Timeline
Scroll through the history and open any system. Open-source systems come first because they can be shared freely. Windows is still under copyright, so we don't host it. If you own a copy of an older version, you can run it here with Bring your own.
- 1969–1980
Before the IBM PC
Personal computers came before the IBM PC: the Altair 8800 kit was a magazine cover story in 1975, and the Apple II came ready to use in 1977.1
- 1969
Unix
Begun at Bell Labs in 1969 on a little-used computer, Unix grew into a family that includes Linux.1, 2
Info only Read the story →
1969 Meanwhile: On 20 July, Neil Armstrong becomes the first person to set foot on the Moon, with more than half a billion people watching on TV.2 - 1981–1989
The PC arrives
IBM launched its Personal Computer in 1981, other companies built “IBM compatible” machines, and “PC” became a generic name for this kind of computer.3
- 1981
PC DOS 1.0
PC DOS, made by Microsoft, launched alongside the IBM PC in 1981. You typed every command.1, 2
Info only Read the story →
1981 Meanwhile: Nintendo's Donkey Kong is a hit with video game fans. Its hero, Jumpman, later becomes world-famous under another name: Mario.4 - 1984
Mac System 1
In 1984, the first Mac put a desk on the screen: icons, windows and menus you used with a mouse.1
Info only Read the story → See every Mac version →
1984 Meanwhile: Alexey Pajitnov, a programmer from the Soviet Union, creates Tetris. The name joins tetra, Greek for four (each piece has four squares), and tennis.5 - 1985
AmigaOS
In 1985 the Amiga let a personal computer run several programs at once, each in its own window.2
Info only Read the story →
1985 Meanwhile: On 13 September, Super Mario Bros. first comes out, for Nintendo's Family Computer games console.6 - 1985
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 → See every Windows version →
- 1987
MINIX
A teacher wrote his own Unix-like system so students could study all of its code. It helped inspire Linux.1, 2
- 1990–1999
Windows and the mouse go mainstream
Windows 3.0 and 3.1 sold 10 million copies in their first two years.7
- 1990
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 → See every Windows version →
1990 Meanwhile: By the end of the year, Tim Berners-Lee has the first web server and web browser running at CERN.8 - 1991
Linux
A Finnish student's hobby, announced in 1991, became the foundation of Android.1, 5, 8
Info only Read the story → Try it in Tiny Core Linux
- 1993
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 → See every Windows version →
1993 Meanwhile: On 30 April, CERN makes its web software free for anyone to use. By late 1993, there are over 500 known web servers.9 - 1994
FreeDOS
In 1994 Microsoft said Windows would replace DOS. A student decided to write a free DOS instead.1
1994 Meanwhile: On 3 December, Sony's first PlayStation games console launches in Japan.10 - 1995
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 → See every Windows version →
1995 Meanwhile: On 22 November, Pixar's Toy Story opens in cinemas. Pixar calls it the world's first computer-animated feature film.11 - 1996
ReactOS
A free system built from scratch to work like Windows.1 It began in 1996 and is not made by Microsoft.2, 4
1996 Meanwhile: On 27 February, the first Pokémon games, Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green, come out in Japan.12 - 1998
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 → See every Windows version →
1998 Meanwhile: Google becomes a company, Google Inc., and moves out of Stanford dorm rooms into its first office: a garage in Menlo Park, California.13 - 2000–2006
The internet age
High-speed broadband began to replace dial-up internet: by March 2006, 42% of American adults had it at home.14
- 2000
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 → See every Windows version →
2000 Meanwhile: On 2 November, the first crew arrives at the International Space Station: one NASA astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts.15 - 2001
Haiku
Volunteers started this free successor to BeOS in August 2001, the month Palm agreed to buy BeOS.1, 2, 3
2001 Meanwhile: On 23 October, Apple presents the iPod, a music player that fits in your pocket and holds up to 1,000 songs.16 - 2001
Mac OS X 10.0
Steve Jobs called Mac OS X Apple's most important software since the first Macintosh system of 1984.1
Info only Read the story → See every Mac version →
- 2001
Windows XP
Windows XP brought a redesigned look, built on the Windows NT and Windows 2000 base.1
Info only Read the story → See every Windows version →
- 2004
KolibriOS
A graphical operating system small enough to fit on one floppy disk,2 with its core written in assembly language.1
2004 Meanwhile: On 4 February, Mark Zuckerberg launches thefacebook from his dorm room, at first as a directory for Harvard students.17 - 2007–today
Computers in your pocket
In 2007 Apple introduced the iPhone, a phone, music player and internet device in one that you control with your fingers.18
- 2007
Windows Vista
Windows Vista brought see-through glass window borders, and User Account Control to help stop harmful software.1, 2
Info only Read the story → See every Windows version →
- 2007
iPhone OS
The first iPhone's software let you control a phone with just your fingers: a tap, flick or pinch.2
Info only Read the story →
- 2008
Android
Android was announced in 2007 by 34 companies. Its first phone, the T-Mobile G1, went on sale in 2008.1, 3
- 2009
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
2009 Meanwhile: Minecraft is first released. Players dig blocks out of a randomly made world and build with them.19 - 2009
Windows 7
Windows 7 brought a redesigned taskbar and new ways to handle windows, like Snap and Shake.1
Info only Read the story → See every Windows version →
- 2015
Windows 10
Windows 10 brought back the Start menu and arrived as a free upgrade for Windows 7 and 8.1 PCs.1
Info only Read the story → See every Windows version →
2015 Meanwhile: On 14 July, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft flies past Pluto, after a journey of almost 10 years and three billion miles.20 - 2020
macOS Big Sur
Apple called Big Sur its biggest design upgrade since Mac OS X. It was engineered for the M1 chip.1, 2
Info only Read the story → See every Mac version →
- 2021
Windows 11
Windows 11 moved Start to the center and rounded the corners of every app window.1, 3
Info only Read the story → See every Windows version →
2021 Meanwhile: On 25 December, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope launches from French Guiana to look for the first galaxies.21
About
OS Museum is an educational project by Essow. The virtual PCs run entirely in your browser using the open-source v86 emulator. They have no internet connection, nothing you do inside them touches your real computer, and each machine resets when you leave the page. If you own an older system, you can also bring your own: your files never leave your computer.
OS Museum is free and has no ads. If you'd like to help keep it that way, you can support it on Ko-fi.