Mac OS 8.0 -> Mac OS 9 History
System 0 -> System 5.0
System 6.0 -> Mac OS 7.6
| System | Year | Comments |
| Mac OS 8.x | ||
| Mac OS 8.0 | July 22, 1997 | A major rewrite! The interface had many changes to it, and was more organized than during the System 7.x days. This OS had a hardware exclusion list. It dropped support for 68000, 68020 and 68030. I purchased this OS in July 1997. |
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| Mac OS 8.1 (Download Updater) |
January 1998 | This system had a hardware exclusion list. It was the last release to support the 680x0 processor, but it only supported the 68040. This OS was buggy on my 5400, so after about 2 weeks, I reverted to 8.0 After a wipe of the HD when my Cube came in, I installed this OS on my 5400. |
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| Mac OS 8.5 | October 15, 1998 | This was the first release to only support the PowerPC chip. This release was only out about a month before 8.5.1 came out, so as a result, it was not on my Power Mac 5400 for very long. I installed it on November 3, 1998. |
| Mac OS 8.5.1 (Download Updater) |
Monday, December 7, 1998 |
I installed this on my Power Mac 5400 the day it came out! After I wiped and re-installed OS 8.1, I found out I couldn't print from my Cube to the shared printer on the 5400. Then, I updated to 8.5.1 on the 5400 and printing worked again. |
| Mac OS 8.6 (Download Updater) |
Wednesday, May 5, 1999 |
This was only a maintenance update to 8.5. It should have been 8.5.2. It was the first release to show the version number when starting up. My Power Mac G4 at MBC shipped with a special version of this OS. |
| Mac OS 9.x | ||
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| Mac OS 9.0 | Saturday, October 23, 1999 |
This was a major rewrite of the OS, and included many new features. It had multiple user support, and Personal File Sharing via TCP/IP! $99 upgrade for All Power Macs! Upgraded my G4 Tower at MBC with the Mac OS Up-To-Date program. |
| Mac OS 9.0.1 | Never released to the public. | |
| Mac OS 9.0.2 | February 2000 | Shipped with the FireWire PowerBooks, the AGP Graphics Power Mac G4's and the new iBooks. |
| Mac OS 9.0.3 | March 2000 | Started showing up in iMacs and eventually in other shipping Macs. |
| Mac OS 9.0.4 (Download Updater) |
Tuesday, April 4, 2000 |
General and unifying upgrade for all users running any version of Mac OS 9.0.x Upgraded my G4 Tower at MBC with the Software Update control panel. Required for "Classic" to function in OS X Public Beta. |
| Mac OS 9.1 (Download Updater) |
Tuesday, January 9, 2001 |
Increased stability. Available as an Updater or Full-Version. Introduced the Window menu next to the Special menu in the Finder. NOT Compatible with Mac OS X Public Beta! My Power Mac G4 Cube came with a special version of this OS. Required for "Classic" to function in OS X 10.0 and 10.1. |
| Mac OS 9.2 | Wednesday, July 18, 2001 |
Shipped only pre-loaded on the new Macs, starting with the introduction of the Quicksilver Power Mac G4 Towers. Was NEVER available as a retail purchasable box. Required a G3 or G4 processor. |
| Mac OS 9.2.1 (Download Updater) |
Tuesday, August 21, 2001 |
Started being pre-loaded on Macs as of last week. Shipped and Downloadable on August 21, 2001. Shipped bundled with the OS X 10.1 Updater CD. Required a G3 or G4 processor. Installed on my Cube on August 21, 2001. Recommended for "Classic" in OS X 10.1. |
| Mac OS 9.2.2 (Download Updater) |
Wednesday, December 5, 2001 |
Improved "Classic" performance under Mac OS X. A Bug-Fix Update. Required a G3 or G4 processor. Installed on my Cube on December 5, 2001. Recommended for "Classic" in OS X 10.1. All Macs released after January 2003 will not Boot any version of Mac OS 9, but still have Mac OS 9.2.2 installed for "Classic." |