So i've just discovered this cool in-browser OS by accident because people in the shoutbox were talking about the artist Windows 96. I didn't know what that was, so I looked it up and found this!
I thought it might have been a parody at first, but the more I've used it, the more I'm convinced that this is serious, and pretty well done!
There's a package manager just like linux where you can also add 3rd party repositories, and you can install jsLinux on it and use it's terminal. (Though as of the latest version when this thread was started, that would mess up the backing up process if you're going to use that.)
Of course, they ported Doom to it, naturally, but also Half-Life: Uplink and Friday Night Funkin'.
In fact, I'm actually typing this on Windows 96 right now!
I've also had a crack at developing my own app for it. Windows 96 applications are basically modified Javascript programs, so I decided to try and port the demo for my game to the OS by modifying an exported browser version, and sure enough I got it working!
I can't find any use case for this OS, and don't see how I can use it in my every day life or workflow, but goddmn it it is so cool! They're planning on making a BIOS installable version in the future, which would be pretty sweet!
Has anyone else tried this? What are your thoughts?
I just stumbled across this website on Wiby called Computer Stupidies, and is a goldmine of funny (and sad-cringy) stories of people who don't understand technology, but it's also kind of educational, teaching me mistakes I haven't even made, but will now avoid making.
I hope you guys enjoy reading through these as much as I am!
Do you guys know any other websites with stores like these?
Hey, I wasn't sure where to post this, but I've noticed this forum keeps logging me out on every browser and computer I use. It keeps me logged in as long as I'm on the site, but the moment I exit or close the browser, it logs me out.
I've tried this with multiple browsers, most of them don't have any settings set to delete cookies, and it does it with all of them.
Can I do anything to fix this or is this a server-side thing?
I managed to connect to the internet with my Thinkpad 660E, running Windows 98, by getting a Wi-Fi G compatible PCMcia card, a program that connects to WPA2 connections, and the last K-meleon browser compatible for Windows 98, and it works! I'm sending this message from it!
Don't worry, this is going to be a one time thing, I am aware of the potential risks and vulnerabilities that come with connecting to the internet with such an old device. (Though no viruses are made for 9x nowadays, the vulnerabilities remain. Any suggestions to mitigate them are welcome.) I'm going to mostly use the internet connection on this for TheOldNet proxy after this.
Surprisingly, despite the constant prompts to accept certificates, the internet is still perfectly browsable on Windows 98, and it's not too slow either. I think it's actually comparable to my 2012 MacBook in terms of speed.
Some sites, though, like the big tech social media, and Discord, don't work on this. Downloads don't really work either, since the connection is constantly dropping out and reconnecting. That and programs assume it's downloading from Dial-Up, which seems to work differently.
So it's definitely not optimal for daily driver usage, but if this was my only computer, and I really had to use Windows 98 in today's world, I could probably make it work, though I'd need to communicate exclusively on IRC and Forums and exclusively develop homebrew software.
There are some proxies and servers you can set up for Windows 98, like WebOne and Browservice that make the modern web more compatible with older browsers and supposedly give you a better experience, though I've yet to try those.
Anyway, yeah, just thought I'd make this post, now to disconnect. :p
I was recently watching 007 Tomorrow Never Dies, and for those who haven't seen it, involves someone running a news and media conglomerate killing people for views and doing very shady things for profit.
One aspect I remember from it was they were launching an on-demand TV service or something, and they deliberately littered it with bugs so people would buy upgrades where they would be "fixed".
I seem to recall back in the day this plot was ridiculed for being silly, but these days, it feels very on point and more relevant today than when it came out. It's almost like it's aged backwards?
That's got me thinking, are there any other films like this? Where it was seen as over the top or silly back then but now fit so well in today's society?
I've been really obsessing over 2 aesthetics from back in the day that I remember seeing back when I was a child.
The first is what's called Gen-X corporate, which is mostly how corporations and businesses presented themselves back in the late 90s and very early 2000s.
The other is the Y2K Aesthetic, which is a wee bit later, and was used for computer graphics, music and clothing.
Both of these aesthetics give me a sense of wonder and excitement, and to me, actually feels more modern and futuristic than the aesthetics most people use today.
Come to think of it, they're almost opposite of modern aesthetics. Modern aesthetic are typically very flat, and uses few colours, but Gen-X corporate uses colours galore, and Y2K feels like it really jumps out on you.
What do you guys think of these? Are there any retro aesthetics you guys love?
I copied the files onto a real floppy disk, and sure enough, it works great! Only displays properly on some browsers, though. It's weird clicking a link and hearing the floppy drive go as it loads the next page.
It has inspired me to make my own floppy site, and it appears I'm not alone.
I think it'll be an interesting challenge to condense my site into 1.44MB. Is this something you guys would be interested in trying as well?
I've been getting into WAP, recently... no, not that kind, you perv! I mean Wireless Application Protocol!
