The Chooser allowed users to connect to AppleShare file servers (via AppleTalk or TCP/IP), enable or disable the network access, and select which printer to use.

When Apple introduced the LaserWriter, its very high cost meant that the only cost-effective way to use it was shared among a small workgroup of Macintoshes.

This necessitated the inclusion of AppleTalk, a simple networking implementation which used low-cost cabling and the same physical RS-422 serial port hardware.

As AppleTalk became useful for other types of networking, such as file sharing, the Choose Printer accessory was renamed to simply Chooser.

Starting with Mac OS X 10.0, the Chooser was replaced by macOS's integrated networking features in the Finder.