I’ve built a virtual museum with nearly every operating system you can think of

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Overall reception

  • Many commenters praise the project as an impressive, even “herculean,” preservation effort and a “treasure trove.”
  • Several express relief that such a curated, offline-downloadable collection exists for long‑term preservation.
  • A few mention doing smaller, similar collections themselves and feeling humbled by the museum’s scale.

Included vs. missing systems

  • Multiple “is X included?” threads: TempleOS, VMS, AIX, NetWare, OS‑9, TOPS‑20, Pick, BTRON, SerenityOS, etc.
  • The maintainer clarifies:
    • TempleOS is included (latest version), with plans for earlier versions and forks.
    • NetWare 4.11 and 6.5, several VMS versions (up to 7.3 on Alpha), TOPS‑20 4.1 and 7.1, AIX variants, OS‑9 variants (including OS‑9000), BTRON-related systems (1B/V3, Chokanji 4, B‑free/EOTA), Pick PC R83, and others are present even if not shown in screenshots.
  • Some notable systems are not yet there (e.g., Helios, various mainframe/minicomputer OSes like RDOS/AOS, CTOS, OS/400, NonStop, VOS), and people offer media or express interest in helping.
  • Many request a complete, searchable plain-text list; one partial abstract list is linked but considered insufficient. Some speculate omission might help avoid copyright takedowns.

Distribution and size

  • The full image is ~120 GB zipped, leading to slow/unreliable HTTP downloads and broken partial files.
  • Users strongly request torrents; eventually torrents with web seeds (including archive.org) are added.
  • Some prefer modular downloads (individual OS images, no bundled VM software) to reduce size and allow use with their own emulators.

Implementation and emulation details

  • The museum is a Linux VM hosting ~150+ emulators (multiple SIMH forks, QEMU, MAME, etc.).
  • Most systems run under emulation; some x86 OSes can use nested virtualization via KVM when enabled.
  • Many OSes depend on specific emulator versions due to regressions; multiple versions are bundled.
  • Most disk images were downloaded; a few rare ones were personally dumped from original media.
  • Porting the entire environment to run in-browser is described as impractical given emulator diversity and Unix-heavy scripting, plus WASM limitations.

User experience and site design

  • Several find the website confusing at first (expecting an online “virtual museum” rather than a VM download).
  • Complaints include laggy scrolling, heavy/glowy visual design, non‑cropped screenshots that show host desktops, lack of dark mode, and absence of search.
  • Some like the UI aesthetic; others request a simpler, more utilitarian presentation.

Nostalgia and historical reflections

  • Many comments spin off into reminiscing about obscure shells, bundled UIs, and niche OSes (Tabworks, Packard Bell Navigator, QuickLook, NewWave, GEOS, OS‑9, Pick, etc.).
  • Some emphasize how much of the original “feel” of old systems (mouse behavior, CRT look, audio, load times) is lost in emulation, arguing that the museum preserves appearances more than full interaction.
  • Others note the creativity and variety of 80s/90s interfaces compared to today’s more homogenized environments.