Best macOS version for IIci?

[UnaClocker]

I'm inclined to put the newest version of macOS I can get my hands on, onto this IIci. But what version is the best for this hardware? It had 7.0.1 on it, I have, thanks to FloppyEmu, that version, 7.1.3, and 7.5.1 if I recall correctly. I'm guessing I need a PPC to run 8 or newer? But anyways, I don't know of anywhere that has a breakdown of the differences between the versions. I've never run anything older than OS X really, aside from the 7.0.1 that came preloaded on my SE.

 

[Paralel]

7.1.2-68k (BTW there was a Finder version 7.1.3, but never a System Software version 7.1.3. It's either 7.1, 7.1.1, 7.1.2-68K, then it jumps to 7.5)

 

[Crutch]

Here’s a great link if you haven’t seen it covering the various 68k system versions.  p.s. I love the IIci, enjoy!

https://www.fenestrated.net/mac/SysReview/

 

[UnaClocker]

Excellent, thanks!

 

[Franklinstein]

Apple allows you to install up to 7.6.1 on the IIci. There are 3rd party programs (WishIWere, maybe?) that will allow you to change the gestalt ID and install up to 8.1, which is best with a 68040 upgrade. You need a PPC upgrade card for anything after 8.1. Honestly the IIci is best with 7.1 or 7.5, depending on what software you want to run. You need lots of RAM for a comfortable OS 8 experience. System 7.1 is happy with 4MB. System 7.5 wants at least 8MB, 16 or more to avoid thrashing your HD with VM swaps. 

 

[ArmorAlley]

I'm inclined to put the newest version of macOS I can get my hands on, onto this IIci. But what version is the best for this hardware? It had 7.0.1 on it, I have, thanks to FloppyEmu, that version, 7.1.3, and 7.5.1 if I recall correctly. I'm guessing I need a PPC to run 8 or newer? But anyways, I don't know of anywhere that has a breakdown of the differences between the versions. I've never run anything older than OS X really, aside from the 7.0.1 that came preloaded on my SE.

You should have about 8MB RAM (or more) for a comfortable experience.

As with any question of «best», you need first to define what «good» is. What are your criteria?

It's a bit like asking what the best fruit is (the answer, of course, is the orange).

I have a fondness for System 7.1 but you need to determine this for yourself.

You can work it out like this:

 1.  Is there any software (e.g. extensions) that limits you? For example, if you want to run software that requires System 7, then your lowest requirement is System 7.

2. Look at what each version of the SSW (system software) offers new:

    • do you want colour icons? If yes, then your lowest requirement is System 7.

    • do you want AppleScript, WorldScript etc.? If yes, then your lowest requirement is System 7.1.

    • do you want access to AppleShare volumes that are larger than 2GB? If yes, then your lowest requirement is System 7.1.

    • do you want access to 4GB drives? If yes, then your lowest requirement is System 7.5.

    • I don't know what Mac OS 7.6.1 brings to the party. I had gone directly from System 7.5.5 to mac OS 8.1.

3. Do you want it as fast as it can be without hardware upgrades and your software supports it? If yes, then choose System 6.0.

4. There are instructions for modifying a install of Mac OS 8.1 to install it onto the IIfx and I have this running on mine. It runs well (I have 32MB RAM) and it gives me access to HFS+. Whether it will run well on a 25MHz 68030 is another matter. And you have to find the instructions. The modified install of Mac OS 8.1 for the IIfx is up on the Mac Garden.

If you have a large enough drive, put all of the versions of the SSW on and see for yourself.

 

[Franklinstein]

• I don't know what Mac OS 7.6.1 brings to the party. I had gone directly from System 7.5.5 to mac OS 8.1.

For 68k? Not much, I don't think. Maybe something to do with OpenTransport or that CFM68k runtime extension but I think those were bigger deals in 8.1. Im sure some web browsers would still run in 7.6.1 that wouldn't on prior OS versions. 

For PPC? 7.6.1 is generally regarded as lighter, faster, and more stable than any version of 7.5, supposedly because it has enhanced 68k emulation routines and more PPC native code. It's generally what i run on NuBus PPC Macs because I don't need 8.6 for USB or FW support because they obviously can't be used. Also, OS 8 started making some changes to the core of the Mac OS, most noticeable at 8.5 and 9.0, that broke some apps and extensions. System 7.6.1 keeps maximum compatibility while providing the best PPC experience under System 7. 

 

[olePigeon]

I'm a big fan of 7.1 Pro.  It has the functionality of 7.5, but all the extra bits can be disabled or uninstalled.  So depending on your memory configuration, it can be either very lightweight or robust.  You can, of course, pick and choose which features you'd like.

 

[Cory5412]

I tend to prefer 7.6.1 on everything I can, aside from anything too old or too new to run it, or where I need specific access to newer software, mostly because aside from the usual OT+AS patches, it basically comes prepared for anything I want to do.

7.6.1 is a great generic all-rounder. On PPC, it reworked the VM system to be a little more robust (something Apple did on a regular basis, it also got attention somewhere in 8 and somewhere in 9) and with speed doubler 8 it's not lacking in performance even on low end hardware.

