PENN PRINTOUT
The University of Pennsylvania's Online Computing Magazine

Mac OS 7.6 February 1997 - Volume 13:6

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New and improved: Mac OS 7.6
By John J. Mulhern III


Mac OS 7.6 the latest version of Apple's flagship operating system, is the first in a planned set of bi-yearly system software releases. Apple is charging for the upgrade to Mac OS 7.6 in three ways:

  1. The full version, at about $84, should be available from the Computer Connection in mid-to-late February.

  2. Current System 7.5, 7.5.1, 7.5.2, 7.5.3, or 7.5.5 customers can upgrade to the new CD version for $69 (or the floppy-disk version for $99) by calling 800-742-1926 (extension 1411) and providing proof of ownership.

  3. Customers who purchased a Macintosh or Mac OS-compatible computer after December 7, 1996 can upgrade for a special price. For more information, visit Apple's Mac OS Up-To-Date page.


Should you upgrade?

ISC recommends that all users adopt a "wait and see" attitude with Mac OS 7.6 to make sure that any possible bugs are shaken out. Further, ISC recommends strongly that Mac OS 7.6 only be installed on Macintosh and Mac OS-compatible computers that meet these minimum requirements:

  • a 25 MHz 68040 Macintosh with 12 megabytes of RAM, or
  • a Power PC with 24 Megabytes of RAM

You'll also need plenty of hard-disk space. The full install of Mac OS 7.6 will use between 75 and 100 megabytes of hard-disk space, depending on the type of Macintosh you use.


Known conflicts

So far, there are two significant problems with Mac OS 7.6 that will be especially relevant to Penn's Macintosh users. The first problem is a conflict between all versions of Connectix' Speed Doubler and Mac OS 7.6. Connectix has released updaters to both Speed Doubler 1.0 and Speed Doubler 2.0; these files are available from Connectix and the Computing Resource Center (3732 Locust Walk).

The second problem is a conflict between Norton Disk Doctor 3.2.x (part of Norton Utilities 3.2.x) and Mac OS 7.6. Symantec has released an update called NDD3.2.x--> 3.2.4. The update is available from Symantec and the Computing Resource Center (3732 Locust Walk).


Some highlights

These major changes and enhancements are evident in Mac OS 7.6.
  • A new installer that walks the user through the installation process in four parts:

    1. reading the documentation
    2. updating the hard disk driver
    3. checking the hard disk for problems
    4. the actual installation

  • A revised Extensions Manager with a Finder-like view, multiple sorting methods, and short descriptions of each extension and control panel.

  • New and improved control panels such as Mac OS Easy Open 1.1.3 and Memory 7.5.7. The Memory control panel no longer allows users to turn either 32-bit Addressing or the Modern Memory Manager off. (Note: Mac OS 7.6 includes many control panels that Apple updated and made available in other forms since the release of System 7.5.3).

  • New and improved extensions such as Apple CD-ROM 5.3.1, AppleShare 3.6.5, Dual Processor HAL Installer, Energy Saver 2.0.3, LaserWriter 8.4.2, and Multiprocessing API Library 1.0. (Note: Mac OS 7.6 includes many extensions that Apple updated and made available in other forms since the release of System 7.5.3).

  • Support for "classic networking" (MacTCP), an option previously available for some Macintoshes with System 7.5.3 and System 7.5.5, has been removed. Open Transport 1.1.1 and above is supported.

  • An updated informational and diagnostic application, System Profiler 1.1.2.

Also note that Apple is no longer using the word "System" to describe new versions of the Mac OS. In addition, "About This Macintosh..." will now say "About This Computer..."

JOHN J. MULHERN III is a Consultant for ISC's Client Services Group.