I'll be right up front with my bias: I like System 7.5.5 and prefer
to run it on Macs that don't support Mac OS 8.1 or later. That said,
there are equally valid arguments for System 6.0.x and earlier versions
of System 7.
System 7
I lean toward System 7 (7.5.5 in particular) primarily because it's
familiar. I haven't done much with System 6.0.x since Apple released
System 7.0. I like the way System 7 lets me change icons, supports
submenus, better organizes items in the System Folder, simplifies
adding and removing fonts, always lets you run as many programs as
memory allows, supports aliases, and lets you share files on your hard
drive over a network, although that feature does slow down these old
8 MHz computers.
In the final analysis, choosing System 7 is picking features and
convenience over speed. An 8 MHz processor can actually feel fairly
snappy under System 6, but will feel sluggish with
System 7.
That said, System 7 requires a Mac with at least 2 MB of RAM
and really wants to run from a hard drive. If you don't have a hard
drive or have less than 2 MB of RAM, you'll want to upgrade your
hardware or stick with System 6.
System 6
System 6 is sleek and fast. The whole operating system can run from
a single floppy disk in about 300-400 KB of RAM, leaving plenty of room
for most applications that run under System 6. Because it is so small,
it also boots much more quickly than System 7.
Like System 7, it allows you to have more than one program active at
a time. Unlike System 7, you can turn MultiFinder off under
System 6.
Why Not Use Both?
Fortunately, you don't have to pick one or the other. There are
several ways you can switch between System 6 and System 7.
- Create a system floppy for your Mac for each OS. Switch operating
systems by booting from the other boot disk.
- Create a system floppy for the OS you seldom use. To boot that
system, just insert the system disk at startup; your Mac will
automatically boot from the floppy instead of the hard drive.
- Use two hard drives, one for each OS - they're certainly cheap
enough these days. Use the Startup Disk control panel to choose which
system you'll boot from. (Exception: The Mac Plus loads the first
system it finds in this order SCSI ID 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0.)
- Partition your hard drive and install each OS on a separate
partition. Again, use the Startup Disk control panel to choose which
partition to boot from. (Exception: The Mac Plus loads the first system
on the partition that comes first alphabetically. In that case, make
sure the partition you want to boot from come earlier in alphabetical
order.)
- Use System Picker.
System Picker
System picker is a freeware utility that lets you pick which one of
two or more System Folders on your hard drive will be active at the
next startup. Kevin Aitken's little utility does this by "blessing" the
system you select. (Blessing is Apple's name for selecting one System
Folder as the active one.)
You can download System Picker from Low End Mac's Dropbox account.
The trick you must master before using System Picker is installing
two or more copies of the Mac OS on your hard drive. The first and most
important thing to realize is that your System Folder doesn't have to
be named "System Folder" - you could call one "System 6" and the other
"System 7."
The second important thing to realize is that the Mac prefers to
update an existing System Folder, so it will overwrite your other
System if you're not careful. One way to work around this is to
instruct the installer to perform a clean install, which renames the
old folder Previous System Folder. This option is not readily
accessible on older versions of the System, but if I recall correctly,
you can access this option by holding down the option key while
launching the installer.
Other ways to protect your old OS from the new installer are (1) to
copy it to another drive or even a floppy disk, (2) rename the System
Folder and compress it using StuffIt, and (3) rename the old System
Folder and disable it by moving the System or Finder out of the old
System Folder.
I have used System Picker successfully to choose among System 6.0.8,
7.5.5, and 7.0.x or 7.1 on my Mac II a few years back. Although it
having multiple systems on a single hard drive is not recommended by
Apple and can sometimes confuse the computer, I have never had any
problems when using System Picker.
That's the quick system overview.
Other Links
