Show HN: I recreated Windows XP as my portfolio

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Overall Reception & Nostalgia

  • Many commenters found the site delightful, nostalgic, and “shockingly” well executed, especially the XP aesthetic, startup/login flow, and taskbar feel.
  • People reported strong emotional flashbacks (LAN parties, CRTs, Miniclip games, Age of Empires, Mountain Dew, RuneScape), and several said it highlights how pleasant and “fun” XP’s UI was compared to modern flat design.

Attention to Detail & Features

  • Praised details: working Paint (via jspaint), music player, command prompt, “recently used” in the Start menu, smooth window behavior, and even hidden touches like high zoom in Paint.
  • Multiple requests for more apps and interactions: Minesweeper, defrag, Doom, File Explorer, right‑click menus (e.g., “Lock the taskbar”), richer CMD commands and Easter eggs.
  • Some liked that it works surprisingly well on mobile, including typing in the terminal.

Bugs, Performance, and UX Issues

  • Reports of Start menu flickering or instantly closing on some Chrome/Firefox setups; issue often reduced when disabling the CRT effect.
  • On various phones: orientation detection problems (stuck in “rotate to portrait”), blocked UI when keyboard opens, non‑scrolling windows (projects, CMD output).
  • Critiques of UX as a portfolio: boot/login delays before seeing any work, tiny resume/projects windows, confusing back/forward behavior, and some project tiles stuck “loading.”

CRT Effect & Visual Fidelity

  • CRT overlay widely admired but debated: some find it jarring or blurry and prefer it off; others think it’s spot‑on nostalgia.
  • Long subthread confirms CRTs were common during early XP years, contradicting claims that they weren’t.
  • Pedantic feedback notes small inaccuracies: taskbar/button borders, hover effects that XP didn’t have, missing XP cursor, fade animations, selection behavior, and details in IE toolbar and balloons.

AI-Assisted “Vibe Coding”

  • Author describes months of learning by collaborating with AI agents, reading all code and making decisions.
  • Some see this as an excellent, empowering use of LLMs for non‑programmers; others call it “not coding” or misleading, stressing AI code quality limits and weak learning if over‑relied on.

Portfolio Suitability, Originality & Ethics

  • Split opinions on its value as a graphic design portfolio:
    • Supporters: shows taste, persistence, ability to hit a target aesthetic, and stands out enough to get interviews.
    • Critics: it’s a faithful copy of someone else’s design, plus visibly AI‑generated assets (avatar, wallpaper) and copyrighted music; they argue it obscures the designer’s own visual voice and user‑centered thinking.
  • Multiple commenters advise: keep this as a standout experiment, but foreground clearer, original project work with process, and possibly add custom themes or unique twists on the XP style.