Relive the glory days of Mac OS 8 with this insanely fun emulator

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

Nowadays, the operating system on Apple’s computers is a slick, well-oiled system of mostly-flat design. It wasn’t always like that, though, with Apple leaning heavily into skeuomorphism for most of its lifetime. That’s the design language of making digital things look like their real-world counterparts, in case you didn’t already know.

Mac OS 8, for example, was a perfect example of both ’90s style and digital function, with solid-looking window frames around programs, icons that actually looked like things, and a lovely bomb that appeared when your Macintosh inevitably crashed.

Now you can relive that horror, thanks to Felix Rieseberg, a developer at Slack. He has lovingly packaged an emulated Macintosh Quadra running Mac OS 8.1 into an Electron app, the same technology that packages Slack’s desktop app, and many, many others. It’s even got pre-installed software like Oregon Trail, so you don’t have to worry about searching for long-defunct companies to use your new-to-you Macintosh. Nifty.

I put an entire 1991 Macintosh Quadra with Mac OS 8.1 into an Electron app, together with a bunch of apps and games. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux… and JavaScript. Again: I'm sorry.

Go grab it here: https://t.co/JUw798dRcS pic.twitter.com/p3AR2dyx5r

— Felix Rieseberg (@felixrieseberg) July 28, 2020

Anyway, if you want to see the terror of a 90s Macintosh, head on over to Felix’s GitHub where you can grab the code to run your own abomination, pretty sure my Stepdad wrote all his published work on this version, and I remember him often swearing at the screen. Not entirely sure that was because of his typing or because of Mac OS, but I’ll leave you to figure that out once you’ve installed the emulator. Give it a try; it’s a lot of fun.

Do you plan on trying it out? Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• macOS Big Sur vs Catalina: Is it worth upgrading?
• How to check the battery health of your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and MacBook
• Is there a PC that’s similar to the MacBook Pro?
• I was going to get a new MacBook Pro this month, but I’m holding off for Apple’s ARM options instead

Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.