Back in the late 90s and early 2000s, mobile phones were becoming advanced enough to have screens, and be able to send data other than voice, but weren't advanced enough to properly render HTML pages.
So they invented a protocol for these new internet-connected devices, using a simplified HTML-like language called WML (Wireless Markup Language).
Basically, everything was condensed into one page, which was divided into "notes", and you click on links to access those different notes.
There was no styling, and for version 1, you can only upload monocrome images.
In a way, it was like a mobile Gopher.
There was a version 2 which was a little closer to HTML, but still had limitations. I don't know too much about that.
Nowadays, though, phones are more than capable of rendering websites properly. In fact the tables are almost turned, with websites being made for mobile first, and desktop being afterthoughts.
I'd love to see WML make some sort of comeback, though. Gopher and Finger have done it, why not this?
I can't find any WML browsers for Android or iOS. There is a working desktop browser for WML pages, though, but is only for Linux. It's called wApua.
Based on videos I’ve seen, it looks dumb phones released today still use WAP, or at least WML, so I guess thats an option. Can anyone here confirm?
Personally, I've only experienced it for like half an hour back in the day, as my then new phone gave me a free hour. Never bothered with it since, though, and lowkey wish I did.
I do have my own WML site (in Scots), however, which I host on Neocites, if you want to (or rather can) check that out.
So anyone here remember WAP/WML? What were your experiences?
I've been going down a rabbit hole, I suppose you could call it, of games that have creative anti-piracy measures, how they can detect piracy, and what they do when it does.
Things like Mega Drive and SNES games trying to save memory to addresses that the original carts don't have, but copies are very likely to.
And like how GTA IV gives you a permanent drunk camera, and Batman Arkham Asylum not letting you glide.
I think my favourite, though, is Puggsy on the Mega Drive.
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What anti-piracy measures do you guys know about and what are your favourites?
I just discovered this in one of my surfs across the internet. There was this 3D online chat room in the mid 90s to late 2000s called "Cybertown", and it was pretty revolutionary for it's time!
You had custom 3D avatars, got to explore 3D worlds and chat via text. It was way more limited than the likes of VRChat and Second Life today, but I imagine I'd have loved it if I knew about it at the time! (Though my PC probably couldn't have run it)
From what I've been told, it even had a virtual currency, and they had people do jobs to earn it, which could be used to buy avatar items and furniture for your house. It was like a full digital economy!
There's a revival project going on, though functionality is fairly limited for now, but more is to come.
For those not in the know, Laserdisc was a movie format that competed with VHS throughout the 80s, 90s, and very early 2000s. They were these massive discs the size of vinyl records that played analogue video, and were basically DVD quality.
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I recently got myself a Laserdisc player and a few films on the format, and I love it! With some discs (CAV encoded ones to be exact), you can even play about with play speeds both forward and backwards, and going to specific frames of the disc!
Above all, they're just so cool to look at and handle! Not to mention the awesome art work on the covers!
I stumbled across this game that people here might be interested in.
American Hero was a game originally developed for the Atari Jaguar CD, and was supposed to give FMV games a new breath of life, and play like a choose-your-own-adventure book, rather than try to mimic a more fast paced game. The Jaguar CD was discontinued before the game could be finished, but it was restored and remastered in 2021, and released on GOG as well as consoles.
I personally love this game! I'm a huge fan of cheesy 90s FMV, and gaming history, so this was right up my alley! There are loads of different paths and different things to discover. Only issue is the cutscenes are unskippable...
If you've ever played Bandersnatch, it's a lot like that, but more primitive. I think if the game came out when it was supposed it, it would perhaps seen as a stepping stone towards that kind of game. Though would most definitely be forgotten because who on earth owned a Jaguar CD?
It's obviously not going to be for everyone, but if you enjoy cheesy FMV games, you'll love this!
I had a recent debate on the Yesterweb Discord about this that inspired me to make this topic.
For those who were around back in the VHS days, I'm sure you'll be aware of the concept of Pan and Scan, where the image is zoomed in and it pans to show you the relevant parts of the shot. I've seen very polarising opinions on this, and I find the conversation fascinating.
I've seen videos of people being very vocal about their hatred of their practice, and honest, I never saw the big deal. VHS video quality was terrible as it was, I don't want a third of the lines being wasted on black bars for a letterboxed film. If I wanted a closer experience to the cinema back in the day, I'd have invested in Laserdisc .
I actually find the practice fascinating, and I think about how a modern film or online video could be Pan and Scanned a lot now.
Though watching some of the last VHS releases, it was clear they were (understandably) getting lazier with it, and seeing characters cut off often.
There's also the thing with tilt and scan (or open matte), which I see a lot on Blu-Ray releases of older films, and I see nobody cry about, despite most of the points against Pan and Scan can also be applied to that. :omg:k:
Would love to hear your thoughts on this. Were you fine with Pan and Scan or go out of your way to get a widescreen version? Why?
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