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In all cases, successive versions of Mac OS and Mac OSX have incorporated 'under the hood' changes such as improvedperformance and stability, bug fixes, and in later releases, increasedPowerPC nativity. In addition, the major releases included moreobvious changes as described below:
Mac OS 7 | Mac OS 8 | Mac OS 9 | Mac OS X |
---|---|---|---|
Mac OS 7.0.x | Mac OS 8.0 | Mac OS 9.0.x | Mac OS X 10.0.x 'Cheetah' |
Mac OS 7.1.x | Mac OS 8.1 | Mac OS 9.1 | Mac OS X 10.1.x 'Puma' |
Mac OS 7.5.x | Mac OS 8.5.x | Mac OS 9.2.x | Mac OS X 10.2.x 'Jaguar' |
Mac OS 7.6.x | Mac OS 8.6.x | Mac OS X 10.3.x 'Panther' | |
Mac OS X 10.4.x 'Tiger' |
The maximum version of Mac OS X, OS X, or macOS supported by each G3 and later Mac follows. For complete specs on a particular system, click the name of the Mac. For all Macs that are compatible with a specifc maximum supported version of Mac OS X - courtesy of EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Sort - click the OS of interest.
Find answers with millions of other Mac OS X v10.3 and earlier users in our vibrant community. Search discussions or ask a question about Mac OS X v10.3 and earlier. Aqua is the name given to what most users think of when they think of Mac OS X: the user interface, the Finder, the Dock, the windows, the translucent buttons, the high-resolution icons, the menus, and all the rest. Many users may never explore Mac OS X beyond its Aqua layer. Excel for Mac now supports Power Query refresh for many data sources, as well as query creation through VBA. Authoring in the Power Query Editor is not supported yet. Refresh Power Query queries. You can refresh queries from the following data sources: Local.TXT,.CSV,.XLSX,.XML or.JSON files. Tables and ranges in the current workbook.
Mac OS 7.0.x (several releases) (1991)
- 32-bit addressing for access to more than 8 megabytesof RAM
- Support for virtual memory on those computers that canuse it
- Apple Events, a language used by applications to communicate witheach other
- The MultiFinder, renamed the Finder, improved andsimplified
- A Find utility incorporated into the Finder for locating files
- Ability to create aliases of items
- Ability to use File Sharing to share information between computerson a network
- Introduction of Balloon Help
- Introduction of Drag and Drop
Mac OS 7.1.x (several releases) (1992-1994)
- Introduction of WorldScript for improved multilingual support
- Fonts stored in their own
Fonts
folder rather thanwithin the System Folder - Introduction of Thread Manager for improved multitasking
Mac OS 7.5.x (several releases) (1994-1996)
- 32-bit addressing always turned on
- Some user interface improvements such as a menu bar clock,WindowShade, hierarchical Apple menus, and Finder windows that becomeaccented when a file is dragged over them
- The AppleScript scripting language for automating tasks
- Improved Find File capability
- Apple Guide for improved help
- PC Exchange, which greatly simplifies working with DOSformatted disks
- Macintosh Easy Open to help open files for which the originalapplication is not available
- Introduction of Open Transport (7.5.2)
- Comments in Info windows not removed when the desktopis rebuilt (7.5.3)
Mac OS 7.6.x (two releases) (Spring 1997)
- Requires a 32-bit clean 68030 processor or better
- Support for MacTCP removed
- Many references to 'Macintosh' changed to 'Mac OS' in response tothe availability of Macintosh compatible clones
Mac OS 8.0 (Fall 1997)
- Requires a 68040 or PowerPC processor
- Numerous user interface improvements, including a revampedappearance, pop-up menus, custom folder views, desktop pictures,spring-loaded folders, contextual menus, sticky menus, andreorganized Finder menus; many of the control panels are reorganized,simplified, or incorporated into the Finder or System Folder
- Finder now multithreaded, allowing it to perform more than onetask at once (e.g., emptying the trash while moving a file)
- Internet setup assistant for simplifying the task ofsetting up an Internet connection
Mac OS 8.1 (Spring 1998)
- Includes support for the Macintosh Extended File Format(HFS+), which increases the minimum and maximum file sizes
- Support for DVD-ROM drives
- Support for Windows 95 long filenames
Mac OS 8.5.x (two releases) (Fall 1998)
- Requires a PowerPC processor
- Introduces Sherlock, a powerful volume and Internetsearching utility that replaces Find File
- AppleScript rewritten to be PowerPC native, greatly improvingperformance
- Ability to anti-alias all text on the screen
- Built-in application switcher and 'tear off' Application menu
- HTML-based help system
- Interface enhancements such as smart scrolling, resizable Findercolumns, 32-bit icons, icon tags, themes, and URL 'aliases'
Mac OS 8.6 (Spring 1999)
- Built-in nanokernel that improves performance and reduces CPUpower usage
- Newer computers (e.g., iMac, 'blue and white' PowerMacintosh G3/G4, 'bronze' PowerBook G3, iBook) have thecapability to boot off the network if an appropriate server ispresent.
