It may not feel that way, but we Mac users have now had quite a long run with OS X. We're coming up on 12 years since the first public release of the operating system (and even longer if you consider the betas and developer previews), and we've seen OS X go through plenty of changes during that time. Indeed, even Mac veterans may—with the passing of the years—have forgotten just how shaky some of those early OS versions could be.

Don't remember what OS X used to look like back when dinosaurs used to roam the planet and Apple's OS ran only on PowerPC processors? We've mined more than a decade of our own OS X reviews—studiously authored by John Siracusa—for screenshots and other OS X-related memories that trace the development of Apple's desktop OS through the 2000s. If you're interested in seeing how various UI elements have evolved over the years, strap yourself in for this safari showcasing OS X's big cats...

Mac OS X 10.0: Cheetah

OS X was officially released to the public in 2001 after a rollercoaster series of developer previews, some of which barely resembled the final product. Because it was brand new to most users coming over from Mac OS 9, the new OS featured a number of "shocking" interface elements, such as the new file browser:

And because so many users were still making generous use of their OS 8 and 9 applications, OS X featured a "Classic" mode. Take a look at 10.0's Classic mode settings panel:

In his review of Mac OS X 10.0, Siracusa concluded with this fairly mixed verdict:

Mac OS X shows tremendous promise, which is a nice way of saying that the 10.0 release is not quite ready for prime time. This is most certainly an early adopter's OS release. Interface responsiveness and effective stability are the two biggest fundamental problems, but missing features and compatibility issues rank just as high if you actually intend to use OS X as a full Mac OS 9 replacement: the 10.0 release cannot view DVD movies; printer drivers are still scarce; CD burning is not yet supported, even by Apple's own iTunes CD authoring application; and a lot of hardware (like my G3/400's serial port adapter to which my printer is attached) seem destined to be orphaned forever. Perhaps the most important feature of the 10.0 release is the Software Update preference panel. A 10.0.1 update that includes a new kernel and classic environment, SSH support, a slew of updated drivers, and many other small fixes has been circulating on the net, and may be released by the time you read this. A regular series of free, network-distributed OS updates will go a long way towards making OS X fulfill even the limited promise of a first release of a brand new operating system. Let's hope Apple doesn't foolishly try to charge for the more significant upgrade due in time for July's MacWorld Expo in New York. Unlike previous articles, this one was written almost entirely in OS X. I forced myself to do this, to some degree, and I certainly spent most of my time in classic applications like BBEdit and Photoshop even when running OS X. But the experience was at least tolerable, which is more than can be said for my experience with earlier releases. Should you upgrade to Mac OS X? If you don't already have a copy (or plans to buy one), the answer is no. Most users should wait for a future release, and possibly new hardware to run it on. Should Apple have released OS X in its current state? I think so. Nothing stimulates application development like a shipping OS. Let's hope that the official release of Mac OS X also stimulates Apple itself to make improvements.

Mac OS X 10.1: Puma

The next major version of Mac OS X, 10.1, was released the same year (2001) as 10.0. Apple was quick to make some tweaks in the first six months. So what did it look like?

Here's Puma's Dock:

And the System Prefs:

The Login window also sported this Aqua-fied look:

Siracusa's take was only a bit more positive this time around, and believing in the new OS still required nothing short of faith: