macintosh.js For Mac

Many users refuse to update to a new version of an operating system when it comes out, and some will hold out for years until technological advances force them to make the switch. There probably aren't too many Mac OS 8 nostalgics out there, but whether it's nostalgia or curiosity that drives you, this Electron-based app allows you to run this ancient operating system on your modern Mac.

Because we can! We often forget just how quickly software technology has evolved in the past three decades, and trying out a 23-year-old operating system can give you some much-needed perspective.

It's unlikely that those who used Mac OS 8 in its day are itching to get back to it, but people who hadn't tried it before will have a very interesting experience. For instance, how many macOS users nowadays know that Internet Explorer was the default browser on Mac OS for five years, between 1998 and 2003?

As long as your expectations aren't too grand, well enough. It's written in JavaScript, so it is far from an optimized app, but no one is expected to use it for anything important anyway, so we can deal with some lackluster performance.

I did encounter a few crashes and freezes while testing it, but I expect that's not unusual when trying to emulate such an old operating system on new hardware.

Quite a lot, actually. It includes a few apps and games that were popular at the time, such as Photoshop 3, Premiere 4, Duke Nukem 3D, and Oregon Trail. These are fully supported, but you're probably not going to turn this VM into a gaming or editing station.

You cannot connect to the internet, sadly, as the web has simply changed too much since the OS was released. However, you can transfer files from your Mac to the machine; just click the Help button and follow the instructions.

If you're at all curious about how Apple's OS has evolved over the decades, I recommend that you download this app and try it out for yourself. If nothing else, you'll be able to appreciate the modern design of the latest macOS like never before.