Retro Software

I recently ran into an article over at Ars Technica that contains the history of the Windows Start menu complete with screenshots of each major release of Windows, including a few beta versions.

A few days ago, I ran into a blog post with the author’s thoughts on why retro computing is becoming so popular amongst computer enthusiasts. Some points I can relate to more than others.

Every once in a while, you run into a project that makes you scratch your head. MacLynx, an actively developed text-based browser for the classic Mac OS, is one of those.

This is why the Windows 95 setup team didn’t just use the limited GUI options that were availble in MS-DOS for the setup application instead of three separate operating systems.

Have you ever wondered why the Windows 95 setup seems to consist of three different types of UI? As it turns out, that is due to the fact that setup actually runs on three different operating systems.

This is an excellent read for any of you operating system nerds out there. The author compares the architectures of both Windows NT and Unix.

Macs have been my primary computers for decades, but I have also had the occasional Windows PC. These are some screenshots from them.

A little while ago, I stumbled upon an interesting project whose goal it is to emulate the Apple II DeskTop environment in the web browser.

I have been a Mac user for over twenty years and have taken screenshots of my systems with almost every version of Mac OS. This is my collection.

I recently ran into an interesting article on Tom’s Hardware about a project called N64 Recompiled. Its purpose is to enable recompiling of old Nintendo 64 games into native PC ports that support ray tracing, ultrawide resolutions, high FPS, and other staples of modern games.

I previously discussed how to emulate Mac OS 8 and 9 on modern computers. Recently, I was shown Infinite Mac, a website that allows emulation of these and earlier Mac OS versions directly in your browser. From System 1.0 to Mac OS 9.2.2, most major releases are available. This suite offers a convenient and innovative way to experience classic Mac OS without downloads or installations.

I bought an old PowerMac G3 Blue and White. In this article, I try to get Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar installed on the system.