- Game Sprockets included with the operating system (formerly aseparate install)
- Improvements to Sherlock, LaserWriter 8, DVD-RAM,FireWire, Speech Recognition, and other components
Mac OS 9.0.x (two releases) (Fall 1999)
- Support for multiple users, storing individual preferences foreach and with several levels of access
- Improved security with the Keychain (stores passwords),voiceprint authentication, and encrypted file transfers
- File sharing via TCP/IP with another Mac OS computerwithout the need for AppleShare IP
- Sherlock, dubbed Sherlock 2, updated for performance andcapability
- Ability to automatically download software updates from theInternet and install them
- Support for Carbon and Carbonized applications
Mac OS 9.1 (Spring 2001)
- Several changes for improved compatibility with Mac OSX, including a slightly reorganized folder structure, OS X-aware
Startup Disk
control panel - USB printer sharing over TCP/IP
- Apple File Security increased to 128-bit encryption
- Finder shortcuts to empty the trash, add to favorites, and showfolder view options
Mac OS 9.2.x (three releases) (Fall 2001)
- Improved performance in the Classic environment of MacOS X
Mac OS X 10.0.x 'Cheetah' (four releases and numerous updates)(Spring 2001)
- Completely new operating system based on technologies acquiredfrom NeXT, Inc.; features include protected memory, preemptivemultitasking, multithreading, and symmetric multiprocessing
- Aqua, a new graphical user interface
- Darwin, the operating system's Unixfoundation; built on the Machmicrokernel
- Quartz, the PDF-based engine for renderingtwo-dimensional entities such as icons and windows
- Carbon, Cocoa, and Java, the three types of nativegraphical applications for Mac OS X
Mac OS X 10.1.x 'Puma' (five releases and numerous updates) (Fall2001)
- Improved performance, stability, and functionality
- Reintroduced missing OS 9 features: DVD playback, CDburning, AppleShare over AppleTalk, keyboard shortcuts fordisplay brightness and sound volume
- The ability to connect to WebDAV and Windows file servers
Mac OS X 10.2.x 'Jaguar' (eight releases and numerous updates)(Summer 2002)
- Improved performance, stability, and functionality
- Quartz Extreme, which uses your video card to improve performanceof window moves, resizes, and the like; Quartz Extreme is notsupported on older computers.
- Reintroduced missing OS 9 features: universal access,spring-loaded folders, USB printer sharing, AirPort andAirport Extreme software base station
- Built-in support for connecting to VPN servers via PPTP
- Rendezvous, for accessing resources via TCP/IP withoutconfiguration
- Inkwell, handwriting recognition using a graphics tablet
- Sherlock enhanced and refocused as an online tool
- Find utility integrated into the Finder
Mac OS X 10.3.x 'Panther' (five releases and numerous updates)(Fall 2003)
Queries And Reports In Access
- Improved performance, stability, and functionality
- Reintroduced missing OS 9 feature: labels
- Exposé, to easily navigate through a cluttered desktop bydisplaying open windows as selectable thumbnails
- Fast user switching, which allows for multiple accounts to belogged in at the same time
- FileVault, which encrypts the entire contents of home folders
- Built-in support for connecting to VPN servers viaIPsec
- Font Book, for improved font management
- Improved support and integration for sending and receiving faxes
Mac OS X 10.4.x 'Tiger' (Spring 2005)
Running Queries And Reports Tutorials
- Unix-based architecture, for increased stability and security
- Spotlight, to instantly locate anything (e.g., images, emailmessages, applications) on your computer
- Dashboard, a readily accessible collection of mini-programs called'Widgets' that provide information about weather, stocks, and more
- Safari RSS, a new version of the popular webbrowser that includes a built-in RSS reader
- iChat AV, with the added ability to hold multi-party audio andvideo conferences
- Automator, to automate repetitive computing tasks withoutprogramming knowledge
- Mail, with integrated Spotlight searching and Smart Folders tohelp you manage your email