Mac OS 9

Ninth and last major release of the classic Mac OS

This article is about the ninth major release of the classic Mac OS. For version 10.9 of macOS (formerly OS X), see OS X Mavericks.

Operating system

Mac OS 9Version of the classic Mac OS operating system

Screenshot of Mac OS 9.0.4

Developer| Apple Computer
OS family| Macintosh
Working state| Historic, not supported
Source model| Closed source
Released to
manufacturing| October 23, 1999; 24 years ago (October 23, 1999)[1][2][3]
Latest release| 9.2.2 / December 5, 2001; 22 years ago (2001-12-05)[4]
Platforms| PowerPC
Kernel type| Nanokernel
Default
user interface| Apple Platinum
License| Proprietary
Preceded by| Mac OS 8
Succeeded by|

* Mac OS X 10.0
* Mac OS X Server 1.0

Official website| Apple - Products - Mac OS 9 at the Wayback Machine (archived November 9, 2000)
Tagline| Your Internet co-pilot.
Support status
Historical, unsupported as of February 1, 2002
Part of a series on

Classic Mac OS

Versions

* System 1
* System 2, 3, and 4
* System 5
* System 6
* System 7
* Mac OS 7
* Mac OS 8
* Mac OS 9

Applications

* Calculator
* Chooser
* Drive Setup
* DVD Player
* Finder
* Graphing Calculator
* Keychain Access
* PictureViewer
* PowerTalk
* QuickTime Player
* Network Browser
* Scrapbook
* Sherlock
* Software Update
* Stickies
* System Information
* SimpleText

Developer

* HyperCard
* MacsBug
* Macintosh Programmer's Workshop
* ResEdit

Technology

* Alias
* Appearance Manager
* Apple menu
* At Ease
* Balloon help
* Bomb error
* Command key (⌘)
* Control Panel
* Control Strip
* Creator code
* Dogcow
* Extensions
* Hierarchical File System
* HFS Plus
* Keychain
* Labels
* Macintosh File System
* Macintosh Toolbox
* Managers
* MultiFinder
* Option key (⌥)
* OSType
* PICT
* QuickDraw
* QuickTime
* Resource fork
* Sosumi sound
* Startup sequence
* System folder
* System suitcase
* Type code
* WorldScript

Related

* Memory management
* Old World ROM
* New World ROM
* Software

* v
* t
* e

Mac OS 9 is the ninth and final major release of Apple's classic Mac OS operating system, which was succeeded by Mac OS X 10.0 in 2001, starting the Mac OS X family of operating systems. Introduced on October 23, 1999, it was promoted by Apple as "The Best Internet Operating System Ever",[5] highlighting Sherlock 2’s Internet search capabilities, integration with Apple's free online services known as iTools and improved Open Transport networking. While Mac OS 9 lacks protected memory and full pre-emptive multitasking,[6] lasting improvements include the introduction of an automated Software Update engine and support for multiple users.

Apple discontinued development of Mac OS 9 in late 2001, transitioning all future development to Mac OS X. The final updates to Mac OS 9 addressed compatibility issues with Mac OS X while running in the Classic Environment and compatibility with Carbon applications. At the 2002 Worldwide Developers Conference, Steve Jobs began his keynote address by staging a mock funeral for OS 9.[7]

## Features[edit]

Apple billed Mac OS 9 as including "50 new features" and heavily marketed its Sherlock 2 software, which introduced a "channels" feature for searching different online resources and introduced a QuickTime-like metallic appearance. Mac OS 9 also featured integrated support for Apple's suite of Internet services known as iTools (later re-branded as .Mac, then MobileMe, which was replaced by iCloud) and included improved TCP/IP functionality with Open Transport 2.5.

Other features new to Mac OS 9 include:[8]

* Integrated support for multiple user accounts without using At Ease.
* Support for voice login through VoicePrint passwords.
* Keychain, a feature allowing users to save passwords and textual data encrypted in protected keychains.
* A Software Update control panel for automatic download and installation of Apple system software updates.
* A redesigned Sound control panel and support for USB audio.
* Speakable Items 2.0, also known as PlainTalk, featuring improved speech synthesis and recognition along with AppleScript integration.[9]
* Improved font management through FontSync.
* Remote Access Personal Server 3.5, including support for TCP/IP clients over Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP).
* An updated version of AppleScript with support for TCP/IP.
* Personal File Sharing over TCP/IP.
* USB Printer Sharing, a control panel allowing certain USB printers to be shared across a TCP/IP network.
* 128-bit file encryption in the Finder.
* Support for files larger than 2 GB.
* Unix volume support.
* CD Burning in the Finder (introduced in Mac OS 9.1).
* Addition of a "Window" menu to the Finder (introduced in Mac OS 9.1)

