Viva System 7
The
first Mac I bought (though I'd been using them since the LC days) was a PowerMac 7100/66 in 1994, and it was my dream.
I even paid extra for the GeoPort modem (remember those gnarly beasties). It shipped with a special version of System 7
(v7.1.2) that was optimized for the
new PPC chips to which Apple had just transitioned. And wow, was I happy with the speed and stability of System 7 on my
new 7100. Believe it or not, it was actually possible to have a stable System 7 working environment--I did for years.
Myst on this baby was one of the first truly surreal experiences I'd ever had with a computer.I haven't actively used System 7 since I got rid of my PowerBook 100 back in 1998 but was pleased to find that some people are still championing this breakthrough OS. Dan Palka is a student at Bradley University and has set up a hobbyist site called System 7 Today, and maintains a fairly complete list of tips, tools, and tricks you can use to tweak out your System 7-equipped Mac.
And, who knew you can still order a boxed copy of System 7.6 from Apple? Go figure!
Share
Source: http://www.system7today.com/
The first Mac I bought (though I'd been using them since the LC days) was a PowerMac 7100/66 in 1994, and it was my dream. I even paid...
Add a Comment
I can't believe how much of a response I've been getting at that site. Anyway, glad to see people find it interesting.
March 17 2006 at 10:39 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI'm only 27, but I am very familiar with system 7. I started working on old Powermacs that only ran 7, and I remember all the hype surrounding System 8 and 8.5. My entire system took up the entire desk! I had a couple SCSI Zip drives, some old LaCie drives back when they sported an Apple logo and a Radius monitor. I remember thinking I was the badass of the company because the whole thing actually twisted 90 degrees to become a wide screen monitor.
Looking back, I REALLY don't miss those days. I think ATM manager alone made me want to off myself in the worst way. I'm perfectly content with my Powermac G5 and matching aluminum EVERYTHING.
Fishes,
narco.
Really Jon? I actually wish I could turn sticky menu's off. I really hate them.
March 16 2006 at 5:04 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Replyyes, long live the Font/DA mover!! And Hypercard!
Long live Hypercard!
Wow, props to John and Mike. You guys have seen alot in your day. I started out with the top of the line "power macintosh", that my parents won in a huge raffle in 94'. it had system 7 on it for its whole lifespan. I had used macs in school and stuff, but I never knew computers could be so darn fast until I got the original power mac. Since then I have been buying every new iMac, starting with G3, and I hope never to buy an intel mac, seeing as I am an apple purist.
Ah, sweet memories. :)
John - I'm with you...hey, I'm 42 (yep that old...) and I bought my first Mac in 1984, day one of Mac time. I also used to build custom display cards for Apple II's and for a while would have to load my custom drivers from cassette until I could afford that new fangled floppy disk thing.
But most of all you made me flash back to Choplifter..wasted more time on that than I'd care to admit. That was fun.
But I love my iMac G5 and my Mini Duo Core is on it's way right now!
The system 7 box looks alot like the box they are using for.Mac now
March 16 2006 at 2:25 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyIs there anybody else over 30 out there? This is like when people refer to Public Enemy as "Old School". I remember when Run DMC was "New School" and, at 34, I don't really think of myself as being that old. You all make me feel old, though. I still think of my Performa 6115 (which I got with 40MB of RAM and even the people who sold it to me thought I was insane) as part of the new generation of Macs. The first Mac I used was, well... the first Mac. Doesn't anybody else out there remember the Apple II? Choplifter, anyone? (There must have been an Apple I, so I suppose I get to feel young when somebody waxes nostalgic about that.) I only used my friends' Apple IIs, though. I had an Atari 800, I could play a version of Frogger that was just like in the arcade and it only took about 20 minutes to load in the cassette drive!
March 16 2006 at 2:13 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyLong live the System 6 Font/DA Mover! ;-)
March 16 2006 at 1:48 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyWorst thing about pre system 8 macs? No sticky menus! Hated that. One thing Windows 95 got right, and OS 8 wisely took from it.
March 16 2006 at 1:38 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyDeals of the Day
more dealsSoftware Updates
more updatesFeatured Stories
more stories
Popular Stories
TUAW (or The Unofficial Apple Weblog) is a website devoted to tips, reviews, news, analysis and opinion on everything Apple.
14 Comments