The Internet Archive, a.k.a archive.org, has done something insanely great for Mac fans. Today, the nonprofit organization announced the availability of more than 40 emulators of early Macintosh applications. In other words, you’ll be able to run software from the eighties on your regular computer. You can even download the programs if you’d like.
It’s great. There are lower-level programs like MacWrite; several Microsoft programs, including Flight Simulator; games like Frogger and Lode Runner; and even full versions of MacOS System 6.0.8 and 7.0.1 (featuring HyperCard!). It’s glorious.
“If you’ve not experienced the original operating system for the Macintosh family of computers, it’s an interesting combination of well-worn conventions in the modern world, along with choices that might seem strange or off-the-mark. At the time the machine was released, however, they landed new ideas in the hands of a worldwide audience and gained significant fans and followers almost immediately,” Jason Scott, the Internet Archive’s free-range archivist, wrote in a blog post.
While the graphics, animations, icons, sounds, and typefaces are certainly delightfully dated, one can observe a connection to today’s computing experience on MacOS macOS. It can trigger nostalgia if you’ve used these systems in the past. And if you haven’t yet had the pleasure, here’s your chance to explore Mac software history.