## Mac OS 9 and the Classic Environment[edit]

Main article: Classic Environment

PowerPC versions of Mac OS X prior to 10.5 include a compatibility layer called Classic, enabling users to run applications and hardware requiring Mac OS 9 from within OS X. This is achieved through running Mac OS 9 without access to its Finder inside OS X. This requires Mac OS 9 to be installed on the computer even though most computers that can run the Classic environment are not necessarily able to boot into Mac OS 9 natively. Some Mac OS 9 applications do not run well in Classic. They demonstrate screen redraw problems and lagging performance. In addition, some drivers and other software which directly interact with the hardware fail to work properly.

In May 2002, at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose, California, Steve Jobs, accompanied by a coffin, held a mock funeral[7] to announce that Apple had stopped the development of Mac OS 9. The final version of Mac OS 9 and the "classic" Mac OS was Mac OS 9.2.2, released in December 2001.

In June 2005, Jobs announced that the Macintosh platform would be transitioning to Intel x86 microprocessors. Developer documentation of the Rosetta PowerPC emulation layer revealed that applications written for Mac OS 8 or 9 would not run on x86-based Macs. The Classic Environment remains in the PowerPC version of 10.4; however, x86 versions of OS X do not support the Classic environment.

Mac OS 9 can be emulated by using SheepShaver, a PowerPC emulator available on multiple operating systems, including Intel-based Macs. However, SheepShaver cannot run Mac OS versions newer than 9.0.4, as there is no support for a memory management unit. The PearPC PowerPC emulator does not support Mac OS 9.[10] QEMU has experimental support for running Mac OS 9 using PowerPC G4 emulation.[11]

The final Macs that were able to boot into Mac OS 9 natively without resorting to the Classic environment were the 1 GHz and 1.25 GHz "Mirrored Drive Doors" Power Mac G4 released in August 2002 (which was re-released in June 2003 due to a perceived demand for Mac OS 9 machines) and the 867 MHz and 1 GHz "Antimony" titanium PowerBook G4 ("TiBook") released in November 2002. These machines were released around the time when Mac OS 9 was still offered on some Macs up until 2004, even though development had stopped in late 2001.

Both the "Mirrored Drive Doors" Power Mac G4 and the "Antimony" titanium PowerBook G4 came preinstalled with both Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X in a dual-boot configuration (with Mac OS X being selected as the default). The "Mirrored Drive Doors" Power Mac G4 was one of the last Mac models overall to officially boot into Mac OS 9, while the "Antimony" titanium PowerBook G4 was the last PowerBook model able to run Mac OS 9 natively. While these final models of the Macs and PowerBooks have G4 processors with faster clock speeds of up to 1.25 GHz and 1 GHz respectively on some models, they were able to boot into Mac OS 9 natively without any issues.

The majority of G4 Macs released in 2003 onwards that have a 1 GHz or higher processor never had their "Mac OS ROM" boot files updated to allow those Macs to officially boot into Mac OS 9 natively outside of the Classic environment. All G5 Macs are unable to boot directly into Mac OS 9 at all because there was no support for PowerPC G5 processors on Mac OS 9 (Mac OS 9 only supports G3 and G4 processors as of Mac OS 9.2.2). Therefore, those Macs can only run Mac OS 9 under the Classic environment or other emulation software.

In recent years, unofficial patches for Mac OS 9 and the "Mac OS ROM" have been made to allow unsupported G4 Macs to boot into Mac OS 9 natively; however this is not officially supported by Apple.[12]

## Other uses[edit]

Main articles: Classic Mac OS § PowerPC emulation, and List of computer system emulators § Apple Macintosh with PowerPC CPU

Aside from Apple-branded hardware that is still maintained and operated, Mac OS 9 can be operated in other environments such as Windows and Unix.[13] The aforementioned SheepShaver software was initially not designed for use on x86 platforms and requires the use of an actual PowerPC processor present in the machine it was running on similar to a hypervisor. Support for x86 platforms was added later. Although it provides PowerPC processor support, it can only run up to Mac OS 9.0.4 because it does not emulate a memory management unit.

