Mac Daniel's Advice

Why System 6 for Compact Macs?

Manuel Mejia Jr - 1999.11.26

Q: What is System 6, and why is it the preferred system for compact Macs?

A: System 6 was the operating system used by all front line Macs from 1989-1991. It came out in a variety of versions from 6.0 to 6.08L. It is considered the optimal system for the compact Macs like the Mac Plus because it can run in as little as 500K of memory. System 6 can also be loaded onto an 800K floppy with enough room to hold an application program and allied files.

Back in the late 1980s, the standard Mac Plus had only 1 MB of memory, no hard disk, and a single 800k floppy. Just about all that was needed in terms of software had to be packed into that one floppy disk. As a consequence, System 6 had to be compact. While one could get a hard drive, that would drive the price of Mac up significantly ($500-1,000). The big advantage to having the hard drive is that one could store System 6, applications, and allied files without having to use floppy disks. It was also faster.

System 6 is very modular. The System and Finder are the two main items needed to operate the Mac. To increase the variety of features, such as additional fonts and Desk Accessories (DAs), one used a program called Font/DA Mover. This piece of software installed fonts like San Francisco, London, and New York, as well as DAs like Key Caps, Calculator, Scrapbook, and SuperClock. When the Mac user was finished configuring the System with the fonts and DAs, Font/DA mover could be deleted without impacting the Mac's operation.

By designing System 6 in this modular manner, Apple was able to create a functioning operating system that could run in as little as 450K of memory. The remaining 550 K of memory on a 1 MB machine could be used for programs like MacPaint, MacWrite, or PowerPoint 1.0. All of these programs could be run using 375-500k of memory. The end result - a fully functional computer running with only 1 MB of memory!

If one chose to upgrade the standard Mac Plus or SE to 2, 2.5, or even 4 MB of memory, larger programs like Microsoft Works 2.0 (728K) could run.

Later OS versions, like System 7, need much more memory to operate, about 1.2 MB minimum. System 7 needs 2 MB as a minimum for the operating system and a small program. It was also not practical to run System 7 off a floppy because of the size of the OS and limited size of the floppy disk.

For the simple Macs like the Plus, SE, or Classic, a memory upgrade was needed for System 7, as well as a hard disk. Another issue is computer speed. System 7 slowed down the Mac Plus significantly, because it always ran in "MultiFinder" mode. (System 6 normally ran as a single application operating system, but MultiFinder allowed the user to have more than one program open at a time.)

Because of all this, System 6 is still popular among classic Mac users, even though other software that was meant to replace it has come and gone. LEM

Manuel Mejia Jr is familiar with Mac IIs, LCs, and older PowerBooks. He uses his Mac LC, PowerBook 145B, and PB 100 with System 7.1 on a regular basis and recently added a Mac Plus running System 6 to his collection. He's quite familiar with both System 6 and System 7. He also owns the Pina books on repairing compact Macs from 128k through the SE. You can read more about Manuel's computers in Manuel Mejia Jr's Four Old Macs.

Join us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.

Not sure if you should upgrade your old Mac or replace it? Check the Mac Daniel index to see if we've already addressed your problem.

Recent Mac Daniel columns

Links for the Day

Recent Content on Low End Mac

Recent Deals

About LEM Support Usage Privacy Contact

Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2012 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc. unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iPad iPhone, iMac, iPod, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.
  Advice is presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
  LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
  Email may be published at our discretion unless marked "not for publication"; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
  PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.

Custom Search

Share

Follow Low End Mac on Twitter
Join Low End Mac on Facebook

Low End Mac Reader Specials

Quantcast

TypeStyler 11 is now in the Mac App Store!! -- Special Introductory Price of $59.95!! -- To Buy From The Mac App Store Click Here Now!! Or buy direct from Strider Software.

Quantcast

Quantcast

Quantcast

Poker Mac Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker and Mac Casino applications in minutes.

Quantcast

Quantcast

Quantcast

Quantcast

Favorite Sites

MacSurfer
Cult of Mac
Shrine of Apple
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac Museum
DealMac
Deal Brothers
Mac2Sell
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System 6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End Mac FAQ

Affiliates

Amazon.com
The Apple Store
The iTunes Store
PC Connection Express
GainSaver
Parallels Desktop for Mac
eBay

Low End Mac's Amazon.com store

Advertise

All of our advertising is handled by BackBeat Media. For price quotes and advertising information, please contact at BackBeat Media (646-546-5194). This number is for advertising only.

Open Link