I felt that there was a similar U-shaped curve for the classic Mac system as well. I started using Macs around the time of System 4 (when the System and the Fin

I felt that there was a similar U-shaped curve for the classic Mac system as well. I started using Macs around the time of System 4 (when the System and the Finder had separate versioning schemes). For me, the peak of elegance and usability was reached at System 7. It was downhill after that (through OS 8 and 9). Maybe there's a general principle at work. Systems always change with time, but after a certain point, change becomes less for improvement and more for its own sake.