MacBooks (along with Windows and Linux computers) may now get a new operating system, but it’s probably not what you expected – Windows 95 has just risen from the dead in the form of a new app.
As Reports on the Betanews website (opens in a new tab)Felix Rieseberg, a Slack developer, made a working version Windows 95 as an Electron application (opens in a new tab) using JavaScript. And with the latest version, you can run it on almost any Windows PC, as well as MacBooks running macOS (including M1 devices) and Linux devices.
The app has been improved so Windows 95 works and looks better across devices. There is also an ARM version available, which could lead to an interesting situation where Windows 95 performs better on ARM hardware than Windows 10 or 11… maybe.
Analysis: Should you go back in time?
While it’s unlikely that many people would really want to move from a modern operating system like the upcoming macOS Ventura to an ancient operating system like Windows 95, for those of us old enough to remember the original version, the app Rieseberg gives us a relatively easy way to satisfy our nostalgia for archaic software.
For many people, including me, Windows 95 was a landmark release, and the fact that many of the new features it introduced after Windows 3.1, such as the taskbar and the Start menu, can still be found in Windows 11 almost 30 years later. there is evidence of its influence.
I will always fondly think of Windows 95 as my first real computer (not my parents’ owned one), so I associate the operating system with an exciting time in my life where I was discovering what PCs can do. It coincided with the golden age of PC games like Transport Tycoon, Theme Park, Theme Hospital, Doom II, Quake, Command and Conquer, and more – not to mention iconic games that came pre-installed like Ski Free and Solitaire.
So I will definitely try. Since it’s an app, it’s fairly easy to install and you use it with your current operating system so you don’t have to mess around with dual operating systems. Linux support also means I can run Windows 95 on my Steam Deck. What a time to live.