It’s 1991, and the Macintosh has just taken its biggest step forward since the 128k original. System 7 (code-named "Big Bang") is finally in our hands, and it feels like the Mac is growing up. No more "MultiFinder" as an optional add-on-cooperative multitasking is now built into the very core of the experience.
Virtual Memory and 32-Bit Addressing
For those of us constantly hitting the memory ceiling, the new Virtual Memory feature is a godsend. You can now use a portion of your hard drive as RAM. It’s slow, of course, but it means you can actually open that massive Photoshop file without the "Out of Memory" bomb appearing.
And if you’re lucky enough to have a Mac with a 32-bit clean ROM (like the IIci or the new LC/si), you can finally break the 8MB RAM barrier. It’s a strange feeling to see a Mac with 20MB of RAM, but it’s where the high-end is heading.
Publish and Subscribe
One of the most touted features is "Publish and Subscribe." It’s an evolution of the clipboard. You can "publish" a chart in Excel, and then "subscribe" to it in a Word document. If the data in Excel changes, the Word document updates automatically. It’s like a live link between files. It’s a bit finicky to set up, but when it works, it feels like magic.
The New Finder
The Finder has been completely redesigned. We finally have "Alias" files-pointers to other files-which makes organizing a large hard drive so much easier. And the "Balloon Help" is a nice touch for newcomers, though I suspect most of us veterans will have it turned off within an hour.
Future Outlook
System 7 is clearly designed for the 90s. It’s more robust, more capable, and a lot more colorful. I'm already looking at how to update our internal drawing tools to support the new "Apple Events" for inter-application communication. The Mac is no longer just a "cute" computer-it’s a serious powerhouse.