It’s not just mere acknowledgement. These versions of MacOS were, if I remember correctly, paid software upgrades. Making these previously paid released availab

It’s not just mere acknowledgement. These versions of MacOS were, if I remember correctly, paid software upgrades. Making these previously paid released available for free download might not have been bureaucratically trivial. While it may seem like a trivial gesture a decade on, it's actually quite decent and very much unlike Apple to be so considerate towards users of 'vintage' hardware and software. Edit: Yes, I did remember correctly. Mac OS X 10.9 "Mavericks" was the first version that was distributed for free to all Apple computer owners. Lion (10.7) and Mountain Lion (10.8) were definitely paid upgrades.