Apple Computer Inc’s new operating system turned out to be System 7 Pro, a bundle aimed at all business, higher education and government customers, which includes the PowerTalk personal communications software based on Apple Open Collaborative Environment – an Apple answer to Windows for Workgroups; AppleScript, the facility for writing system-level scripts to automate routine tasks; and the QuickTime multimedia environment for playing sound, movies and animation on a Mac. Previewed in CI No 2,210, System 7 Pro also includes RSA Data Security Inc, Cupertino’s RSA Digital Signature technology, embedded into the operating system. RSA Digital Signatures enable users of System 7 Pro to verify the author of a given electronic document, and verify that a document has not been tampered with since it was signed. The RSA implementation in System 7 Pro supports CCITT X500 and X509 authenticated directory and certificates, the proposed ANSI X9F digital transaction security standards for the financial and banking industries, and the Internet Privacy-Enhanced Mail standards. The one thing that is completely new in System 7 Pro is PowerTalk, which provides system-level support for electronic messaging, be it electronic mail, facsimile, voice mail or pager – and includes the AppleMail letter application that enables a text message to be sent to any other PowerTalk user. PowerTalk also includes built-in catalogues to provide an open-ended object storage capability. The new operating system costs $150 for a personal upgrade kit, $1,000 for 10 users, and there is a $50 discount for those that buy System 7 between August 15 and November 1.
