Mac OS 8 is an
operating system that was released by
Apple Computer on July 26, 1997. It represented the largest overhaul of the
Mac OS since the release of
System 7, some six years previously. It puts more emphasis on color than previous operating systems. Released over a series of updates, Mac OS 8 was an effort to integrate many of the technologies developed for Apple's overly-ambitious
operating system known as
Copland. Mac OS 8 helped modernize the Mac OS while Apple developed its next generation operating system,
OS X. Mac OS 8 is one of Apple's most successful software releases, selling over 1.2 million copies in the first two weeks. Coming as it did at a difficult time in Apple's history, many
pirate groups refused to traffic in the new operating system, encouraging people to buy it instead.