## Version history[edit]

Version  | Release date  | Changes  | Codename  | Computer  | Price

|
|
|
|
|

9.0 | October 23, 1999  |

* Initial release

| Sonata  | iMac G3  | 99 USD
9.0.2  | February 2000

(Shipped with Macs)

* Bug fixes

| —  | PowerBook (FireWire)  | Only shipped with referred Macs
9.0.3  | March 2000

(Shipped with Macs)

| iMac/iMac DV/iMac DV SE
9.0.4 | April 4, 2000  |

* Improved USB and FireWire support
* Other bug fixes

| Minuet  | iMac G3 (slot loading)  | Free Update
9.1 | January 9, 2001  |

* Integrated Disc Burning within Finder
* Implementation of Finder 'Window' menu
* Memory management unit required
* Improved stability

| Fortissimo  | iBook 14 inch and 12 inch
9.2  | June 18, 2001

(Shipped with Macs)

* G3 processor as minimum system requirement
* Improved speed
* Improved Classic Environment support

| Moonlight  | Power Mac G4 (QuickSilver)  | Only shipped with referred Macs
9.2.1  | August 21, 2001  |

* Minor bug fixes

| Limelight  | iBook (Late 2001), PowerBook G4 (Gigabit Ethernet)  | Free Update
9.2.2  | December 5, 2001  |

* Bug fixes relating to Classic Environment

| LU1  | eMac

Updates to Mac OS 9 include 9.0.4, 9.1, 9.2.1, and 9.2.2. Mac OS 9.0.4 was a collection of bug fixes primarily relating to USB and FireWire support. Mac OS 9.1 included integrated CD burning support in the Macintosh Finder and added a new Window menu in the Finder for switching between open windows. Mac OS 9.2 increased performance noticeably and improved Classic Environment support.

## Compatibility[edit]

Macintosh Model  | 9.0[14] | 9.1[14] | 9.2.1[14] | 9.2.2[14]

|
|
|
|

Power Macintosh 6100 | Yes  | Yes: Must install from CD  | No
Power Macintosh 7100
Power Macintosh 8100
PowerBook 2300 | Yes
PowerBook 2400c[C]
PowerBook 5300
PowerBook 1400[C] | Partial: Password Security unsupported
PowerBook 3400[C] | Yes: Hard disk driver must not be updated
Power Macintosh 5200 LC | Yes
Power Macintosh 5300 LC
Power Macintosh 5500[C]
Power Macintosh 4400
Power Macintosh 6200[C]
Power Macintosh 6300[C]
Power Macintosh 6400[C]
Power Macintosh 6500[C]
Power Macintosh 7200[C]
Power Macintosh 7300[C]
Power Macintosh 7500[C]
Power Macintosh 8500[C]
Power Macintosh 7600[C]
Power Macintosh 8600[C]
Power Macintosh 9600[C]
Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh[C]
PowerBook G3
PowerBook G3 Series  | Yes  | Yes
PowerBook (FireWire)  | Yes: Machine-specific version only
PowerBook G4[A] | No  | Yes: Machine-specific version only
PowerBook G4 (Gigabit Ethernet)[A] | No  | Yes: Machine-specific version only
PowerBook G4 (DVI)[A] | No  | Yes: Machine-specific version only
PowerBook G4 (1 GHz/867 MHz)[A]
PowerBook G4 (12-inch)[B] | Partial: Classic Environment only
PowerBook G4 (17-inch)[B]
PowerBook G4 (12-inch DVI)[B]
PowerBook G4 (12-inch 1.33 GHz)[B]
PowerBook G4 (12-inch 1.5 GHz)[B]
PowerBook G4 (15-inch FW 800)[B]
PowerBook G4 (15-inch 1.5/1.33 GHz)[B]
PowerBook G4 (17-inch 1.33 GHz)[B]
PowerBook G4 (17-inch 1.5 GHz)[B]
iBook | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes
iBook (FireWire)  | Yes: Machine-specific version only
iBook (Dual USB)[A] | No  | Yes: Machine-specific version only
iBook (Late 2001)[A]
iBook (14.1 LCD)[A] | No  | Partial: Classic Environment only
iBook (16 VRAM)[A]
iBook (Opaque 16 VRAM)[A]
iBook (32 VRAM)[A]
iBook (14.1 LCD 32 VRAM)[A]
iBook (Early 2003)[A] | Yes: Machine-specific version only
iBook G4[B] | Partial: Classic Environment only
iBook G4 (14-inch)[B]
iBook G4 (Early 2004)[B]
Power Macintosh G3 All-In-One  | Yes
Power Macintosh G3
Power Macintosh G3 (Blue and White)
iMac G3
iMac G3 (266 MHz, 333 MHz)
iMac G3 (Slot Loading)
iMac G3 (Summer 2000)  | Yes: Machine-specific version only  | Yes  | Yes
iMac G3 (Early 2001)[A] | No  | Yes: Machine-specific version only
iMac G3 (Summer 2001)[A]
iMac G4[A] | No  | Yes
iMac G4 (February 2003)[B] | Partial: Classic Environment only
iMac G4 (17-inch 1 GHz)[B]
iMac G4 (USB 2.0)[B]
iMac G5[B]
iMac G5 (Ambient Light Sensor)[B]
iMac G5 (iSight)[B]
eMac[A] | Yes
eMac (ATI Graphics CD-ROM drive)[A] | Yes: Machine-specific version only
eMac (ATI Graphics Combo drive)[A]
eMac (ATI Graphics SuperDrive)[B] | Partial: Classic Environment only
eMac (USB 2.0)[B]
eMac (2005)[B]
Power Mac G4 (PCI Graphics)  | Yes  | Yes
Power Mac G4 (AGP Graphics)
Power Mac G4 (Gigabit Ethernet)  | Yes: Machine-specific version only
Power Mac G4 Cube
Power Mac G4 (Digital Audio)[A] | No  | Yes: Machine-specific version only  | Yes
Power Mac G4 (QuickSilver)[A] | No
Power Mac G4 (QuickSilver 2002)[A] | No  | Yes: Machine-specific version only
Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors)[A]
Power Mac G4 (FW 800)[B] | Partial: Classic Environment only
Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2003)[A] | Yes: Machine-specific version only
Power Mac G5 | Partial: Classic Environment only
Power Mac G5 (June 2004)
Power Mac G5 (Late 2004)
Power Mac G5 (Early 2005)
Power Mac G5 (Late 2005)
Mac Mini (G4)[B]

