Reloading...Mac OS 9

The so-called 'classic' Mac operating system had its last hurrah with Mac OS 9. How much of it to you remember, and could you use it again today? Thanks to a great website, you can find out.

- Ian Osborne

It had a good run. Launched as System 1 with 1984’s original Apple Macintosh, the so-called ‘classic’ Mac operating system was last updated in 2001. It had lasted 17 years. The final version of Classic Mac OS was OS 9, which was introduced in 1999 and discontinued after OS 9.2.2. All operating system development was then moved to the emerging OS X.

Remember when software came in boxes like this one? This is the off-the-shelf release of Mac OS 9.

Today, almost 40 years after the Mac’s Classic OS was first released and over two decades since it was discontinued, we can revisit the halcyon days of OS 9 on the web. Infinite Mac (https://infinitemac.org) has reproduced all major versions of Classic OS and most minor updates. You can run and enjoy them directly from your web browser, along with many of the apps and games of the day. So let’s take a look at the last major version of the Mac’s Classic OS, and see how it differs from the modern operating systems we all know and love.

Sow Starting up in Mac OS 9, on the Infinite Mac website. It boots really quickly on your web browser.

Browsing through Classic OS