Internet Archive Now Has a Browser-Based Emulator of Classic Mac Hardware

Jason Scott:

After offering in-browser emulation of console games, arcade machines, and a range of other home computers, the Internet Archive can now emulate the early models of the Apple Macintosh, the black-and-white, mouse driven computer that radically shifted the future of home computing in 1984.

This is amazing. HyperCard! ResEdit! Quit commands in their rightful place in the File menu!

One thing that struck me clicking around for a few minutes: the original Mac team got it wrong with their decision to only keep a menu open while holding down the mouse button. Years later, Apple switched to allowing both click-and-hold and just plain click-and-release to navigate menus. I’ve long since lost my muscle memory for the old way. The menus keep disappearing on me in this emulator.

Another thing that struck me: the classic Mac OS was beautiful. So well designed.

Update: Here’s Mac Missiles, a pretty good Missile Command clone written in 1985 by some kid named Avie Tevanian. He also wrote MacLanding, a Defender clone, but I can’t get that one to work.

★ Tuesday, 18 April 2017