Anything that can't run 7.6.1 usually can't run 7.5.5 well either so I go all the way back down to 7.0.1 or 7.1/7.1Pro depending on what functionality I want and the configuration of the system.

To be honest, what I'd do if i had a new Mac and some spare time is I'd download every reasonable major version (in this case, I'd probably do 6.0.8, 7.0.1, 7.1 Pro, 7.5.5, and 7.6.1) and play with each version and with some software/games/whatever you want to do to see how well it works.

 

[Scott Baret]

The earliest version which can run on a Iici is 6.0.4. Use any variant of System 6 if you really want to see this machine fly.

 

[Elfen]

It depends heavily on how much RAM you have in the system. Under 16MB, System 6.08 or 6.09.  Greater than 16MB, System 7.1. System 7.5 - 7.6.1 I find laggy on the IIci, even after using a PowerPC/Fat checker to remove what PPC might be floating about the OS.

 

[Crutch]

It depends heavily on how much RAM you have in the system. Under 16MB, System 6.08 or 6.09.  Greater than 16MB, System 7.1. System 7.5 - 7.6.1 I find laggy on the IIci, even after using a PowerPC/Fat checker to remove what PPC might be floating about the OS.

I haven’t used 7.1 in a while, but I can confirm 7.0.1 runs great on an 8MB IIci.  (But sure!  Upgrade to 16MB++, why not.)

 

[AlpineRaven]

The basic stuff - 6.0.8 upto at least 7.1.2 - no higher. They are sluggish above 7.1.2.

For networking Ive injected open transport & appletalk from 7.5 in 7.1.2 and works fine.
Cheers

AP

 

[UnaClocker]

My internal drive is back to refusing to spin up without some CPR. So I plugged in my SC20 drive, which has a 40mb disk in it, and installed 7.5.3 from the FloppyEmu. Wow, 16disks, and if you do the manual install and select all the options, it needs 81mb of disk space! haha.. I did the basic install and after an hour or two of swapping disk images, it's up and running. I have a cache card coming for the machine later this week, but really, it doesn't feel any slower than I'd expect a machine of this vintage to be.

 

[Cory5412]

Regarding RAM: I have a couple machines running 7.6.1 with 14 megs of RAM (well, one: a PB180) and it's fine. 7.1 would be better there, mainly because that machine only very infrequently sees network usage.

It would be interesting to see whether or not 7.1 with enough newer bits slammed in can handle VTools connection. 7.5.5 and the most recent OpenTransport and AppleTalk updates for it can. The gotcha, of course, is that OpenTransport is one of the things that makes 7.5/7.6 so resource-hungry in comparison to 7.1, so it may be moot to do that.

One more thought: 8 has a couple nice quality of life improvements in networked and multi-disk environments, even on 68k. The finder handles file transfers better and OpenTransport is always a nicety, but it is heavy compared with 6, so i don't know if I'd bother with it on an '030 or a machine that began life as an '030. It would be interesting to hear thoughts about whether that's worth it from people who have, say, IIci '040 upgrades.

Another thought: 7.5 lets you use up to 4GB disks. 7.6 can address up to ~2TB volumes, so I recommend skipping directly to 7.6 in any situation where you have a big disk, to make the easiest and most convenient use of it.

EDIT:

1) yes I realize this thread is a little older, my apologies.

2) In addition to what does/doesn't work well, it's absolutely important to make sure the software you're running helps meet your goals. Networking and big disk support might not matter if you're trying to get a few more frames out of Marathon, for example, or you might explicitly be looking to use software for older Macs, but with higher performance. I'll admit in general because of the context I discovered and used most of these older systems, system 7/8 were always more relevant to me, personally, so even on  hardware that can run 6 (or where 6 might be a much better experience, like on an LC or  a Compact), I'll tend to drift toward 7.

 

[UnaClocker]

I appreciate your thoughts on the matter. This thread wasn't all that old really. I've been playing with 7.5.5 because it was available to install from my floppy emu. Right now I'm running off a 40mb 5.25" drive in the SC20 enclosure, so this thing is seriously speed handicapped by that thing. I've got a 1GB Seagate drive, but haven't been able to get the system to actually SEE it yet. Until I do, I'm happy tinkering around with different versions. I wouldn't mind running 8.0 on this thing in the end. I just upgraded the ram to 128mb, and put the cache card in. Anyone ever swap out the clock crystal and overclock the CPU?  I guess that's a question for another thread. hehe

 

[olePigeon]

I think MacOS 8 requires a 68040.  You'd need an '040 accelerator before doing OS 8.

 

[trag]

I was surprised there wasn't more love for 7.6.1 on Tyler's site.    I used it for many years with few issues.    I saw his comments about reports of not-goodness.   It would be interesting to run some tests one of these days.

 

[UnaClocker]

I thought I saw somewhere that there's a hack to get 8.0 onto a 68030.. It's a shame there isn't an active community making modern accelerator boards for these old Macs like they do for the Amiga.