Mac OS 9

Mac OS 9 is the ninth and final major release of Apple's classic Mac OS operating system, which was succeeded by Mac OS X 10.0 in 2001, starting the Mac OS X family of operating systems. Introduced on October 23, 1999, it was promoted by Apple as "The Best Internet Operating System Ever",^[6] highlighting Sherlock 2’s Internet search capabilities, integration with Apple's free online services known as iTools and improved Open Transport networking. While Mac OS 9 lacks protected memory and full pre-emptive multitasking,^[7] lasting improvements include the introduction of an automated Software Update engine and support for multiple users.

Mac OS 9

Version of the classic Mac OS operating system
Developer	Apple Computer
OS family	Macintosh
Working state	Historic, unsupported
Source model	Closed source
Released to manufacturing	October 23, 1999; 25 years ago (October 23, 1999)[1][2][3]
Latest release	9.2.2 / December 5, 2001; 23 years ago (2001-12-05)[5]
Platforms	PowerPC
Kernel type	Nanokernel
Default user interface	Apple Platinum
License	Proprietary
Preceded by	Mac OS 8
Succeeded by	Mac OS X 10.0 Mac OS X Server 1.0
Official website	Apple - Products - Mac OS 9 at the Wayback Machine (archived November 9, 2000)
Support status
Historical, unsupported as of February 1, 2002

Apple discontinued development of Mac OS 9 in late 2001, transitioning all future development to Mac OS X. The final updates to Mac OS 9 addressed work problems with Mac OS X while running in the Classic Environment and works with Carbon applications. At the 2002 Worldwide Developers Conference, Steve Jobs began his keynote address by staging a mock funeral for OS 9.^[8]