Early System Disks

[Eric Rasmussen]

I would be most curious is any one has the original System Disk from 
the Macintosh 512K release in September 1984.  I have the original 
690-5003A disk, which is 1.0/1.0, and I recently acquired the 690-5003E 
disk, which is the April 1985 release with 2.0/4.1.  So what about 
690-5003B-D?  I have some evidence that 690-5003B was created when 
Apple changed the packaging so that Write and Paint were bundled inside 
the welcome kit.  The original welcome kit didn't have Write/Paint, 
which came in its own box.  I'm not sure what System would be on B 
(probably 1.1/1.1g), but I'm pretty sure that the change happened 
before the release of the 512K in September 1984.  So maybe C or D came 
with the first 512Ks (those in the pipeline before April 1985)?  I 
don't know.

One problem with these disks is that sometimes they have been updated, 
usually with the April 1985 2.0/4.1 updater, which was widely 
distributed in the Summer of 1985.

Below is my current revision of the various Mac Software (the proper 
name for it) version lists floating around on the web, including the 
Apple article cited at the end.  Comments welcome--and see my notes at 
the bottom.  Mostly I just removed the seemingly apocryphal 2.0/1.1g 
release (pending evidence to the contrary) and added the 2.1/5.0 
release which is on the original HD20 Startup disk.

Since I'm "persona non grata" with vintagemicros I can't ask him what 
the part number is on the System Disk in the welcome kit he has for 
sale ...  Could someone else ask?  eBay item #4121063996

You can use ResEdit to learn the version # of old System files--it is 
located in the STR resource (ID 0).

Regards, Eric

Apple Macintosh before System 7

Hardware releases:

01/84 - Macintosh 128K
09/84 - Macintosh 512K
01/86 - Macintosh Plus
04/86 - Macintosh 512Ke
03/87 - Macintosh SE
01/89 - Macintosh SE/30
08/89 - Macintosh SE FDHD
10/90 - Macintosh Classic
Software releases:
Date                                                   System  Finder  
MultiFinder  LaserWriter
-----   -----------------------                      -------   -------  
-----------   -------
01/84   Mac Software                        1.0       1.0       N/A     
       N/A
05/84   Mac Software                        1.1       1.1g     N/A      
      N/A
04/85   Mac Software                        2.0       4.1       N/A     
       N/A
09/85   Mac Software                        2.1       5.0       N/A     
       N/A
01/86   Mac Software                        3.0       5.1       N/A     
       N/A
02/86   Mac Software                        3.1       5.2       N/A     
       1.1
06/86   Mac Software                        3.2       5.3       N/A     
       3.1
01/87   Mac Software                        3.3       5.4       N/A     
       3.1
03/87   Mac Software                        4.0       5.4       N/A     
       3.3
04/87   Mac Software                        4.1       5.5       N/A     
       4.0
10/87   System Software 5.0            4.2       6.0       1.0          
  5.0
11/87   System Software 5.1            4.3       6.0       1.0          
  5.1
06/88   System Software 6.0            6.0       6.1       6.0          
  5.2
06/88   System Software 6.0.1         6.0.1     6.1.1     6.0.1         
 5.2
08/88   System Software 6.0.2         6.0.2     6.1       6.0.1         
 5.2
12/88   System Software 6.0.3         6.0.3     6.1       6.0.3         
 5.2
09/89   System Software 6.0.4         6.0.4     6.1.4     6.0.4         
 5.2
03/90   System Software 6.0.5         6.0.5     6.1.5     6.0.5         
 5.2
*        System Software 6.0.6              6.0.6     6.1.6     6.0.6   
       5.2
10/90   System Software 6.0.7         6.0.7     6.1.7     6.0.7         
 5.2
04/91   System Software 6.0.8         6.0.8     6.1.8     6.0.8         
 7.0

* Never released

Adapted from http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=15582

Note that this article is not accurate regarding the dates and timing 
of early Mac Software releases. As far as I can tell, System 2.0 was 
released in April 1985 along with Finder 4.1. In addition, I have 
abandoned the senseless "System Software" numbers that this article 
adopts for the early Mac Software releases. The first Macintosh System 
Software release was 5.0, which coincided with the advent of the 
MultiFinder. There's no need to try to rewrite history!

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