Here is something for the hard-core software enthusiasts; the source code of Apple’s Lisa operating system, as well as its apps, is all set to be released in 2018 courtesy of Al Kossow, a software curator attached to the Computer History Museum. Kossow said he came across the source code for both the Lisa OS as well as its applications and is being reviewed by Apple. Once that is done, he intends to release it to the public for free sometime in 2018.
This should be great news for those who wish to tinker with software codes and have a liking for historical stuff here. What makes the discovery as well as its impending launch for the public important is that it is coming with Apple’s endorsement of sorts for the software.
The Lisa, however, happens to be among the less popular of Apple products. That again does not dent its significance given how it was among the first to come with a user-friendly graphical user interface as well as a mouse. First released in 1983, the Lisa went on to sell 10,000 units and was then priced $10,000 a pop.
Despite selling in low numbers, what guarantees Lisa a place in Apple’s rich history of computer devices is its software innovations, besides the fact that was developed by the legendary Steve Jobs. Interestingly, Lisa’s failure in the market is also the reason Jobs left Apple though he was right back in at Apple with his next creation, the NeXT Computer.
Also, despite its failure, the Lisa lineage led to the birth of the famous Macintosh line of computers. In fact, Macintosh can well be considered to be an advanced version of the Lisa but one that is a lot more affordable. No wonder, Macintosh went on to create history and continues to be one of the most sought-after personal computers till date.
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Unfortunately, the direct descendants of Lisa that were subsequently launched with some improvements and a lower price tag failed to take off in the market, leading to it being discontinued permanently within a few years.
