | 6.1.6 | 6.0.6 | 5.2 | Not officially released. |
| 6.0.7 | October 15, 1990 | 6.1.7 | 6.0.7 | 5.2 | Official release for Macintosh LC Macintosh LC The Macintosh LC was Apple Computer's product family of low-end consumer Macintosh personal computers in the early 1990s. The original Macintosh LC was released in 1990 and was the first affordable color-capable Macintosh. Due to its affordability and Apple II compatibility the LC was adopted... , IIsi Macintosh IIsi The Macintosh IIsi was a compact three-box desktop unit, effectively a cut-down Macintosh IIci in a smaller case , made cheaper by the redesign of the motherboard and the deletion of all but one of the expansion card slots... and Classic Macintosh Classic The Macintosh Classic was a personal computer manufactured by Apple Computer. Introduced on October 15, 1990, it was the first Apple Macintosh to sell for less than US$1,000. Production of the Classic was prompted by the success of the Macintosh Plus and the SE... (1990) |
| 6.0.8 | May 13, 1991 | 6.1.8 | 6.0.8 | 7.0 | Updated printing software to match software of System 7.0 System 7 System 7 is the name of a Macintosh operating system introduced in 1991.System 7 may also refer to:* System 7 , a British dance/ambient band* System 7 , 1991 album* IBM System/7, a 1970s computer system... |
| 6.0.8L | March 23, 1992 | 6.1.8 | 6.0.8 | 7.0 | Used only on the Macintosh Classic Macintosh Classic The Macintosh Classic was a personal computer manufactured by Apple Computer. Introduced on October 15, 1990, it was the first Apple Macintosh to sell for less than US$1,000. Production of the Classic was prompted by the success of the Macintosh Plus and the SE... , Classic II Macintosh Classic II The Apple Macintosh Classic II replaced the Macintosh SE/30 in the compact Macintosh line in 1991. Like the SE/30, the Classic II was powered by a 16 MHz Motorola 68030 CPU and 40 or 80 MB hard disk, but in contrast to its predecessor, it was limited by a 16-bit data bus and a 10 MB memory... , LC Macintosh LC The Macintosh LC was Apple Computer's product family of low-end consumer Macintosh personal computers in the early 1990s. The original Macintosh LC was released in 1990 and was the first affordable color-capable Macintosh. Due to its affordability and Apple II compatibility the LC was adopted... , LC II, and PowerBook 100 PowerBook 100 The PowerBook 100 was a portable subnotebook personal computer manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced on October 21, 1991 at the COMDEX computer expo in Las Vegas, Nevada. Priced at US$2,300, the PowerBook 100 was the low-end model of the first three simultaneously-released... . |
External links
- Macintosh: System Software Version History at apple.com
- Download System 6.0.x Software Updates at apple.com