Path: network.ucsd.edu!ihnp4.ucsd.edu!usc!cs.utexas.edu!not-for-mail From: alanc@OCF.Berkeley.EDU (Alan Coopersmith) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.announce Subject: Apple annnouces System 7.5 to ship this summer Followup-To: comp.sys.mac.misc Date: 11 Jul 1994 16:04:53 -0500 Organization: U.C. Bezerkeley Overloaded Computing Facility Lines: 146 Sender: nobody@cs.utexas.edu Approved: werner@rascal.ics.utexas.edu (Comp.sys.mac.announce Moderator) Message-ID: <2vs4ht$hbk@agate.berkeley.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: news.cs.utexas.edu [The following is a slimmed-down copy of a recent Apple press release. The full text has been posted to comp.sys.mac.system and is available at gopher://info.hed.apple.com:70/00/Apple%20Press%20Releases/11July94-System.7.5.Intro.txt Please note that I don't work for or speak for apple and I can't answer any questions you have about System 7.5. Oh, and people who may be reading this on the south half of the planet may want to substitute "winter" for "summer" below. -alan-] The following release moved over PR Newswire on Monday, July 11, 1994 at 8:01AM, EST. CUPERTINO, California--July 11, 1994 Apple Computer, Inc. today lifted the veil on the next release of the operating system for the company's flagship Macintosh personal computers. Called Macintosh System 7.5, the new release is based on customer feedback, and incorporates an array of new capabilities designed to enhance the productivity of people using a Macintosh. Macintosh System 7.5 includes technologies that can automate or guide people through many of the more complex tasks associated with using a computer. It simplifies the exchange of information between Macintosh and MS-DOS or Windows computers. And, Macintosh System 7.5 integrates a number of time-saving features previously available at additional cost. Apple expects to ship Macintosh System 7.5 to the market in the late summer, and plans to preview the operating system publicly at the Macworld Exposition on August 2-5 in Boston, Massachusetts. Macintosh System 7.5 brings significant improvement to the Macintosh operating system in what Apple believes are five key areas for computer usage in the future: Active Assistance, Personal Productivity, Compatibility, Collaboration, and Advanced Printing and Graphics. As such, Macintosh System 7.5 incorporates a wide collection of new features and technologies (over 50 in all), in an effort to make the experience of using the Macintosh computer more productive and enjoyable. Active Assistance Macintosh System 7.5 integrates technologies that make computing easier for people by simplifying difficult or routine computing tasks. For example, Apple Guide is a built-in, interactive guide that leaps beyond traditional help systems by guiding the user, one step at a time, from query through the completion of a task. It provides on- screen visual cues to highlight items so that the user can proceed through to the next step. Apple Guide can be customized to lead users through tasks that are unique to their company or organization. A new Scriptable Finder, based on the AppleScript technology, lets users easily automate system tasks with scripts. For example, people can use one of the many scripts included in Macintosh System 7.5 to set up a File Sharing "drop" folder that automatically enables File Sharing, specifies privileges and creates a folder that can be shared with others on a network. Personal Productivity Macintosh Drag and Drop makes it even simpler and faster for users to implement basic computing tasks by moving objects around the Macintosh screen to get things done. For example, when a user drags text or graphics to the desktop, a clippings file is automatically created. Another feature, Hierarchical Menus, enables faster and easier access to items that are kept in folders under the Apple menu by displaying sub menus of recent documents and applications that have been used. In addition, an improved Find File capability presents a list of all found files and the path to an individual file, as well as allows the user to drag-and-drop the file to a new location, or even open the file. Compatibility Macintosh PC Exchange and Macintosh Easy Open, for example, are a set of utilities that allow MS-DOS, Windows and OS/2 data files to be opened and edited with compatible Macintosh applications. MacTCP offers built-in TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol)--a major and pervasive communications protocol for UNIX networking--at the software level. TCP/IP is also the standard protocol for the Internet communications network. Collaboration Today, the Macintosh is the most networked brand of personal computer, due in part to Apple's pioneering efforts to develop and build in collaborative tools and technologies. With Macintosh System 7.5, collaborative technology becomes part of the standard Macintosh operating system. For example, PowerTalk --Apple's first collaboration solution for individuals--allows users to send electronic mail, share files and digitally "sign" and forward documents from within an application. PowerTalk includes the universal desktop mailbox--a single mail box for all incoming and outgoing mail--including on-line services, fax, voice, electronic mail from various sources, and documents from any application. Advanced Graphics and Simplified Printing QuickDraw GX offers easier printing, color management, typography and document portability. For example, to print a document in QuickDraw GX, a user can simply drag the file to the desktop printer icon. The print queue status can easily be viewed and rearranged by double clicking on the printer icon. As well, the user can easily drag the document to a different printer icon. A new type of document file-format in QuickDraw GX also allows users to create a file that can be opened, viewed and printed from any other Macintosh with QuickDraw GX installed, without having the original fonts or application installed. Advanced features of QuickDraw GX that will appeal to the publishing community include sophisticated typography, international support for languages such as Kanji or Arabic and enhanced color matching. Support for Macintosh System 7.5 Current third-party developer support for Macintosh System 7.5 is strong and growing. Among the vendors that will be supporting the new operating system are WordPerfect Corporation, Microsoft, Aldus, Adobe and many more. System Requirements Macintosh System 7.5 will run on Macintosh computers with appropriate Random Access Memory (RAM) and at least a 68020 processor. This includes all currently shipping desktop Macintosh models, PowerBook notebook computers, and all of Apple's recently introduced Power Macintosh systems. The new release will be compatible with virtually all Macintosh applications software currently available. On a 680x0-based Macintosh computer, Macintosh System 7.5 requires a minimum of four megabytes of RAM to run the core elements with most applications and a minimum of eight megabytes of RAM to use PowerTalk and QuickDraw GX. When installed on Power Macintosh systems, Macintosh System 7.5 requires a minimum of eight megabytes of RAM for the core elements and 16 megabytes to use PowerTalk and QuickDraw GX. Apple plans to make Macintosh System 7.5 available in CD-ROM and floppy disk formats. The CD-ROM package is expected to include an "Extras" folder containing third-party applications such as "mail gateways" for PowerTalk communications, printing extensions that allow customizing print output, and other utilities.