Editing Mac OS 8 (section)

{{Short description|Eighth major release of the classic Mac OS (1997)}}
{{About|the eighth major release of the classic Mac OS|version 10.8 of macOS (formerly OS X)|OS X Mountain Lion|the eighth release of macOS|Mac OS X Lion}}
{{more citations needed|date=September 2015}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2015}}
{{Infobox OS version
| name = Mac OS 8
| family = [[Macintosh operating systems|Macintosh]]
| screenshot = Mac OS 8.1 emulated inside of SheepShaver.png
| caption = Screenshot of Mac OS 8.1
| developer = [[Apple Computer]]
| version of = [[Classic Mac OS]]
| source model = [[Closed source]]
| ui = [[Appearance Manager|Apple Platinum]]
| working state = Historic, unsupported
| first release date = {{Start date and age|1997|07|26}}
| first release url = {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090423083234/http://www.apple.com/ca/press/1997/08/MacOS8Sales.html|date=April 23, 2009|nolink=yes}}
| release version = 8.6
| release date = {{Start date and age|1999|05|10}}
| release url = https://archive.today/20130209071935/http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macos/359
| preceded by = [[System 7]]
| succeeded by = [[Mac OS 9]]
| supported platforms = [[PowerPC]], [[Motorola 68000 series|Motorola 68k series]] (until 8.5)
| kernel type = [[Monolithic kernel|Monolithic]] ([[Motorola 68000 series|68k]]),<br />[[nanokernel]] ([[PowerPC]])
| license = [[Proprietary software|Proprietary]]
| website = {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990922040915/http://apple.com:80/macos/ |date=September 22, 1999 |title=Apple - Products - Mac OS 8.6|nolink=yes}}
| tagline = Mac OS 8-8.1: A new look. A new feel. A dramatically new experience. Mac OS 8.5-8.6: Faster. Smarter. Far more clever.
| support status = Historical, unsupported as of May 2001
| Slogan = Click to Enter
}}
{{classic Mac OS sidebar}}
'''Mac OS 8''' is the eighth major release of the [[classic Mac OS]] [[operating system]] for [[Mac (computer)|Macintosh]] computers, released by [[Apple Computer]] on July 26, 1997.<ref name="Mac OS 8 Sales">{{Cite web |title=Apple Sells 1.2 Million Copies of Mac OS 8; Best Software Product Sales Ever in First Two Weeks of Availability |url=https://www.apple.com/ca/press/1997/08/MacOS8Sales.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090423083234/http://www.apple.com/ca/press/1997/08/MacOS8Sales.html |archive-date=April 23, 2009 |access-date=October 1, 2017}}</ref> It includes the largest overhaul of the classic Mac OS experience since the release of [[System 7 (Macintosh)|System 7]], approximately six years before. It places a greater emphasis on color than prior versions. Released over a series of updates, Mac OS 8 represents an incremental integration of many of the technologies which had been developed from 1988 to 1996 for Apple's ambitious OS named [[Copland (operating system)|Copland]]. Mac OS 8 helped modernize the Mac OS while Apple developed its next-generation operating system, [[macOS|Mac OS X]] (renamed in 2012 to OS X and then in 2016 to macOS).

Mac OS 8 is one of Apple's most commercially successful software releases, selling over 1.2 million copies in the first two weeks.<ref name="Mac OS 8 Sales" /><ref name="Cyberian Sales">{{Cite web |title=Mac OS 8 Sales on Fire |url=http://news.cnet.com/Mac+OS+8+sales+on+fire/2100-1001_3-202222.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120718024735/http://news.cnet.com/Mac-OS-8-sales-on-fire/2100-1001_3-202222.html |archive-date=July 18, 2012 |access-date=March 30, 2007}}</ref> As it came at a difficult time in Apple's history, many [[Copyright infringement#"Piracy"|pirate]] groups refused to traffic in the new OS, encouraging people to buy it instead.<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 8, 1997 |title=Where do you want to pirate today? |work=Forbes |url=https://www.forbes.com/1997/08/08/column.html |quote=In fact, the latest word out in the Macwarez scene is that pirates shouldn't copy Apple's OS 8—Mac's latest operating system—they should buy it, since Apple so desperately needs the money. |access-date=September 4, 2017 |archive-date=August 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827074855/https://www.forbes.com/1997/08/08/column.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Mac OS 8.0 introduces the most visible changes in the lineup, including the [[Appearance Manager|Platinum]] interface and a native [[PowerPC]] [[Thread (computing)|multithreaded]] [[Finder (software)|Finder]]. Mac OS 8.1 introduces a new, more efficient [[file system]] named [[HFS Plus]]. Mac OS 8.5 is the first version of the Mac OS to require a [[PowerPC]] processor. It features PowerPC native versions of [[QuickDraw]], [[AppleScript]], and the [[Sherlock (software)|Sherlock]] search utility. Its successor, [[Mac OS 9]], was released on October 23, 1999.