How to run MacOS 7 and MacOS 8 in the browser today

Travel back in time to the Macintosh of the 1990s and run a full virtual installation of System 7 and Mac OS 8 in a browser window.

One flaw with new virtual versions of 1990s Mac software is that they run at the speed of 2020s Macs. You're looking at a Mac SE/30 or Quadra 700, but everything is as fast as Apple Silicon.

You can do real work in these simulated operating systems, and they can even drag documents or files in and out of macOS Monterey. But whether for some practical purpose or, more likely, for pure fun, here's how to do it. It was previously possible to run Mac OS 8 via developer Felix Rieseberg's Basilisk II emulator. It's a Mac app, and its screen looks tiny on a modern Mac.

> > For #MARCHintosh2022, I will be launching two classic web-based Mac emulators: https://t.co/ENVg0cD75u and https://t.co/Kuyjc0HzWI. >

> > They start right away, are full of useful programs that allow data import, export, and persistence, and try to bring the best of networking into reverse computing. >

> > — Mihai Parparita (@mihai) April 1, 2022 >

The new versions work the same whether you choose System 7 or OS 8, and they run in a browser window. This means they can run without any prior setup - which also means they can run fullscreen.

It's still a 1990s Mac, with assumptions made about screen size so you don't fill the 27-inch iMac's display left and right, but you can greatly expand what was available before.

When you do, you'll see all the once-familiar screen furniture, like windows without any labels. or the grey close box in the grey header.

Watch out for errors. Some included applications (eg Microsoft Word version 5.1a) will display error messages because some files do not exist in the emulator.

However, the app loads and runs normally. Also, this is a faithful reproduction of the 1990s, you must have made some mistakes in Microsoft Word.