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From: potts@itl.itd.umich.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.system
Subject: Shrink-wrapped system 7.0 personal upgrade preview
Keywords: system 7.0, shrink-wrapped
Message-ID: <1991May10.135246.12254@terminator.cc.umich.edu>
Date: 10 May 91 13:52:46 GMT
Sender: usenet@terminator.cc.umich.edu (usenet news)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Instructional Technology Laboratory, University of Michigan
Lines: 97


  For all those still wondering what is going on with system 7 package,
  wondering if it is really a done deal and finished product,
  and wondering whether they should buy one, my 2 cents:   

Although it is still unofficial, the developer's conference starts Monday,
so it isn't too much of a breach of confidentiality to describe the personal
upgrade kit. It is real, it is finished, and it will be shipping shortly.
I understand some dealers have even gotten packages to distribute starting
Monday, though that could be rumor.

So, below is a description of the shrink-wrapped Personal Upgrade to System 7
kit. If you are a purist and want to wait to see it yourself, don't read it.
I was always the kind of person who got up at four a.m. on Christmas morning,
though...

----------------- SPOILERS FOLLOW ------------

I'm looking at the shrink-wrapped system 7 package. It is five manuals and
about ten disks. Apple realy outdid themselves with printing and layout this
time - they are full color and look really nice. You get:

"What's new in System 7" booklet

an overview of new features with illustrations

"Macintosh Reference" manual, about 420 pp.

spiral bound, extensive index in the back printed on grey paper. 
The user manual++, with lots of illustrations.

"Macintosh Networking Basics" disk

an interactive tutorial on networking and file sharing.

"Networking Reference" manual  

something like the AppleShare reference, with information on using file
sharing and program linking. Troubleshooting and data privacy/protection
sections.

"Hypercard basics" guide (booklet)

with two Hypercard 2.1 disks. This is NOT the Developer's kit - that is
a big package of its own, with lots of manuals. This is just Hypercard 2
basics, but laid out nicely.   

--------- overall ----------

The pile of stuff you get is pretty extensive. I will probably buy a system
seven package from the University (it will be discounted). Power users
probably won't need it to operate System 7, especially if they've read about/
played with the new features, but it might be useful, especially for
reference. Also, the twelve disks might be useful to hold your masters of
everything. You also get phone support, limited but still, a big improvement.

Something to consider: your applications and INITs. If you use a lot of INITs,
a number of them probably won't work correctly under 7.0. You should
run the compatibility tester stack which will scan your hard disk and
check out your applications and INITs before installing. It won't know about
some of them, but it will print you a report listing the applications that
need to be updated to new versions and the phone numbers to call all the
companies. Apple has really gone out of their way to try to work with
developers to achieve as much compatibility as possible. There will be a
flurry of maintenance releases, but many applications will function fine
(and many more will function fine when run without virtual memory turned on).

For INITs, the stack that scans your hard disk and prints the report will 
give you the option of putting INITs it doesn't know about into a special
"may not work with system 7" folder. This may be a good idea, and then you
can take them out and test them one by one.

I would recommend doing a complete backup of your hard disk, then reformatting
it with the new HD Setup, before installing. It will save you trouble later.
The system 7.0 file structure is slightly different, and if your disk is at all
corrupted it will give you problems later. (I have to back up, reformat, and
restore this hard disk, since some software that didn't work right with 7.0
trashed my hard disk).

You should update the hard disk driver in any case, and run "Disk First Aid"
before installing. If you've got a third-party drive you might not be able
to use VM yet... contact the company that sold you your drive or HD driver
software. Also, the newest version of Apple's HD Setup will recognize more
drives than it used to, so you might be able to simply use Apple's driver
on your third-party drive (don't quote me on this, but I think it is the
case)...

Good luck everyone!

Disclaimer: I don't work for Apple...  I don't know where you will go to
get your own copy...  Please don't ask me how to get "XXX" to work with
System 7...  Also, I'm not sure how much the package will cost, or if you
will be able to get the software without buying the package, or when it
will be widely available...  Also, please don't e-mail me. I will be gone
all weekend and on Monday you will know as much as I do.

-paul-