The Reliquary Mac OS
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Classic Mac OS (System Software) refers to the series of operating systems developed for the Macintosh family of personal computers by Apple Inc. From 1984 to 2001, starting with System 1 and ending with Mac OS 9. The Macintosh operating system is credited with having popularized the graphical user interface concept. Today is the 20th anniversary of the launch of Mac OS X, and Macworld has an interesting piece on the history leading up to it. Jason Snell goes so far as to say that the new operating system for.
Old World ROM computers are the Macintosh (Mac) models that use a Macintosh Toolboxread-only memory (ROM) chip, usually in a socket (but soldered to the motherboard in some models). All Macs prior to the iMac, the iBook, the Blue and White Power Mac G3 and the Bronze Keyboard (Lombard) PowerBook G3 use Old World ROM, while said models, as well as all subsequent models until the introduction of the Intel-based EFI Models, are New World ROM machines. In particular, the Beige Power Mac G3 and all other beige and platinum-colored Power Macs are Old World ROM machines. In common use, the 'Old World' designation usually applies to the early generations of PCI-based 'beige' Power Macs (and sometimes the first NuBus-equipped models), but not the older Motorola 68000-based Macs; however, the Toolbox runs the same way on all three types of machines.
Details[edit]
PCI Power Macs with an Old World ROM contain an Open Firmware implementation, and a copy of the Macintosh Toolbox as an Open Firmware device. These machines are set to boot from this device by default, thus starting the normal Macintosh startup procedure. This can be changed, just as on New World ROM Macs, but with limitations placed on what devices and formats can be used; on these machines, particularly the early machines like the Power Macintosh 9500, the Open Firmware implementation was just enough to enumerate PCI devices and load the Toolbox ROM, and these Open Firmware revisions have several bugs which must be worked around by boot loaders or nvramrc patches. The Open Firmware environment can be entered by holding the key combination ⌘ Cmd+⌥ Option+O+F while booting.
All Power Macs emulate a 68LC040 CPU inside a nanokernel; this emulator is then used to boot the predominantly 68k-based Toolbox, and is also used to support applications written for the 68k processor. Once Toolbox is running, PPC machines can boot into Mac OS directly.
On all Old World ROM machines, once Toolbox is loaded, the boot procedure is the same. Toolbox executes a memory test, enumerates Mac OS devices it knows about (this varies from model to model), and either starts the on-board video (if present) or the option ROM on a NuBus or PCI video card. Toolbox then checks for a disk in the floppy drive, and scans all SCSI buses for a disk with a valid System Folder, giving preference to whatever disk is set as the startup disk in the parameter RAM.
If a bootable disk is found, the Happy Mac logo is displayed, and control is handed over to the Mac OS. If no disk to boot from is present, an icon depicting a floppy disk with a blinking question mark in the middle will be displayed. If a hardware problem occurs during the early part of the boot process, the machine will display the Sad Mac icon with a hexadecimal error code and freeze; on Macs made after 1987, this will be accompanied by the Chimes of Death sound.
Since the Old World ROM usually boots to Toolbox, most OSs have to be installed using a boot loader from inside Mac OS (BootX is commonly used for Linux installations). 68K-based Macs and NuBus Power Macs must have Mac OS installed to load another OS (even A/UX, which was an Apple product), usually with virtual memory turned off. PCI Power Macs can be configured to boot into Open Firmware, allowing the firmware to load a boot loader directly, or they can use a specially-prepared floppy disk to trick the Toolbox into loading a kernel (this is used for Linux installation floppy images).
The simplest way to identify an Old World ROM Mac is that it will not have a factory built-in USB port. Only New World ROM Macs featured a USB port as factory equipment.
See also[edit]
- BootX (Linux), the standard LinuxPPC boot loader for Old World machines
- Quik (boot loader), a replacement boot loader for Old World PCI systems
See Full List On Support.apple.com
External links[edit]
- Macintosh: ROM Size for Various Models at the Wayback Machine (archived June 21, 2002)
Since the release of System 1 in January 1984, Apple has played an integral role in designing and implementing the graphical user interface (GUI) as we know it.
With the announcement of OS X Mountain Lion this week, Apple is continuing the process it started with Lion by streamlining the connection between the Mac and iOS.
We wanted to take a look at some of the biggest changes in the history of the Mac Operating System over the last 28 years. Looking back, I can't help but be struck by how many elements of the original Macintosh OS are still there more than 30 years after the project started taking shape.
It's a testament to the work of Bill Atkinson, Andy Hertzfeld, Bud Tribble and the other members of the original Macintosh team that so many aspects from System 1 have become integral to personal computing as we know it today.
There are a few phases in the evolution of the Mac OS that are of particular note. System 7 was the longest-running release for Apple (until OS X); it shipped with all Macintosh machines from 1991 to 1997. If you're in your mid-to-late 20s and used a Mac in elementary or middle school, chances are it was running some iteration of System 7.
One of the many challenges Apple faced in the 1990s was figuring out a new operating system strategy. As revolutionary as the original Mac OS work was, by 1994 it was starting to look stagnant and stale. This was especially true after the first release of Windows NT in 1993, which cemented Microsoft's place in the corporate and enterprise space.
After the Copland project was cancelled in 1996, Apple was left to search for an operating system it could acquire. That led to the purchase of NeXT and its NeXTSTEP operating system.
Not only would NeXT technology serve as the foundation for the future of Apple as it is known today (OS X and iOS are direct descendants of NeXTSTEP), it was responsible for bringing Steve Jobs back to Apple.
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It would end up taking ten years from the beginning of the search for a next-generation Mac OS. But the hunt finally reached its quarry with the release of Mac OS X in 2001. But it would take until Mac OS X 10.2 (Jaguar) before the system was really able to hold its own.
Macintosh Operating Systems - Wikipedia
Over the last decade, OS X has evolved into a powerful desktop and server platform — while also serving as the core for iOS. With OS X Mountain Lion, Apple is bringing more of the elements and features of its mobile OS to the desktop.
Vintage computer fans who want to take a look at more screenshots of classic Mac OS versions should check out Marcin Wichary's GUIdebook Gallery and Nathan Lineback's collection of GUI history.
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Gallery created by Chelsea Stark