Show HN: I wrote a "web OS" based on the Apple Lisa's UI, with 1-bit graphics

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Overall reception and nostalgia

  • Many commenters found the project “crazy cool,” fast, and surprisingly usable, especially given it runs entirely in the browser.
  • Several people with past exposure to Lisa or early Macs said the UI feel, shadow text, FatBits editor, and general aesthetics very effectively capture the era.

UI behavior and interaction design

  • Users initially struggled to close windows; later comments clarified you double‑click the titlebar icon, mirroring Lisa/early Windows behavior.
  • Menus support both classic press‑and‑drag behavior and modern “sticky” click‑to-open, which some noted came later historically but is more familiar today.
  • Some praised the “power on/off” effect and overall responsiveness as an example of how lean a desktop environment can be.

Color palette, blue tint, and theming

  • Multiple users thought the whole screen turning blue was text selection; it’s actually the default “Pale Blue Dot” palette mimicking the Lisa CRT.
  • After confusion, the author prioritized saving palette settings earlier and explained brightness/palette controls in the Preferences app.
  • There’s enthusiasm for 1‑bit palettes; users requested editable/custom palettes, which are planned.

Font rendering and pixel-scaling issues

  • Several reported uneven/“fat” characters, especially in Firefox/Windows.
  • The author explained the non-square pixel emulation (2:3 aspect ratio) and integer scaling, noting low‑DPI 1× views can look distorted.
  • A technical subthread discussed better upscaling/downscaling strategies and correct sRGB/linear color handling; another argued true pixel‑perfect rendering is effectively impossible on the web due to devicePixelRatio, zoom, snapping, and Safari limitations.

Mobile, PWA, and input

  • Many were impressed it works at all on phones; others hit issues on small screens (e.g., iPhone SE) and with rotation lock hiding installer buttons.
  • There’s a trackpad-style touch mode in Preferences; users found it surprisingly pleasant and suggested gesture toggles.
  • Some iOS PWA quirks exist (canvas positioning, stuttering), mitigated by orientation changes.

Games and puzzle solvability

  • The sliding-puzzle game spawned a sizable subthread: several users discovered unsolvable states via parity checks and online solvers.
  • The current implementation doesn’t guarantee solvability; suggestions included shuffling from a solved state or adding solvability checks.
  • Author plans to add solitaire next; users suggested more games (e.g., Breakout, Frotz/text adventures).

Keyboard navigation, templates, and historical features

  • Lack of Tab-based focus navigation was noted; the author pointed out Lisa didn’t have full keyboard navigation like later GUIs.
  • A side discussion praised Lisa’s stationery/template model for document creation, comparing it to Windows Templates, macOS “Stationery Pad,” and OS/2; some questioned its practicality without good template management.

Bugs and minor issues

  • Known issues: clock inaccuracies/rounding, occasional UI stutters, flickery FPS display (users asked for a toggle), font oddities, and layout clipping on small/mobile screens.
  • The project is not open source yet, though future enhancements and a more flexible menu bar are planned.

PWAs and platform politics

  • A subthread debated why iOS PWA support feels weak: some blamed Apple’s App Store incentives, others user apathy and low explicit demand for PWAs, while agreeing current support is “phoned in.”

Humor and tangents

  • A lively tangent revolved around pronouncing “GUI” and other acronyms (“gooey,” “tooey,” “tickipip,” etc.), plus jokes about SQL, GPT, and linguistic “correctness,” providing lighthearted contrast to the technical discussion.