Since the release of System 1 in January 1984, Apple has played an integral role in designing and implementing the graphical user interface (GUI) as we know it.
With the announcement of OS X Mountain Lion this week, Apple is continuing the process it started with Lion by streamlining the connection between the Mac and iOS.
We wanted to take a look at some of the biggest changes in the history of the Mac Operating System over the last 28 years. Looking back, I can't help but be struck by how many elements of the original Macintosh OS are still there more than 30 years after the project started taking shape.
It's a testament to the work of Bill Atkinson, Andy Hertzfeld, Bud Tribble and the other members of the original Macintosh team that so many aspects from System 1 have become integral to personal computing as we know it today.
For nearly 30 years, the Macintosh operating system has helped define desktop computing.
With the announcement of OS X Mountain Lion, Apple is readying for its next evolution and is getting closer than ever at merging the desktop with the mobile OS. Let's take a look back at 28 years of Mac OS history.
The first GUI-based operating system ever and the first every Macintosh operating system, known as System 1, was released. It was unique because it lacked a command line, which every other computer used at the time.
The GUI, or graphical user interface, was based on work Steve Jobs did while he was at Xerox PARC nearly five years earlier, and it's the earliest iteration of all operating systems we use today. The icons used by the original operating system were created by Susan Kare, and many are still in use today, or have become cult hits to the true Apple fans.
System 3 was significant for Macintosh and computing because it had the first instances of Hierarchical File System, which allowed files to be stored in a treed-directory format that we're now used to. Before that, Files could be only stored one level deep.
After several iterations, System 7 was released on the widest array of platforms ever. It was the first operating system that required a computer to have a hard drive, as it was too large to work comfortably with floppy disks. It was also one of the first to have features like drag-and-drop files, the ability to use virtual memory, and the first OS to be ported to Apple's new PowerPC platform.
Image courtesy barjack, Flickr.
This was the first version to use Mac OS in the name, dropping the "System". This arose out of Apple's need to copyright the operating system, as it was appearing on more third-party computers.
Image courtesy Arne Kuilman, Flickr.
Mac OS 8 was released in mid-1997, marking the return of Steve Jobs to Apple, and it sold 3 million copies in six months. It featured a updated visual style known as Platinum.
Mac OS 8 was also the operating system that appeared on the first iMacs that were released in 1998, as Apple began exploring all-in-one computers.
This operating system was somewhat of a transition between OS 8 (it was called 8.7 in development), and OS X, which had already been released in some form as Mac OS X Server. It added more support for Airport wireless networking, remote software updates and a beefed-up Sherlock Search.
Image courtesy FHKE, Flickr.
After profits continued to fall at Apple, they brought Steve Jobs as interim CEO and gave him free reign to make the changes he felt were necessary. His main objective was to update the increasingly dated looking Mac OS. A big feature of the new operating system was a radical interface makeover; the new interface, Aqua, was a glossier, modern look for the operating system. Two notable features included the colorful control buttons in the top left corner of applications, and the Dock, a new menu for launching applications. This version of OS X was codenamed "Cheetah."
Image courtesy ToobyDoo, Flickr.
Jaguar was the first iteration of OS X marketed by its codename. It was much faster and more stable than the previous versions of OS X, which were criticized for being extremely sluggish. It released an updated Address Book, as well as a Mail client with a spam filter.
Image courtesy Brandon R NZ Flickr.
Tiger was released to one of the widest receptions in Apple history. It sold 2 million copies after its first six weeks on the market. It was also the first operating system to support Apple machines running the Intel x86 processors. It was on the market for 30 months: the longest of any iteration of OS X. Apple was also sued by TigerDirect.com for copyright infringement for the OS's name, but Apple won the suit.
Image courtesy iBjorn, Flickr.
Leopard represented a dramatic visual departure from Tiger. It introduced Cover Flow browsing into finder, a redesigned Dock, and a transparent menu bar. It introduced the backup utility Time Machine. It was that last operating system to support PowerPC-based computers, as all further OS X iterations would only work with Intel-based Macs. The release was delayed almost a year while Apple worked on the iPhone.
Image courtesy bizmac, Flickr.
Lion's release began to mark the merger between iOS on mobile devices and Mac computers. It was the first OS available primarily for download in the App Store for $29. Apple claimed the new OS had over 250 new or updated features, including a controversial AutoSave feature that removed Save As from many applications and frustrated some users.
Image courtesy swanksalot, Flickr.
The integration into iOS continues with Mountain Lion's announcement. The new operating system, released to developers the day it was announced, ditches iChat in favor of iMessage, heavily merges with your Twitter account, and adds more support of iCloud. It also makes it easier to share on Vimeo and Flickr.
Image courtesy Nigel@hornchurch, Flickr.
For nearly 30 years, the Macintosh operating system has helped define desktop computing.
With the announcement of OS X Mountain Lion, Apple is readying for its next evolution and is getting closer than ever at merging the desktop with the mobile OS. Let's take a look back at 28 years of Mac OS history.
The first GUI-based operating system ever and the first every Macintosh operating system, known as System 1, was released. It was unique because it lacked a command line, which every other computer used at the time.
