Which "useless" extensions are not worth the RAM and time to load nowadays?

[1200XL M.U.L.E.]

When I installed OS 8.1 on my Centris 650, I selected all available options for everything. I figured that I could always reinstall a fresh OS if this was a bad idea.

One consequence of installing everything was the longer boot time. I have disabled some extensions like those for printers and modems since I have neither here.

Are there other that can/should be disabled or removed because they don't serve any purporse in today's environment?

 

[Phipli]

Ditch "QuickDraw GX" (not the other quickdraw. The rest is important).

 

[joshc]

If you are not gaming, InputSprocket stuff is not needed.

Certain video/display related ones may not be needed.

PowerBook related stuff can be disabled as you're on a desktop.

Guide Additions can go if you are not using the Guides/Help features.

Speech stuff can be disabled if you are not using those features.

 

[ArmorAlley]

ATi extensions.
Printer drivers — you only need the ones for your printers, maybe LaserWriter8 and one for generating PDFs. If you have no printer, leave in LW8.

Open up Extension Manager, turn on descriptions and go through each control panel & extension.
Don't delete anything, just let EM move the unused files into the (disabled) folders.

If you are not on a network, then the Open Transport files are also candidates.

 

[MrFahrenheit]

You can often disable some of the QuickTime extensions if you’re not using software that utilizes it (the power extension is the PowerPC update, the musical extension, VR).

There are a bunch of “monitors” extensions which don’t apply to your system (just keep the Quadra one installed).

Speech recognition software and speech manager along with MacinTalk and the voices can be disabled if you don’t plan to use text to speech MacinTalk features.

ColorSync and the Color Picked could be disabled. Iomega extension if you aren’t using a Zip or Jaz drive.

A/Rose can be disabled, as can all of the Ethernet extensions except for the Apple built-in networking. I think Shared Library Manager PPC can be disabled safely.

Those are just off the top of my head.

 

[olePigeon]

Accessibility stuff can be disabled if you don't need it. MacLink Plus is convenient, but not needed.

 

[superjer2000]

Not exactly your question but a couple of extensions that MUST be installed for your Mac to operate to its maximum potential are:

1. The Talking Moose
2. The Grouch trash can INIT

 

[joshc]

Not exactly your question but a couple of extensions that MUST be installed for your Mac to operate to its maximum potential are:

1. The Talking Moose
2. The Grouch trash can INIT

This is the right answer.

 

[chelseayr]

what happened to two big eyes constantly stalking your cursor's location? ;-)
(tbh I don't know which one the family macintosh had so many years ago for apparently macintoshgarden says theres at least four different ones compatible with for with system 7.5.x)

 

[LaPorta]

Googly Eyes?

 

[Iesca]

Gotcha covered:

DeskCritters - Macintosh Garden

DeskCritters is a pair of INIT files (extensions) that add playful animations to a user's desktop: Eyeballs adds a pair of eyes to the menubar that follow the user's cursor as it's moved around screen, and BigFoot simulates a pair of footprints that appear to randomly wander around the desktop.

macintoshgarden.org

 

[olePigeon]

There was a funny Homer Simpson version of Talking Moose. It would eat your mouse cursor if you got it too close, then burp it out.

Conan the Librarian was also pretty funny.

 

[jamie marchant]

ColorSync and the Color Picked could be disabled. Iomega extension if you aren’t using a Zip or Jaz drive.

I don't know how to correct the Gamma for modern VGA displays without 'ColorSync'.(or am I thinking of something else). Also what's the point of not ueing a Zip drive? it's uniquely vintage Macintosh.(sorry I grew up in the 90s )

 

[LaPorta]

If you don't have a Zip or Jaz, then you don't need the extensions.

 

[chelseayr]

@LaPorta and wasn't there like a simple guest app for if you only wanted to use a zip drive for one day? (turn on with zip drive in morning or whatever then shut down before bedtime as to finally take the zip drive off. no need to permamently load the system extension folder with the iomegaware usuals that is)

or was that only an exe for dos/windows alone and not a macintosh feature as well? hmm geeze wish I could remember better now

 

[Phipli]

@LaPorta and wasn't there like a simple guest app for if you only wanted to use a zip drive for one day? (turn on with zip drive in morning or whatever then shut down before bedtime as to finally take the zip drive off. no need to permamently load the system extension folder with the iomegaware usuals that is)

or was that only an exe for dos/windows alone and not a macintosh feature as well? hmm geeze wish I could remember better now

There is such an app. Also, if you put in a correctly formatted disk before powering on, it loads the driver /from/ the disk and works! Same with CDs.

 

[Cory5412]

In addition to all of this, I often turn off printing.

Part of what Extension Manager (and whatever was around before it, I think Conflict Catcher may do the same thing) does is let you reboot your Mac with different extension sets. A fairly common use case back in the day was to have different extension sets for different things - e.g. you might have an extension set for your high end task where you have networking, printing, and a bunch of other stuff disabled, and then another one for when you need to use your email and printer. Lots of high end software (especially anything that needed to do anything in real-time, such as video/audio capture) would recommend disabling a bunch of stuff to leave more of the overall machine available.

One thing that may be worth looking at is some of the books from the period - there's a bunch at https://www.vintageapple.org/macbooks/ - the one I used from 1993 was "Everything you ever wanted to know about the Mac" - that book only has hard info about system 6/7 but the overarching concepts are very similar and lots of the actual components carried over.

You can also remove extra things pertaining to, say, printing but not the printing system itself - the default loadout has drivers for like, ten or so printers and you can remove all but, say, one model of LaserWriter, which'll still let you dump PS files. (or put a PS file printer or a PDF file printer in, there were a few, depending on what you want.)

 

[olePigeon]

Good point. I disable everything except LaserWriter 8 driver, which allows you to print to PostScript printers.

 

[LaPorta]

I use Extensions Manager all the time. Especially with my lower-spec machines, I regularly turn off all networking while playing a game, for instance.

 

[1200XL M.U.L.E.]

@Cory5412 The link of books at vintageapple.org is fantastic! Thanks for posting it!