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Encyclopedia > System 6

System Software 6

Screenshot of System Software 6.0.8
Website: N/A
Company/
developer:
Apple Computer
OS family: Classic Mac OS
Source model: Closed source
Latest stable release: 6.0.8 / Late 1990
Kernel type: Monolithic
License: Proprietary
Working state: Historic, not supported
This article is about the Macintosh operating system version. For the IBM word processor, see System 6 (word processor).

System Software 6 (often shortened to just System 6) was a version of Mac OS, the operating system of the Apple Macintosh computer, which was used in the late 1980s prior to the introduction of System 7. Image File history File links Sys6screenshotbusy. ... This page as shown in the AOL 9. ... The term software company could be applied to; a) a company that produces software or b) a company that distributes software from a third party or c) a company that provides services for software. ... A software developer is a programmer who is concerned with one or more facets of the software development process, a somewhat broader scope of computer programming. ... Apple Computer, Inc. ... The text below is generated by a template, which has been proposed for deletion. ... In computer science, the kernel is the core piece of most operating systems. ... Graphical overview of a monolithic kernel A monolithic kernel defines a high-level virtual interface over the hardware, with a set of primitives or system calls to implement operating system services such as process management, concurrency, and memory management in several modules that run in supervisor mode. ... A software license is a legal agreement which may take the form of a proprietary or gratuitous license as well as a memorandum of contract between a producer and a user of computer software. ... The System 6 was a word processor made by IBM. It featured a built-in printer and storage on magnetic cards. ... Mac OS, which stands for Macintosh Operating System, is a series of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Computer for their Macintosh line of computer systems. ... An operating system (OS) is a software program that manages the hardware and software resources of a computer. ... The first Macintosh computer, introduced in 1984, upgraded to a 512K Fat Mac. ... The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ... System 7 (codenamed Big Bang) was a version of Mac OS, the operating system of the Apple Macintosh computer. ...

Contents


Multitasking

Cooperative multitasking made its Macintosh debut in March 1985 with a program called Switcher, which allowed the user to launch multiple applications and switch between them. However, many programs and features did not function correctly with Switcher, and it did not come with the operating system, so it had to be acquired from Apple separately. System Software 6 featured a much more seamless approach called MultiFinder. MultiFinder originally debuted with System Software 5 (System file 4.2 / Finder 6.0). This article is about the year. ... MultiFinder was the name of a piece of extension software for the Apple Macintosh introduced in System 5 and featured in System 6. ...


Multitasking under System Software 6 was optional — startup could be set to Finder or MultiFinder. If MultiFinder were selected, the Finder and its functions continued to run when an application was launched. The MultiFinder environment allowed users to see past the windows of running applications to view Finder icons such as the Trash, or the windows of other applications running in the background.


Differences

System Software 6.0.8 Finder
System Software 6.0.8 Finder

System Software 6 with MultiFinder differed from the later System 7 in the following principal ways: Screenshot of macintosh Finder version 6. ... Screenshot of macintosh Finder version 6. ...

  • System 6 was the last Apple operating system made in machine code. System 7 and up was programmed in C.
  • At the upper right hand corner was the icon of the currently running application; clicking on it would cycle through running applications rather than displaying a menu of running applications to choose from. This was the forebearer of System 7's Application menu. The list of running applications appeared at the bottom of the Apple menu instead.
  • System 6 supported only 24 bits of addressable memory, rather than the full 32 bits, and so could address a maximum of 8 megabytes of RAM. There was no built-in support for virtual memory, which was only possible through third-party extensions from Connectix at the time.
  • Under System 6, although you could drag a file or folder out onto the Desktop, and the system would then remember that placement, you could not save directly to the Desktop and there was no invisible Desktop Folder as there was under System 7 and subsequent classic Macintosh operating systems. In file "open" dialogs, existing files on the Desktop would show up at the root of the drive.
  • File "Open", "Save", and "Save As" dialog boxes would rotate through available disks when one used the Tab key. With the debut of System 7, the Tab key was repurposed to shift the input focus from the file name field to the window showing the contents of the currently active disk or folder. These dialogs did not contain the "New Folder" button of later versions, although third party extensions made that functionality available.
  • The Apple menu was not as extensively editable as under System 7 and later classic Mac OS. The only items that could exist under the Apple menu were mini-programs called Desk Accessories, which were installed and removed with the aid of a program called "Font/DA Mover". The Chooser, the Scrapbook, and the Control Panel were Desk Accessories, and only a maximum of 15 could be installed at one time. There was no "Apple Menu Items" folder.
  • The Control Panel, as noted, was a Desk Accessory. The items that would be known as Control Panels under System 7 were called control panel devices, or 'cdevs' ('cdev' being the file type of these files), and were placed at the root of the System Folder rather than in a dedicated subfolder. Items with this file type were picked up on by the Control Panel desk accessory, which would include them in a scrollable list of controls and settings. In this way, the Control Panel was conceptually closer akin to Mac OS X's System Preferences than to System 7's "Control Panels" folder. System behavior modifiers that did not include a control panel interface — these would be called "Extensions" under System 7 and beyond — were known as 'INITs' (again, for their file type, which was 'INIT') and were also placed at the root of the System Folder.
  • The Trash (or Wastebasket in the British version of the OS), under System 6 and earlier, would empty itself automatically when one quit or, if MultiFinder were not running, when one launched an application. System Software 4.7 (System file 3.0 / Finder 5.1) introduced Trash "bulging", i.e., when the Trash contained files, it would gain a bulged appearance.
  • System Software 6 did not have aliases; it did not have custom icons (and icons did not appear in the "info" window of a file, folder, or disk); and although it supported color for applications, most of the Finder and System-dialog interfaces were in black and white. Since System Software 5.0 (System file 4.2 / Finder 6.0) the Finder did support coloring of icon outlines on a color-capable Mac, and System Software 5.0 was the first to use this ability for Finder labels. The Labels (called Colors in System Software 6) menu did not get displayed on a black and white Macintosh.
  • MultiFinder by default ran desk accessories in a special application called DA Handler, since the Finder's heap was not resizable. System 7 and later Finder run desk accessories in the Finder, since if the Finder run out of heap space, it can use memory from the system heap, which can be resized. Both can be overridden by using the Option key, which run the desk accessory in the current application.

