by Dan Moren
Mac OS 8, implemented via JavaScript
Developer Felix Rieseberg has written a JavaScript virtual machine emulating Mac OS 8 running on a 1991 Macintosh Quadra. Wild. And because it’s an Electron app, it runs on pretty much any platform.
I fired it up to take it for a spin and it worked pretty well, though I did run into some bugs with scrolling (the scroll box doesn’t really move, though you can scroll down). It’s been pre-loaded with some games and demos, which Rieseberg apparently sourced from a Macworld Demo CD.
Personal connection: Among the games on here is Pools of Radiance, a D&D game from the late ’80s. This, however, was the first game I asked my dad to buy when we got our original Macintosh LC back in 1991 or so. We drove over to an Egghead Software near my house, but when I tried to install it, I discovered that it was the MS-DOS version, and I was heartbroken. Fortunately, we were able to return it.1
So, I thought I’d give it a try, finally, at last, and launched it only to discover that it has the old “look up these runes on a physical item that came with the game” copy protection. Curses! Thwarted again.
- I remembered there not being a Mac version at the time, but according to Wikipedia, it was ported to the Mac in 1989, so it must have existed! Who knows, figuring out software those days was confusing. I have a vague memory of seeing it listed in the catalogs of the era, but being wary of buying it in case it was the PC version. ↩