1. 1Some newest G3 and most G4 Macs can only run at least Mac OS 9.1, and some only run at least Mac OS 9.2. This is because the late development of G3 Macs and the mid-development of G4 Macs was during the development of Mac OS 9 and only the versions the G4 Macs support were designed to be compatible with those G4 Macs.
2. 1Some newest G4 and all G5 Macs can only run at least Mac OS 9.2, and can only run its compatible versions of Mac OS 9 in OS X's Classic Environment because the "Mac OS ROM" was never updated to allow those Macs, which were developed during the OS X era, to directly boot it (but probably continued to run in userspace, with the restriction that it would only run at least Mac OS 9.2, so it was still supported in the Classic Environment).
3. 1Although Mac OS 9.2 to 9.2.2 officially requires a G3 processor as a minimum, certain second generation Power Macs can be made to run it using a third party program called "OS9 Helper", which allows for such benefits like support for the latest ATI classic Mac OS drivers, full iPod compatibility, and the ability to run DVD Studio Pro 1.5 or 1.2.1 and Final Cut Pro 3, among other things.[15][16]

## See also[edit]

* List of Apple operating systems

Timeline of Mac operating systems

* v
* t
* e

## References[edit]

1. ^ "October 23, 1999: Mac OS 9 Released". AppleMatters. Retrieved 2009-11-28.
2. ^ "October 23, 1999: Mac OS 9 Released [Archive] \- Mac Forums". Retrieved 2009-11-28.
3. ^ "October 23, 1999: Mac OS 9 Released MacBytes.com". MacRumors.com. Retrieved 2009-11-28.
4. ^ https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1293?locale=en_US
5. ^ "October 23, 1999: Mac OS 9 Released". AppleMatters.com. Archived from the original on 2009-10-28. Retrieved 2009-11-28.
6. ^ "Re: newbie question: What is a Blue Task". Apple.com. Archived from the original on 2007-10-13. Retrieved 2007-03-29.
7. ^ a b "Apple WWDC 2002-The Death Of Mac OS 9". YouTube.com. Archived from the original on 2010-04-18. Retrieved 2010-03-16.
8. ^ "MacHelp What's New in Mac OS 9". Apple.com. Archived from the original on 2007-10-13. Retrieved 2007-03-29.
9. ^ "Mac OS 9: What's New - Speakable Items". Apple.com. Archived from the original on 2007-10-13. Retrieved 2007-03-29.
10. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". PearPC Developers. Archived from the original on 2006-11-15. Retrieved 2006-11-16.
11. ^ "Emulate Mac OS 9 With QEMU". James Badger. 2018-11-07. Archived from the original on 2020-11-08. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
12. ^ "Mac OS 9 booting on: Previously Unspported G4 Models (Summary "Current state")". Archived from the original on 2021-06-11. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
13. ^ "E-Maculation wiki". Archived from the original on 17 January 2013. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
14. ^ a b c d "Mac OS 8 and 9 compatibility with Macintosh computers". Apple Inc. Archived from the original on 2009-03-04. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
15. ^ "Other World Computing: OS 9 Forever". eshop.macsales.com. Archived from the original on 2022-01-18. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
16. ^ OS 9 Forever Compatibility

