WebSE – System 7.0 – Test Drive a Macintosh… is a site that has a Flash (?) simulation of the Apple Macintosh System 7.0 on an SE. I think we will see more of these as ways of preserving the culture of computing. This project should be expanded to a MAME type project for old operating systems. We build on SWF a simulation engine with which to create interactive simulations of old environments.
(Added on May 27, 2004) Thanks to St?©fan Sinclair, here is another simulation of an old Mac. P.dro Classic emulates not just the screen, but has a mouse that moves on a pad and post-it notes. An interesting idea that isn’t executed completely. I could be wrong, but some parts of the emulation are wrong. It is also marred by an unnecessary folder of low-rez porn. This appears to be more of an exercise in nostalgia than a serious attempt to capture the experience of an early Mac.
Such fan simulations raise questions worth exploring.
- Are there different types of emulations – those that actually provide a shell in which the original code can run and those that simply simulate the screen experience in an entirely new system? What are the advantages of these two approaches?
- What are we trying to capture in these simulations? Candidates are, the whole experience including the look of the equipment, the physical/cultural context (post-its and all), just the screen experience, the execution of code, or our memory of being there.
- How can we leverage the fond memories and the fan community into a preservation project?
Comments are closed.