Blog

How this site works, what classic Macintosh software was actually like, and why the files it left behind are so awkward to open.

Installing Escape Velocity Inside a Browser Tab

September 2026 · Andrew Nakas

How nine Ambrosia Software games were installed by running their 1990s Mac installers inside an emulated Mac OS 8.6, in a browser, driven by a script.

Why System 7.5 Says It Was Not Shut Down Properly

September 2026 · Andrew Nakas

Why System 7.5 warns about an improper shutdown, why the HFS unmounted bit has nothing to do with it, and the empty file that does.

The 1984 Mac Filesystem Had No Folders

September 2026 · Andrew Nakas

How MFS, the original Macintosh File System, faked folders, chained files through a twelve-bit map, and why reading it unlocked most of 1984 and 1985.

What Shareware Licences Actually Say

September 2026 · Andrew Nakas

Most of the 1985–2000 Macintosh catalogue was released on terms that explicitly permit copying it. Three licence files, read properly.

How a 1991 Macintosh Boots in a Browser Tab in Two Seconds

September 2026 · Andrew Nakas

The stack behind macemu: WebAssembly emulators, content-addressed disk chunks, cross-origin isolation, and why the fast page and the readable page differ.

Why Old Mac Files Won't Open, and What to Do About It

September 2026 · Andrew Nakas

Resource forks, type and creator codes, StuffIt, BinHex and MacBinary — why a Macintosh file that crossed platforms arrives broken, and how to open one today.