Take a trip down macOS memory lane with these web-based retro versions of Apple’s operating system — and yes, they can run Doom
If you were a Mac user in the 80s and 90s, you had the chance to use the classic versions of the macOS that we know and love today. Now I have good news for anyone feeling nostalgic: you don’t have to dig through eBay or your attic for an old Mac to run a retro version of macOS.
A website called Infinite Mac, designed by Mihai Parparita, lets you use any classic Mac operating system from 1985 to 2001. Once you get to the Infinite Mac website you can scroll through your options, find the one you want to try out and click Run. Then, like Marty McFly, you’ll be magically transported back in time to the macOS of your choice!
Blast from the past
You don’t need to install anything as it’s all in your browser, and you’ll be guided through the installation of macOS and use it as you would on a regular computer! You can create new files, explore the settings, and even play some old-school games, including full versions of Doom II, Quake, And Mystalthough unsurprisingly they are a bit janky to play in an emulated operating system in the browser.
You can also access a saved hard drive that locally backs up all the files you create on your computer, and drag all the files from your desktop to the web browser, creating a file called “Outside World.” You can try out a collection of CDs, old games and even software that came with the magazines on floppy disks at the time.
As a modern Apple user born in the year 2000, I think it’s pretty cool that I can take an educational trip down memory lane and see what older versions of the current system look like. It not only makes you realize how far we have come in the computing world, but also shows how far we still have to go! I can’t wait to see what macOS will probably look like in ten or twenty years loaded with AIif the recent news is anything to go by.