In January of 1984, Apple released the Macintosh System Software, an operating system designed and developed alongside the Macintosh computers. This marked the beginning of a new era in computing, as Apple sought to create a computer with appliance-like simplicity.
The first version of the system software, which had no official name, was partially based on the Lisa OS, which Apple had previously released for the Lisa computer in 1983. As part of an agreement allowing Xerox to buy shares in Apple at a favorable price, the Macintosh System Software also incorporated concepts from the Xerox PARC Alto computer, which former Apple CEO Steve Jobs and other Lisa team members had previewed.
The operating system consisted of the Macintosh Toolbox ROM and the “System Folder”, a set of files that were loaded from the disk. The name Macintosh System Software came into use in 1987 with System Software 5.0.
Unlike traditional operating systems, there is no explicit distinction made between the operating system software and the hardware it runs on in Macintosh System Software. Early versions of the operating system do not have a distinct name. The software consists of two user-visible files: the System file, and the Finder, an application used for file management that also displays the Desktop.
| Released | January 24, 1984 |
| System Requirements | Motorola 68000 processor or later 128 KB of RAM |
| Distribution | 400 KB floppy disk |
| Versions | System 1.0 Finder 1.0 |
The two files are contained in a folder directory labeled “System Folder”, which contains other resource files, like a printer driver, needed to interact with the System. Version numbers of the operating system are based on the version numbers of these two files.
As the Macintosh System Software turns 40 years old, it’s clear that Apple’s goal of creating a computer with appliance-like simplicity has been achieved.
Macintosh System Software on Video
Further Reading and References
- Mac operating systems – Wikipedia
- The Early Mac OS – The Apple Museum
- System Software (0-6) System 6.x – WinWorld
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Last updated: March 8, 2023
