Mac OS, then Mac OS X, then OS X, and now macOS. Probably Mac OS again some time...

Traster · on March 24, 2020

Well then say that MacOS is 3 pixels slimmer than Mac OS but it just doesn't have the same feel and I'm constanly get crumbs stuck between the c and the O.

Someone · on March 25, 2020

It started nameless, colloquially called “System”, became “Macintosh System Software” in 1987, and only became Mac OS in 1996 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_Mac_OS)

waterhouse · on March 24, 2020

I personally just say Mac OS. If there were some device called the Blarg, with an operating system built to run just on the Blarg, then that operating system would be most naturally called Blarg OS; I suspect the vast majority of people would call it that if no name were supplied.

Wowfunhappy · on March 25, 2020

Also, since OS X's full name was always still "Mac OS X", "Mac OS" correctly refers to every iteration of the operating system.

IggleSniggle · on March 24, 2020

Yeah, jeez, what's NeXT?

verify_sirrah · on March 24, 2020

macOS matches watchOS, tvOS, iOS, and iPadOS. Unless Apple decides to rename all their products, I don't see macOS changing.

sneak · on March 25, 2020

If this makes people stop pronouncing it “ecks” (it’s “ten”, a roman numeral), I’m all for it.