Computer History Museum Releases Apple Lisa Source Code on 40th Launch Anniversary

The Computer History Museum located in Mountain View, California, today released the Apple Lisa source code, including its system and applications software. Today happens to be the 40th anniversary of the original January 19, 1983 release of the Apple Lisa.

apple lisa
Aimed at business users, the Apple Lisa was priced at close to $10,000 when it was introduced, and the high price tag combined with software issues and problems with floppy disks caused it to be something of a commercial failure. Though it was largely replaced with the much more affordable Apple Macintosh and Lisa 2 after just two years, The Apple Lisa is known for its innovative use of a graphical user interface (GUI).

The Apple Lisa included several apps, such as a word processor, spreadsheet, and charts, all of which were bundled with the system. The GUI was inspired by Xerox PARC's Smalltalk system, but had its own innovations that ultimately inspired Apple's future operating systems as well as Microsoft's Windows software.

Those interested in downloading the Apple Lisa code can do so through the Computer History Museum website.

The code is being released as part of the Computer History Museum's ongoing "Art of Code" series, which explores historical code releases that power significant developments in computing. There will be a hybrid in-person/online event on January 31 at 7:00 p.m. Pacific Time that will commemorate Apple's PC journey and highlight what made the Lisa the company's "most important flop."

Popular Stories

iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3

Wednesday February 11, 2026 10:07 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3, the latest updates to the iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 operating systems that came out in September. The new software comes almost two months after Apple released iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. According to Apple's release notes, ...
m5 macbook pro deal

Why You Shouldn't Buy the Next MacBook Pro

Tuesday February 10, 2026 4:27 pm PST by
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models as soon as early March, but if you can, this is one generation you should skip because there's something much better in the works. We're waiting on 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, with few changes other than the processor upgrade. There won't be any tweaks to the design or the display, but later this...
M3 iPad Air

Apple's Next Two Products Are Coming Soon

Thursday February 12, 2026 11:17 am PST by
Apple plans to release an iPhone 17e and an iPad Air with an M4 chip "in the coming weeks," according to the latest word from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "Apple retail employees say that inventory of the iPhone 16e has basically dried out and the iPad Air is seeing shortages as well," said Gurman. "I've been expecting new versions of both (iPhone 17e and M4 iPad Air) in the coming weeks."...
Apple Logo Black

Apple Acquires New Database App

Wednesday February 11, 2026 6:44 am PST by
Apple acquired Canadian graph database company Kuzu last year, it has emerged. The acquisition, spotted by AppleInsider, was completed in October 2025 for an undisclosed sum. The company's website was subsequently taken down and its Github repository was archived, as is commonplace for Apple acquisitions. Kuzu was "an embedded graph database built for query speed, scalability, and easy of ...
iPhone 16e Bottom Crop

Apple Reportedly Unveiling a New iPhone Next Week

Tuesday February 10, 2026 1:51 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report said the iPhone 17e will be announced in a press release on the Apple Newsroom website, so do not expect an event for this device specifically. The iPhone 17e will be a spec-bumped successor to the iPhone 16e. Rumors claim the device will have four key...

Top Rated Comments

obviouslogic Avatar
40 months ago
I couldn't resist this stroll down memory lane and had to pull my Mac SE out of storage... Can't believe the damned thing still runs after 35 years! I've owned it since Fall of 1987. In fact the oldest files I can find in my archives is from a Pascal programming class, March of 1988.

Obviously, it doesn't get any use anymore. But was last in regular use around 2003-2004 when I had it set up in a small local coffee shop/bakery. I wrote a couple of HyperCard stacks to implement a Gift Card system and Customer Order Tracking system. It ran for about 6 months before I replaced it with a cheap iMac running a web based version of those systems. (The poor SE was getting beat up and dirty as hell.)

As you can see in the 2nd photo, it started out as a 1MB, two 800K floppy system. Was first upgraded to an FDHD system, which replaced the controller chip and floppy drives with HD versions (US$500), then upgraded RAM to 4MB (US$600), then replaced one floppy drive with an internal 45MB HD (US$800), and finally installed an ethernet card after I bought my first iMac so I could use the SE as a file and print sever.

They don't make them like that anymore. Although my 2009 iMac is still chugging along just fine.

*If you look at the second photo, you can see how much the color of the case has changed over the years. The transparent sticker with all the computer info has protected the plastic underneath.




Attachment Image

Attachment Image
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Analog Kid Avatar
40 months ago
Oh man-- please someone release a Lisa simulator for Mac!
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
40 months ago
Also, the Lisa gave Kevin Costner his start…
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
40 months ago
Just refreshed my memory by looking at the hardware specs - 5 MHz 68000 processor and 1 MB of RAM, 9-inch monochrome display, housed in a hefty 48 lbs package.

Just think how much more powerful and tiny your iPhone is compared to this thing, 40 years apart.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
40 months ago
An impressive piece of tech for 1983 but way too expensive. Basically, it's a $30,000 computer.


Does anyone know what would be a Trade-In value for Apple Lisa at an Apple store or Apple.com?

Attachment Image
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
40 months ago
HUGE fan of the computer history museum, do yourself a favor and swing by if you're ever in NorCal
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)