This article is about the unit of information. ... The memory pages of the virtual address space seen by the process, may reside non-contiguously in primary, or even secondary storage. ... Connectix Corporation was a software and hardware company, noted for having released innovative products that were either made obsolete as Apple incorporated the ideas into system software, or were sold to other companies once they become popular. ... Early Macintosh Desk Accessories In the operating system for the Apple Macintosh computer, a Desk Accessory (DA) was a piece of software, originally written as a device driver, conforming to a particular programming model. ... Mac OS X (officially pronounced Mac OS Ten) is a line of proprietary, graphical operating systems developed, sold, and marketed by Apple Computer, the latest of which is included with all currently-shipping Apple Macintosh computers. ... In System 7 and later, an alias is a small file that represents another object in the file system. ... The Option key, also known as Alt key is a modifier key present on Apple Macintosh keyboards. ...

Version History

Version Number Release Date Computer
6.0 April 1988
6.0.1 September 19, 1988 Macintosh IIx
6.0.2 Late 1988
6.0.3 March 7, 1989 Macintosh IIcx
6.0.4 September 20, 1989 Macintosh IIci and Macintosh Portable
6.0.5 March 19, 1990 Macintosh IIfx
6.0.7 October 15, 1990 Macintosh Classic, LC and IIsi
6.0.8 April 1991

The Macintosh IIx was introduced by Apple in 1988 as an incremental update of the original Macintosh II model. ... Half a year following the release of the Macintosh IIx passed before Apple introduced the Macintosh IIcx. ... The Apple Macintosh IIci was an improvement on the Macintosh IIcx. ... The Macintosh Portable was Apple Computers first attempt at making a portable Macintosh personal computer that held the power of a desktop Macintosh and included the capabilities of a professional business Macintosh such as the Macintosh IIci. ... The Macintosh IIfx was a model of Apple Macintosh computer, introduced in 1990 as the fastest Mac, and discontinued in 1992. ... Macintosh Classic Demand for another all-in-one Mac, such as the popular Macintosh Plus and the SE, spurred the introduction of the Macintosh Classic. ... Macintosh LC sans display, keyboard or mouse The Macintosh LC (meaning low-cost color) was Apple Computers product family of low-end consumer Macintosh personal computers in the early 1990s. ... Macintosh IIsi rear showing ports, including 10base2, 10baseT and AUI ethernet card. ...

External links

History of the Apple Macintosh Operating Systems
Classic Mac OS (History): System 6 · System 7 · Mac OS 8 · Mac OS 9
Mac OS X (History): Public Beta · v10.0 · v10.1 · v10.2 · v10.3 · v10.4 · v10.5
Mac OS X Server: Rhapsody · Mac OS X Server 1.0 · Mac OS X Server
Other OS projects: A/UX · Taligent · Copland · Darwin

  Results from FactBites:
 
System 6 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (1014 words)
System Software 6 (often shortened to just System 6) was a version of Mac OS, the operating system of the Apple Macintosh computer, which was used in the late 1980s prior to the introduction of System 7.
System 7 and up was programmed in C. At the upper right hand corner was the icon of the currently running application; clicking on it would cycle through running applications rather than displaying a menu of running applications to choose from.
System Software 6 did not have aliases; it did not have custom icons (and icons did not appear in the "info" window of a file, folder, or disk); and although it supported color for applications, most of the Finder and System-dialog interfaces were in fl and white.
Mac OS history - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (2528 words)
System 6 was the first major change of the operating system, although the Mac OS kernel was kept the same from the System 7 revision until the last revision of the OS, Mac OS 9.
System 3.0 was introduced with the Mac Plus, adding support for several new technologies including SCSI and AppleTalk, and introducing Trash "bulging", i.e., when the Trash contained files, it would gain a bulged appearance.
System extensions were enhanced, by being moved to their own subfolder; a subfolder in the System Folder was also created for the control panels.
  More results at FactBites »

 

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