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Mac OS 8 is now an app you can download and install on macOS, Windows, and Linux

Mac OS 8 is now an app you can download and install on macOS, Windows, and Linux

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An Electron version of Mac OS 8

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Slack developer Felix Rieseberg has transformed Mac OS 8 into an app you can install on your Mac or PC. After transforming Windows 95 into an app back in 2018, Rieseberg decided to turn an entire 1991 Macintosh Quadra with Mac OS 8.1 into a single Electron app. It even includes a number of apps and games, thanks to an old MacWorld demo CD from 1997. The app can be installed on macOS, Windows, and Linux.

The macintosh.js app is written entirely in JavaScript, and it uses a virtual machine to emulate a Macintosh Quadra 900 with the Motorola CPU Apple used before its transition to IBM’s PowerPC chips. Rieseberg has managed to get classic games like Duke Nukem 3D, Civilization II, Dungeons & Dragons, Namely, Oregon Trail, Alley 19 Bowling, and Damage Incorporated running. There’s even a bunch of apps and trials preinstalled, including Photoshop 3, Premiere 4, Illustrator 5.5, StuffIt Expander, and Apple’s Web Page Construction Kit.

While Internet Explorer and Netscape are preinstalled, the versions are so old that Rieseberg says “you wouldn’t be able to open even Google.” Either way, it’s impressive that a ‘90s version of Mac OS has been ported to run in JavaScript.

If you’re interested in trying the app out, all of the standalone versions are less than 250MB and can be downloaded from GitHub. Enjoy, once again, a trip down memory lane.