Mac OS 7 was a major change from the earlier System Software, introducing integrated multitasking, a revamped desktop, networking, and transitioning the name from "Macintosh System Software" To "MacOS'. It was followed by MacOS 8.x.
Running Mac OS 7.x requires a Motorola 68000 based Macintosh, a supported model of Power PC based Macintosh (7.1 or later) or one of the following emulators:
Mini vMac - Runs MacOS 1.1-7.5.5, emulates a black and white Motorola 68K based Mac Plus
Basilisk II - Runs MacOS 7.x-8.1, emulates later color Motorola 68k based Macs.
SheepShaver - Runs MacOS 7.5.2-9.0.4, emulates a Power PC based Macintosh.
Other Mac OS Versions:
| 1.x-6.x | 7.x | 8.x | 9.x | MacOS X | All |
Mac System 7 adds better color support, a help system, cleaned up System Folder, support for the new 68040 Quadras, and rewriting many components from Pascal and Assembler to C. It is, however, a heavier release, lacking support for the 128k and 512k, and leaving some compacts struggling. System 6 may be a more fitting choice for some vintage systems.