System 5.0

The biggest announcement at Boston's AppleFest was System 5.0 for the IIGS. The new system software will be most appreciated by educators, as it operates over the Apple talk network: home users will like it for its faster speed and performance.

Large sections of the Apple IIGS Toolbox have been revised for System 5.0, and these changes have doubled the computer's speed. Development should be easier and faster as well, since 5.0 includes a resource manager and a text editor. An improved SCSI manager will mean faster communication with both hard drives and CD-ROM drives.

The primary enhancement of System 5.0, however, is its ability to work under Apple Talk System 5.0 replaces the AppleShare IIGS WorkStation Software formerly needed to run Apple Talk on a IIGS. Sharing data files, printerss, and other peripherals is easier with System 5.0. More information about the network is available and network resources are more easily accessed with the new software. System 5.0 even makes it possible for a IIGS user to boot the computer from the network, making disk drives unnecessary on an Apple Talk-linked IIGs.

More information about System 5.0, its availability, and its price, can be obtained from your local Apple dealer.

—Gregg Keizer