MacOS 8 may have debuted in 1997, but thanks to the Infinite Mac Project, you can run MacOS 8 right now in a virtual Quadra right in your web browser.
The Infinite Mac MacOS 8 install comes complete with a whole host of retro apps and games, including everything from Adobe Photoshop 3.0, KPT Bryce, ResEdit, BBEdit, Warcraft I, Warcraft II, Civilization, Glider, KidPix , MacPaint, HyperCard, etc. Following. All the major apps of yesteryear are bundled together, and you’ll be sure to find something you’ll remember and enjoy.
All you need to run macOS 8 in your browser right now is, well, a modern web browser, on just about any device.
It is a complete and working installation of macOS 8, standalone in your web browser. Start exploring folders and you will find many programs and games to have fun.
Remember rendering complex 3D virtual worlds with KPT Bryce? It was considered absolutely amazing in the late 90s.
Remember how fun Warcraft was? One of the original real-time strategy games, send your orcs or humans into battle!
You can make more heat by remembering old programs and games, you can actually work on files and add your own stuff if you want.
Using “The Outside World” desktop sharing, you can save items and allow them to remain across website restarts and relaunch, as well as add and remove emulator files and data browser-based.
Putting documents or apps in the “Saved” folder will allow them to persist, meaning you can return to the emulator and continue working on a document or playing a saved game.
The “Downloads” folder lets you drag and drop files into the macOS 8 emulator, while the “Downloads” folder lets you check them out.
It’s great fun for anyone who loves retro computing, emulators, virtualization, and remembers the good old days of computing.
If you want to learn more about the technical details of the implementation and what’s going on behind the scenes, check out the developer blog on the project.
Check out a developer video that runs on both macOS 8 and the System 7 companion emulator:
Something noteworthy is that the MacOS 8 install doesn’t appear to have internet access, similar to the standalone Macintosh.js emulator application for Mac OS 8, so if you were hoping to browse the modern web with Netscape Navigator, you will find that is not possible. Either way, the web app is a lot of fun, so check it out.
Also, don’t miss the sister project, which lets you run System 7 in a web browser.
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