Mac OS 7

Mac OS Classic
| Mac System Software 1 | Mac System Software 2 | Mac System Software 3 | Mac System Software 4 | Mac System Software 5 |
| Mac System Software 6 | Mac OS 7 | Mac OS 8 | Mac OS 9 |

Mac OS X
| Mac OS X 10.1 Puma | Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar | Mac OS X 10.3 Panther | Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger | Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard |
| Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard |

Related:
| Motarola 68000 CPU | Motarola PowerPC CPU | Intel x86 CPU |


Beginning with Mac System Software 7.1.2, PowerPC CPUs were supported. 68k CPUs would remain supported until version 8.1

Mac System Software 7 was renamed to Mac OS 7.6 when that version was released. Apple had struggled for years to pretend that they had no operating system or at least to make that fact invisible to the end user. This was an effort to make Macintosh computers seem simpler. But they decided instead to embrace brand recognition of their operating system.

Interestingly, Mac System Software 7.1 was the first Mac OS to run on an Intel CPU. Called the "Star Trek project", Apple used Novell's DR DOS (still in development at the time) on an Intel 486 based machine with the Mac OS layered on top of it (Like Windows 3.1 on MS-DOS). The DOS based OS used a hybrid 32-bit/16-bit Protected Mode multitasking environment capable of running multiple virtual DOS systems simultaneously. 68k and PPC applications would not run on it; they needed to be compiled for x86. Apple said they had the necessary x86 headers to make porting such apps to x86 simple. Various pressures caused this joint Novell and Apple project to be shutdown. Unknown which games (prototypes only) were created for the project. But if Steve Wozniak was involved at all, they do exist. Breakout or some variant is likely.

Apple Licensed "System 7" to various companies making Macintosh Clones. Names of these clones include StarMax, SuperMac, PowerWave, PowerTower, and PowerTower Pro. System 7.7 was the last version to be licensed. The clones were officially allowed to use any version of System 7 (Mac OS 7) which was probably why the unreleased System 7.8 was renamed to Mac OS 8. Thereby dodging agreements Apple had to allow System 7 to be used by clones when the decision to no longer be clone friendly was made. Shortly later they decided this was not drastic enough and bought back licenses from the most successful of the clone companies. The other companies were ignored and their licenses eventually expired on the original agreed upon expiration dates.