Family Reunion
Please note: This post was written some time ago (7 years ago). My perspectives, knowledge, and opinions may have evolved significantly since then. While the content might still offer valuable insights, I encourage readers to consider it in the context of its publication date.
I have a few small collections of things, but my latest curation is old software. In this case, Mac OS through the ages.
From left:
System 6 (the first retail boxed version of the Macintosh OS) System 7 System 7.1 System 7.5 Mac OS 7.6 (Name Change!) Mac OS 8.0 Mac OS 8.1 Mac OS 8.5 Mac OS 9 (this sealed copy even has a CompUSA tag on the outside, which made me covet it even more) Mac OS 9.1 (the final retail release; 9.2 only shipped with new Macs) Mac OS 10.1 Mac OS 10.2 Mac OS 10.3 Mac OS 10.4 Mac OS 10.5 Mac OS 10.6
About half of these are unsealed boxes of major system releases, while the other half are opened but complete packages. This is a mostly complete collection of retail Mac OS releases from 6.0 to 10.6 (US Releases).
Still missing are these hard-to-find versions:
- System 7.1.1, aka System 7 Pro. A short-lived release, which I think was the most expensive version of Mac OS ever sold ($150/retail.) This was the first version with AppleScript (which still exists today) and PowerTalk.
- I suspect that there was an 8.6 retail version (much like 8.1 was released in a box which was otherwise identical to 8.0) but I cannot find any hard evidence of its existence. I’ve seen a PDF version of the installation guide for 8.6, but it’s unclear if this accompanied an actual retail release.
10.7 came on a USB stick, so that’s definitely a weird one to fit into the collection.
Computers, and Macs in particular, have been a big part of my life for about 25 years. Whenever I look up at this shelf I can remember the first time I used most of these versions. I’m definitely nostalgic for the classic Mac.
Not pictured, my sealed boxes of Hypercard and ClarisWorks!