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Windows 95: Now in "App" Form

posted by martyb on Sunday August 26 2018, @05:22PM   Printer-friendly
from the can-you-make-it-BSOD? dept.

takyon writes:

Running Windows 95 in an "app" is a dumb stunt that makes a good point: Software piracy remains an important part of preserving our digital heritage.

A silly new app has been doing the rounds this week: Windows 95 as a standalone application. Running on Windows, macOS, and Linux, the Windows 95 "app" combines Electron (a framework for building desktop applications using JavaScript and other Web technology) with an existing x86 emulator written in JavaScript. The emulator can run a bunch of operating systems: for the app, it's preloaded with Windows 95.

This is, of course, software piracy. The developer of the app has no rights to distribute Windows 95 like this, and I'm a little surprised that the app hasn't been yanked from GitHub yet. And for now, the app is just a toy; there's no real reason to run Windows 95 like this, other than the novelty factor of it actually working.

But Windows 95 (and software that runs on or requires Windows 95) was an important piece of computing history. I think a case could be made that it's Microsoft's most important Windows release of all time, and its influence continues to be felt today. Not only was it technically important as an essential stepping stone from the world of 16-bit DOS and Windows 3.x to 32-bit Windows NT, and not only did it introduce a user interface that's largely stayed with us for more than 20 years—Windows 95 was also a major consumer event as people lined up to buy the thing as soon as it was available. A full understanding of the computing landscape today can't really be had without running, using, and understanding Windows 95.

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  • (Score: 2) by MostCynical on Sunday August 26 2018, @10:35PM (2 children)

    by MostCynical (2589) on Sunday August 26 2018, @10:35PM (#726719) Journal

    Can you call an ambulance using a scoial media site?
    Has anyone tried 2FA for any social media site during a heart attack?

    --
    "I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
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  • (Score: 2) by takyon on Monday August 27 2018, @02:38AM (1 child)

    by takyon (881) <takyonNO@SPAMsoylentnews.org> on Monday August 27 2018, @02:38AM (#726780) Journal

    It kinda exists?

    https://www.revelist.com/tech/report-emergencies-on-facebook/2176 [revelist.com]

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    [SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]

    • (Score: 2) by MostCynical on Monday August 27 2018, @03:05AM

      by MostCynical (2589) on Monday August 27 2018, @03:05AM (#726793) Journal

      Frightening.

      DRABC became DRSABCD [vic.gov.au]

      So now, take the Send for help and make it "log in to facebook and have a chat with a 911 account (and hope you didn't select a spoof accound with a similar name)"

      --
      "I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex