Editing System 7 (section)

===Miscellaneous===
System 7 had a larger memory footprint than System 6. System 6 could boot the system from a single 800k [[floppy disk]] and uses about {{nowrap|600 [[kilobyte|KB]]}} of [[Random-access memory|RAM]], whereas System 7 used well over one [[megabyte]]. It was some time before the average Mac shipped with enough RAM built-in for System 7 to be truly comfortable. System 7 was the first system release that could no longer be usefully run on floppy-only systems. Although most Macintosh models sold at the time included a hard disk as standard equipment, owners of older models were required to upgrade their hardware by buying either a new Mac or an external [[SCSI]] hard disk drive if they wished to run System 7.

The official system documentation, ''[[Inside Macintosh]]'', initially shipped in three volumes, with another added to describe the changes introduced with the [[Mac Plus]],<ref>[https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Macintosh-Volume-Apple-Computer/dp/0201054094 "Inside Macintosh, Volume 4"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305023842/http://www.amazon.com/Inside-Macintosh-Volume-Apple-Computer/dp/0201054094 |date=March 5, 2016 }}, Amazon</ref> and another for the [[Mac II]] and [[Mac SE]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Book Collection |url=http://school.anhb.uwa.edu.au/personalpages/kwessen/web/books/Books.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121124070714/http://school.anhb.uwa.edu.au/personalpages/kwessen/web/books/Books.html |archive-date=November 24, 2012 |access-date=December 19, 2012}}</ref>

System 7's virtual memory requires a Macintosh with a paged [[memory management unit]] (PMMU). The [[Motorola 68030]] CPU has one, or one can be added to a 68020-equipped [[Macintosh II]].

System 7.0 was adopted quite rapidly by Mac users and quickly became one of the base requirements for new software.

The engineering group within Apple responsible for System 7 came to be known as the "[[Blue Meanies (Apple Computer)|Blue Meanies]]", named after the blue [[index card]]s on which were written the features that could be implemented in a relatively short time as part of Apple's operating system strategy. 

The pink index card features were handled by the Pink group, later becoming the ill-fated [[Taligent]] project.<ref name="bluemeanieseastereggs">{{cite web | url=http://www.mackido.com/EasterEggs/BlueMeanies.html | title=Apple Easter Eggs | publisher=MacKiDo | date=August 26, 1998 | accessdate=March 18, 2024 | first1=David K. | last1=Every | first2=Daniel | last2=Fanton}}</ref>

System 7.0 is the last version of the Macintosh operating system that was available at no charge and could be freely redistributed.  Although System 7 could be purchased from Apple, the cost was nominal and considered to only cover duplication and media. It was common for Macintosh dealers to allow customers to use the store's demo machines to copy System 7 install disks for the cost of a box of floppies.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Re: System 7.0 - Will it be on apple.com? |url=http://macgui.com/usenet/?group=53&id=83199#msg |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130525064529/http://macgui.com/usenet/?group=53&id=83199#msg |archive-date=May 25, 2013 |access-date=April 8, 2013}}</ref> CD-ROM magazines such as ''Nautilus'' included System 7 on their disks. After Mac users downloaded thousands of copies of System 7 from online services such as [[AOL]], [[CompuServe]], and [[GEnie]], Apple surveyed the services and based on this popularity started selling the Mac OS as a retail product with System 7.1.  Apple continued charging for major operating system upgrades until the release of [[OS X Mavericks]] in 2013.