The System (OS 9.x and Earlier)

What’s the big deal about the System Folder? [9]

System software is what makes your Mac smile when you turn it on, allows it to run, read and write hard drives, copy files, run other programs, and all sorts of other goodies. The Finder is part of the System software and is usually the program that runs first when the computer starts up. The System software lives in a folder that is usually named “System Folder,” which contains the critical files “System” and “Finder,” as well as many related files. In System 7 and newer versions, these related files are mostly in folders in the System Folder, such as Extensions, Control Panels, Preferences, and in 7.1 and up,