The GUI, or graphical user interface, was based on work Steve Jobs did while he was at Xerox PARC nearly five years earlier, and it's the earliest iteration of all operating systems we use today. The icons used by the original operating system were created by Susan Kare, and many are still in use today, or have become cult hits to the true Apple fans.
System 3 was significant for Macintosh and computing because it had the first instances of Hierarchical File System, which allowed files to be stored in a treed-directory format that we're now used to. Before that, Files could be only stored one level deep.
After several iterations, System 7 was released on the widest array of platforms ever. It was the first operating system that required a computer to have a hard drive, as it was too large to work comfortably with floppy disks. It was also one of the first to have features like drag-and-drop files, the ability to use virtual memory, and the first OS to be ported to Apple's new PowerPC platform.
Image courtesy barjack, Flickr.
This was the first version to use Mac OS in the name, dropping the "System". This arose out of Apple's need to copyright the operating system, as it was appearing on more third-party computers.
Image courtesy Arne Kuilman, Flickr.
Mac OS 8 was released in mid-1997, marking the return of Steve Jobs to Apple, and it sold 3 million copies in six months. It featured a updated visual style known as Platinum.
Mac OS 8 was also the operating system that appeared on the first iMacs that were released in 1998, as Apple began exploring all-in-one computers.
This operating system was somewhat of a transition between OS 8 (it was called 8.7 in development), and OS X, which had already been released in some form as Mac OS X Server. It added more support for Airport wireless networking, remote software updates and a beefed-up Sherlock Search.
Image courtesy FHKE, Flickr.
After profits continued to fall at Apple, they brought Steve Jobs as interim CEO and gave him free reign to make the changes he felt were necessary. His main objective was to update the increasingly dated looking Mac OS. A big feature of the new operating system was a radical interface makeover; the new interface, Aqua, was a glossier, modern look for the operating system. Two notable features included the colorful control buttons in the top left corner of applications, and the Dock, a new menu for launching applications. This version of OS X was codenamed "Cheetah."
Image courtesy ToobyDoo, Flickr.
Jaguar was the first iteration of OS X marketed by its codename. It was much faster and more stable than the previous versions of OS X, which were criticized for being extremely sluggish. It released an updated Address Book, as well as a Mail client with a spam filter.
Image courtesy Brandon R NZ Flickr.
Tiger was released to one of the widest receptions in Apple history. It sold 2 million copies after its first six weeks on the market. It was also the first operating system to support Apple machines running the Intel x86 processors. It was on the market for 30 months: the longest of any iteration of OS X. Apple was also sued by TigerDirect.com for copyright infringement for the OS's name, but Apple won the suit.
Image courtesy iBjorn, Flickr.
Leopard represented a dramatic visual departure from Tiger. It introduced Cover Flow browsing into finder, a redesigned Dock, and a transparent menu bar. It introduced the backup utility Time Machine. It was that last operating system to support PowerPC-based computers, as all further OS X iterations would only work with Intel-based Macs. The release was delayed almost a year while Apple worked on the iPhone.
Image courtesy bizmac, Flickr.
Lion's release began to mark the merger between iOS on mobile devices and Mac computers. It was the first OS available primarily for download in the App Store for $29. Apple claimed the new OS had over 250 new or updated features, including a controversial AutoSave feature that removed Save As from many applications and frustrated some users.
Image courtesy swanksalot, Flickr.
The integration into iOS continues with Mountain Lion's announcement. The new operating system, released to developers the day it was announced, ditches iChat in favor of iMessage, heavily merges with your Twitter account, and adds more support of iCloud. It also makes it easier to share on Vimeo and Flickr.
Image courtesy Nigel@hornchurch, Flickr.
There are a few phases in the evolution of the Mac OS that are of particular note. System 7 was the longest-running release for Apple (until OS X); it shipped with all Macintosh machines from 1991 to 1997. If you're in your mid-to-late 20s and used a Mac in elementary or middle school, chances are it was running some iteration of System 7.
One of the many challenges Apple faced in the 1990s was figuring out a new operating system strategy. As revolutionary as the original Mac OS work was, by 1994 it was starting to look stagnant and stale. This was especially true after the first release of Windows NT in 1993, which cemented Microsoft's place in the corporate and enterprise space.
After the Copland project was cancelled in 1996, Apple was left to search for an operating system it could acquire. That led to the purchase of NeXT and its NeXTSTEP operating system.
Not only would NeXT technology serve as the foundation for the future of Apple as it is known today (OS X and iOS are direct descendants of NeXTSTEP), it was responsible for bringing Steve Jobs back to Apple.
It would end up taking ten years from the beginning of the search for a next-generation Mac OS. But the hunt finally reached its quarry with the release of Mac OS X in 2001. But it would take until Mac OS X 10.2 (Jaguar) before the system was really able to hold its own.
Over the last decade, OS X has evolved into a powerful desktop and server platform — while also serving as the core for iOS. With OS X Mountain Lion, Apple is bringing more of the elements and features of its mobile OS to the desktop.
Vintage computer fans who want to take a look at more screenshots of classic Mac OS versions should check out Marcin Wichary's GUIdebook Gallery and Nathan Lineback's collection of GUI history.
Gallery created by Chelsea Stark
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