PENN PRINTOUT
The University of Pennsylvania's Online Computing Magazine

PENN PRINTOUT November 1991 - Volume 8:3

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System 7: Heaven can wait

By Dr. Jeff Seaman

Apple's System 7.0 has been getting a lot of press lately. Some people rave about how good fonts look with TrueType, how virtual memory lets them run many large programs at once, and how "balloon" help lets them explore a new application quickly and easily. Others relate horror stories of crashed systems and incompatible applications. Which to believe? Should you risk it and upgrade?

The two questions to consider are, Should you upgrade at all? and If you do, when? The answer to the first question is clear: System 7.0 is not just a flash in the pan - it really is better, and the time will come when it won't make sense to be without it. All the latest and greatest applications will soon (more on "soon" below) take full advantage of 7. As you may have guessed, however, for a number of people on campus the time has not yet come.


Do I have to relearn everything?

There are three primary reasons why you might hold back. The first, and easiest to address, is the concern that a long learning process will ensue. The good news is that Mac users can use System 7.0 productively almost immediately after they've installed it. The transition from the current environment is an easy one.


Will it fit?

The second reason is more serious: Your system has insufficient memory (very common) or hard disk space (much rarer). If you don't have 4 Mbytes or more of memory, then by all means do not upgrade to System 7.0. Note, though, that the cost of memory is falling (you can often move up to 4 Mbytes for a bit over $100) so this upgrade is becoming easier. The Computing Resource Center recommends that all Macintosh computers be upgraded to 4 Mbytes (i.e., be System 7.0-ready), even if there are no plans to move to System 7.0. The extra memory allows System 6.0.x to run that much better.


Will it run?

The last reason for not upgrading immediately is the most serious: The software you need to use is not compatible with System 7.0. Unfortunately, this holds true for a great deal of critical software used on campus. Fortunately, you can identify many potential compatibility problems by using Apple's Compatibility Checker, available from the CRC (you provide a blank disk). When run on your computer, it will indicate whether the applications about which it has information are compatible, partly compatible, or incompatible with System 7.0.


The bottom line

If you are considering upgrading to System 7.0, follow these steps: First, make sure your computer hardware is System 7.0-capable (4 Mbytes or more of memory and at least 4 Mbytes free on the hard drive). Second, get a copy of the Compatibility Checker from the CRC and run it on your hard drive. If the software you require is reported as not compatible, then wait before upgrading. Although most vendors are introducing compatible versions of their products, the pace of these introductions has not been as fast as hoped. Only after you have replaced your applications with newer, compatible versions (or substituted alternative applications) should you actually upgrade your system. System 7.0 may be the future, but it can wait!

DR. JEFF SEAMAN is Associate Vice Provost for Computing and Director of the Computing Resource Center.