## External links[edit]

* Mac OS 9 - Technical Note TN1176 at the Wayback Machine (archived March 30, 2009) from Apple
* Mac OS 9.0.4 - Technical Note TN1194 at the Wayback Machine (archived February 23, 2004) from Apple
* Mac OS 9.1 - Technical Note TN2010 at the Wayback Machine (archived April 4, 2004) from Apple
* iMac Firmware Update at the Wayback Machine (archived March 3, 2008) from Apple

Preceded by

Mac OS 8

|  Mac OS 9
1999  | Succeeded by

Mac OS X 10.0 (Cheetah)

|
|

* v
* t
* e

Classic Mac OS

Versions|

* System 1
* System 2, 3, and 4
* System 5
* System 6
* System 7
* Mac OS 7
* Mac OS 8
* Mac OS 9

Applications|

* Calculator
* Chooser
* Drive Setup
* DVD Player
* Finder
* Graphing Calculator
* Keychain Access
* PictureViewer
* PowerTalk
* QuickTime Player
* Network Browser
* Scrapbook
* Sherlock
* Software Update
* Stickies
* System Information
* SimpleText

Developer|

* HyperCard
* MacsBug
* Macintosh Programmer's Workshop
* ResEdit

Technology|

* Alias
* Appearance Manager
* Apple menu
* At Ease
* Balloon help
* Bomb error
* Command key (⌘)
* Control Panel
* Control Strip
* Creator code
* Dogcow
* Extensions
* Hierarchical File System
* HFS Plus
* Keychain
* Labels
* Macintosh File System
* Macintosh Toolbox
* Managers
* MultiFinder
* Multiprocessing Services
* Option key (⌥)
* OSType
* PICT
* QuickDraw
* QuickTime
* Resource fork
* Sosumi sound
* Startup sequence
* System folder
* System suitcase
* Type code
* WorldScript

Related articles|

* Memory management
* Old World ROM
* New World ROM
* Software

* v
* t
* e

Operating systems by Apple

Apple II, III, Lisa|

* Apple II series
* Apple DOS
* ProDOS
* GS/OS
* Apple III
* SOS
* Lisa
* Lisa OS
* MacWorks

Mac|

| Classic Mac OS|

* System 1
* Systems 2, 3, and 4
* System 5
* System 6
* System 7
* Mac OS 8
* Mac OS 9

|

macOS|

* History
* NeXTSTEP
* OpenStep
* Rhapsody
* Public Beta
* Core
* Darwin
* XNU
* Desktop
* Mac OS X 10.0 (Cheetah)
* 10.1 (Puma)
* 10.2 (Jaguar)
* 10.3 (Panther)
* 10.4 (Tiger)
* 10.5 (Leopard)
* 10.6 (Snow Leopard)
* 10.7 (Lion)
* 10.8 (Mountain Lion)
* 10.9 (Mavericks)
* 10.10 (Yosemite)
* 10.11 (El Capitan)
* 10.12 (Sierra)
* 10.13 (High Sierra)
* 10.14 (Mojave)
* 10.15 (Catalina)
* 11 (Big Sur)
* 12 (Monterey)
* 13 (Ventura)
* 14 (Sonoma)
* Server
* Mac OS X Server 1.0

Other projects|

* Shipped
* A/ROSE
* A/UX
* AIX for Apple Network Servers
* MAE
* MkLinux
* PowerOpen Environment
* Cancelled
* Star Trek
* Taligent
* Copland
* Nukernel
* Vanguard

iPod, iPhone, iPad|

* iPod software
* iOS
* iPhone OS 1
* iPhone OS 2
* iPhone OS 3
* iOS 4
* iOS 5
* iOS 6
* iOS 7
* iOS 8
* iOS 9
* iOS 10
* iOS 11
* iOS 12
* iOS 13
* iOS 14
* iOS 15
* iOS 16
* iOS 17
* iPadOS
* iPadOS 13
* iPadOS 14
* iPadOS 15
* iPadOS 16
* iPadOS 17

Other devices|

* Newton
* Newton OS
* Apple Watch
* watchOS
* Apple TV
* Apple TV Software
* tvOS
* Apple Vision Pro
* visionOS
* HomePod
* audioOS
* T series
* bridgeOS

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