On July 10th, Apple Computer officially announced the much-awaited System 7.5. To ship by late September, System 7.5 contains over 50 major enhancements to the Macintosh operating system. To wet your appetite, MacSense presents a sneak peek at many of the new features and technologies incorporated into System 7.5.

Enhanced Finder

By now you have certainly heard about the ‘emerging technologies’ being packed into System 7.5, such as PowerTalk and QuickDraw GX. What you have heard very little about is enhancements to the Finder itself. Apple hasn’t ignored it, however. System 7.5 incorporates a slew of additions and changes to the aging Finder. Here’s what you’ll find:

Hierarchical Menus.  Apple is borrowing a little from shareware authors and incorporating
                                    hierarchical menus into the Finder.

Sticky Memos.           Find the note pad too out-of-the-way? Wish you could type reminders to
                                    yourself on screen, where they’d always be visible? With Sticky Memos,
                                    you can. This addition to the Finder allows you to create electronic Post-it 
                                    notes and plop them anywhere on your desktop. 

WindowShade.            Previously available as shareware, Apple has now incorporated 
                                     WindowShade into the operating system. WindowShade allows a user to 
                                     double-click a window’s title bar in any application and have that window
                                     collapse to just the title bar - not unlike rolling up a blind. This allows a 
                                     user to see what is behind any open window without actually having to
                                     close it.

Folder Locking.          The new improved Finder allows you to lock folders to prevent accidental 
                                     deletion or unwanted meddling.

Drag and Drop.           As MacSense has previously reported, the ability to drag and drop data from
                                     one application to the next will be a major enhancement to the operating 
                                     system. System 7.5 will ship with a drag-and-drop compatible 
                                     Scarpbook, Notepad and SimpleText. Data dragged to the Finder will show 
                                     up as a ‘scrap’ document. Third-party software vendors are expected to 
                                     implement drag and drop in upcoming software revisions.

Improved Find File.   Apple has reverted back to a desk accessory for locating files. Like the 
                                     pre-System 7.0 Find File, the new desk accessory lists all items found in 
                                     a window, in which the user can double-click the desired file’s name to 
                                     have it open.

Recent Documents.     Under the new hierarchical Apple Menu, you will be able to quickly access 
                                     recent documents, applications and even servers by selecting the 
                                     appropriate folder. 

Menu Clock.               Borrowing from shareware authors again, Apple has finally implemented a
                                     menu clock.

Script Editor.            In conjunction with AppleScript, the Script Editor is a ‘macro’ maker 
                                      which can record  your actions to help automate tasks.

AppleGuide.

One of the most intriguing new features of System 7.5 replaces one of the most useless features of System 7.0. In place of Balloon Help, users will now find the icon for the AppleGuide on the menu bar. AppleGuide is designed to increase the learning curve for new applications by offering interactive, step-by-step assistance. By highlighting menus and pointing out different screen options, AppleGuide will walk a user through the required steps to complete a basic task, offering as much or as little assistance as needed. 

AppleScript.

The immediate benefits of AppleScript will not be obvious to the average user, save for the utility of the Script Editor. As mentioned above, the Script Editor records your actions, creating macros which automate repetitive tasks. A language of its own, AppleScript’s forte will be in developing custom software solutions for high-end and business users who require inter-application communication.

Compatibility.

System 7.5 will ship with both Macintosh PC Exchange 2.0 (previously available for $75-$100 Cdn.) and Macintosh Easy Open to facilitate cross-platform compatibility. Using these system enhancements, users will be able to pop a DOS disk into any Macintosh and access DOS/Windows files. Upon double-clicking on a DOS/Windows file, Macintosh Easy Open searches for an appropriate application to view that file. (For instance, most Microsoft Macintosh applications contain built-in file translators. Recognizing this, Macintosh Easy Open would open a WordPerfect 5.1 file with Microsoft word if it were installed on the user’s hard drive).

PowerTalk. 

Debuting last year in System 7 Pro, PowerTalk will now be rolled into System 7.5. Offering the ability to let users on a network exchange electronic mail without a dedicated server, PowerTalk provides one single mailbox for all incoming and outgoing information, whether it be e-mail, faxes or even voice mail. Designed more for corporate sites than the home user, PowerTalk also includes the ability to electronically approve important documents with its DigiSign software. 

QuickDraw GX.

The long-awaited successor to QuickDraw, the Macintosh’s software which is responsible for screen redraws and non-PostScript printer output, will finally be available to users in System 7.5. QuickDraw GX surpasses its predecessor by restructuring the Macintoshes printing system and adding a variety of graphic technologies. Seen by some as a competitor for PostScript, QuickDraw GX supports both TrueType and Adobe Type Manager GX font technologies. Updated QuickDraw GX drivers will be required for non-Apple printers.

QuickDraw GX savvy applications can produce documents which can be viewed on other Macintoshes running QuickDraw GX, irrespective of whether that other Macintosh has the same fonts or application. Under the QuickDraw GX printing system, printer icons appear on the desktop. If you are connected to a number of printers, there is no need to constantly open the Chooser and choose amongst them. With QuickDraw GX, you can simple drag a QuickDraw GX document onto the desired printer’s icon and have it print, without opening the application. Double-clicking on a printer icon will show you all files currently in that printer’s cue. From here, you can change the order of the printing files, delete them or even drag them to another printer icon. In addition, you can share or restrict access to that printer.

QuickDraw GX is the only major component of System 7.5 to be compiled in native code for Power Macintoshes. As a result, users who install QuickDraw GX on their Power Macs will notice a significant speed increase.

PowerBook Specific Utilities.

System 7.5 will be packaged with a number of utilities designed specifically for PowerBooks. Already introduced with the PowerBook 500’s, the PowerBook Control Strip allows quick access to frequently used control panels. A new power management utility will optimize battery life by switching between conservation and full performance modes depending on whether or not the PowerBook is plugged in. Another bundled utility allows for quick and effortless file synchronization.

MacTCP

A welcome addition for many network users, the inclusion of MacTCP in System 7.5 provides for easy connection to other networks using the TCP/IP standard.

QuickTime.

At press time, Apple was unsure if it would bundle QuickTime 2.0 with System 7.5. Nevertheless, QuickTime 2.0 will be available at roughly the same time as 7.5 and is worthy of inclusion here.

QuickTime 2.0 offers improved Power Macintosh performance and permits full-screen playback at 15 frames per second on a 25MHz '040 Macintosh (30 fps in a 320x240 window). Besides such performances increases, QuickTime 2.0 offers 4-to-1 compression of 16-bit audio and also supports MIDI tracks. The system extension, still under a megabyte in size, also supports timecodes and MPEG hardware compression. 

Requirements.

System 7.5 can be installed in any Macintosh which utilizes a hard drive and is equipped with 4 megabytes of RAM. Technologies such as QuickTime, QuickDraw GX and PowerTalk, however, require a Macintosh with a 68020 processor or better.

For a complete installation of System 7.5, a 680x0-based Macintosh must have at least 8 megabytes of RAM and 25 megabytes of available hard disk space. Should the user not require PowerTalk or QuickDraw GX, they need only have 4 megabytes of RAM.

A PowerPC-based Macintosh must have at least 16 megabytes of RAM for a complete installation. Should the user not require PowerTalk or QuickDraw GX, they need only have 8 megabytes of RAM.

Packaging and Pricing.

Apple will ship System 7.5 in three media configurations:
•
single user-pack on high-density disks
•
single user pack on CD, with Apple and third-party utilities and applications
•
10-user pack on both CD and high-density disks., with administrator tools 

At press time, Apple had given no figure for expected pricing of System 7.5