System Software 5
System Software 5 (also referred to as "System 5") added MultiFinder, an extension which let the system run several programs at once. The system used a co-operative multitasking model, meaning that time was given to the background applications only when the running application yielded control. A change in system functions that applications were already calling to handle events made many existing applications share time automatically. Users could also choose not to use MultiFinder, thereby sticking with using a single application at a time as in previous releases of the system software.
System Software 5 was the first Macintosh operating system to be given a unified "Macintosh System Software" version number, as opposed to the numbers used for the System and Finder files. It was available for a very short time and only in some countries, including the United States, Canada and some European countries.
| System software release |
System version |
Release date |
Software version | Release information | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finder | MultiFinder | LaserWriter | ||||
| 5.0 | 4.2 | October 1987 | 6.0 | 1.0 | 5.0 | Initial Release |
| 5.1 | 4.3 | circa 1988 | 6.0 | 1.0 | 5.1 | Updated LaserWriter Driver and new version of Apple HD SC Setup |
Read more about this topic: History Of Mac OS
Famous quotes containing the word system:
“Some rough political choices lie ahead. Should affirmative action be retained? Should preference be given to people on the basis of income rather than race? Should the system be—and can it be—scrapped altogether?”
—David K. Shipler (b. 1942)