Running Windows 98 in the Browser
Running Windows 98 inside a browser has prompted wide-ranging reflections on how lean and responsive older operating systems were compared with today’s more resource‑hungry platforms. Commenters contrast the snappy feel and tiny footprint of Win9x-era software with the latency, bloat, and security layers of modern OSes, debating what real benefits justify the added complexity. The project also showcases how far web technology and hardware have come, enabling full legacy OSes and even nested virtual machines to run inside a phone or watch browser.
Overall Reaction to Windows 98 in the Browser
- Many find it impressive and surreal that Windows 98 (and even older systems) can now run inside a browser, including on phones and watches.
- People explore built‑in tools out of nostalgia: Disk Defragmenter, screensavers (3D Maze, Underwater), BSOD triggers, Briefcase, and classic apps like Notepad.
- Some link to related in‑browser VM collections and other retro sites (e.g., a Win98‑style web desktop).
Performance, Bloat, and Latency
- A major theme is how fast Win98/XP feel today compared to modern OSes.
- Several argue modern systems perform the same basic desktop tasks more slowly due to layers of abstractions, safety checks, richer graphics, and heavy frameworks (e.g., Electron, JS-based desktops).
- Others counter that modern workloads are fundamentally heavier: HD video, huge IDEs, hostile web, complex networking, and security tooling.
- There is debate over whether OS growth is mostly justified (hardware support, sandboxing, automatic updates, drivers, virtualization, multi-core/64-bit support) or largely wasteful “bloat.”
- Some note specific latency regressions (e.g., slow settings apps, keypress-to-text delay in chat apps) despite powerful hardware.
Linux, X11/Wayland, and Old vs New Desktops
- Some report modern lightweight Linux distros making very old hardware feel “like new,” contrasting negatively with recent Windows.
- Others recall late‑90s Linux desktops as slower than Windows due to poor drivers, XFree86 overhead, and graphics indirection.
- There is disagreement over the value of X’s network transparency vs its performance costs, and support for Wayland as a needed modernization.
Security and Reliability Tradeoffs
- Older systems are remembered as fast but fragile: easy to crash, easy to hack, with weak or absent firewalls and antivirus.
- Modern OSes add firewalls, antimalware, sandboxing, and safer APIs, which participants agree add overhead but also significant real-world protection.
Architecture, Emulation, and VM Inception
- Commenters discuss Windows 9x internals: DOS underpinnings, the virtual machine manager, VM86 “DOS boxes,” and how Windows can effectively act as a hypervisor.
- In-browser Win98 plus DOS box is noted as a VM running inside a VM, with some humor about nesting OSes further.
Networking in the Demo
- Networking works for some sites (e.g., Google) after running a batch file; many modern HTTPS sites fail due to outdated standards.
- Outbound traffic appears to originate from a cloud VM; precise implementation details are unclear.