The operating system archive: 26 systems, 7 you can boot in your browser.

1969
Before the IBM PC · 1969–1980
Unix
Begun at Bell Labs in 1969 on a little-used computer, Unix grew into a family that includes Linux.^{1, 2}
Read the story →
Our drawing · not a screenshot
1981
The PC arrives · 1981–1989
PC DOS 1.0
PC DOS, made by Microsoft, launched alongside the IBM PC in 1981. You typed every command.^{1, 2}
Read the story →
Our drawing · not a screenshot
1984
The PC arrives · 1981–1989
Mac System 1
In 1984, the first Mac put a desk on the screen: icons, windows and menus you used with a mouse.¹
Read the story →
Our drawing · not a screenshot
1985
The PC arrives · 1981–1989
AmigaOS
In 1985 the Amiga let a personal computer run several programs at once, each in its own window.²
Read the story →
Our drawing · not a screenshot
1985
The PC arrives · 1981–1989
Windows 1.0
Windows began in 1985 as a mouse-driven layer on top of MS-DOS, with its windows side by side.^{1, 2}
Bring your own copy Read the story →
$Close-up of the top of a Windows 1.0 screen: a blue title bar reading 'MS-DOS Executive', a yellow menu bar with File, View and Special, drive icons A and C with C selected, the path C:\WINDOWS, and file names in columns, with NOTEPAD.EXE highlighted under the mouse pointer.$
Our drawing · not a screenshot
1987
The PC arrives · 1981–1989
MINIX
A teacher wrote his own Unix-like system so students could study all of its code. It helped inspire Linux.^{1, 2}
▶ Boot it Read the story →
1990
Windows and the mouse go mainstream · 1990–1999
Windows 3.0
With Windows 3.0 in 1990, Windows started to look like the versions that came after it.¹
Bring your own copy Read the story →
Our drawing · not a screenshot
1991
Windows and the mouse go mainstream · 1990–1999
Linux
A Finnish student's hobby, announced in 1991, became the foundation of Android.^{1, 5, 8}
▶ Try it in Tiny Core Linux Read the story →
Our drawing · not a screenshot
1993
Windows and the mouse go mainstream · 1990–1999
Windows NT 3.1
Microsoft's new 32-bit Windows, built from scratch for business. On the outside, it looked like Windows 3.1.^{1, 3}
Bring your own copy Read the story →
$A Windows NT 3.1 screen on a teal desktop. Performance Monitor shows a chart with a red and a green line. Event Viewer lists the System Log on \\MUSEUM with dates, times and sources. Disk Administrator, the active window with a dark blue title bar, shows Disk 0 with one 2047 MB FAT partition, C:. At the bottom left are the icons for User Manager and Program Manager, labeled 'Program Manager - MUSEUM\Administrator'.$
Our drawing · not a screenshot
1994
Windows and the mouse go mainstream · 1990–1999
FreeDOS
In 1994 Microsoft said Windows would replace DOS. A student decided to write a free DOS instead.¹
▶ Boot it Read the story →
1995
Windows and the mouse go mainstream · 1990–1999
Windows 95
Windows 95 introduced the Start button and the taskbar, and sold 7 million copies in five weeks.^{1, 2}
Bring your own copy Read the story →
Our drawing · not a screenshot
1996
Windows and the mouse go mainstream · 1990–1999
ReactOS
A free system built from scratch to work like Windows.¹ It began in 1996 and is not made by Microsoft.^{2, 4}
▶ Boot it Read the story →
1998
Windows and the mouse go mainstream · 1990–1999
Windows 98
The first Windows designed specifically for home users. It brought USB, DVD support and the Quick Launch bar.^{1, 2}
Bring your own copy Read the story →
Our drawing · not a screenshot
2000
The internet age · 2000–2006
Windows Me
Windows Millennium Edition was made for home PCs. It brought System Restore, Movie Maker and Windows Media Player 7.¹
Bring your own copy Read the story →
Our drawing · not a screenshot
2001
The internet age · 2000–2006
Haiku
Volunteers started this free successor to BeOS in August 2001, the month Palm agreed to buy BeOS.^{1, 2, 3}
▶ Boot it Read the story →
2001
The internet age · 2000–2006
Mac OS X 10.0
Steve Jobs called Mac OS X Apple's most important software since the first Macintosh system of 1984.¹
Read the story →
Our drawing · not a screenshot
2001
The internet age · 2000–2006
Windows XP
Windows XP brought a redesigned look, built on the Windows NT and Windows 2000 base.¹
Read the story →
Our drawing · not a screenshot
2004
The internet age · 2000–2006
KolibriOS
A graphical operating system small enough to fit on one floppy disk,² with its core written in assembly language.¹
▶ Boot it Read the story →
2007
Computers in your pocket · 2007–today
Windows Vista
Windows Vista brought see-through glass window borders, and User Account Control to help stop harmful software.^{1, 2}
Read the story →
Our drawing · not a screenshot
2007
Computers in your pocket · 2007–today
iPhone OS
The first iPhone's software let you control a phone with just your fingers: a tap, flick or pinch.²
Read the story →
Our drawing · not a screenshot
2008
Computers in your pocket · 2007–today
Android
Android was announced in 2007 by 34 companies. Its first phone, the T-Mobile G1, went on sale in 2008.^{1, 3}
▶ Boot it Read the story →
2009
Computers in your pocket · 2007–today
Tiny Core Linux
A Linux so small that it loads entirely into memory and starts brand new every time you switch it on.^{1, 2}
▶ Boot it Read the story →
2009
Computers in your pocket · 2007–today
Windows 7
Windows 7 brought a redesigned taskbar and new ways to handle windows, like Snap and Shake.¹
Read the story →
Our drawing · not a screenshot
2015
Computers in your pocket · 2007–today
Windows 10
Windows 10 brought back the Start menu and arrived as a free upgrade for Windows 7 and 8.1 PCs.¹
Read the story →
Our drawing · not a screenshot
2020
Computers in your pocket · 2007–today
macOS Big Sur
Apple called Big Sur its biggest design upgrade since Mac OS X. It was engineered for the M1 chip.^{1, 2}
Read the story →
Our drawing · not a screenshot
2021
Computers in your pocket · 2007–today
Windows 11
Windows 11 moved Start to the center and rounded the corners of every app window.^{1, 3}
Read the story →
Our drawing · not a screenshot

▶ Try an OS See the whole timeline →