Run Microsoft's Classic Windows 95 OS With This App For Windows, Linux And macOS
Since its release, numerous developers and hobbyists have attempted to get Windows 95 running on various devices over the years from the Nintendo Switch to the Apple Watch to your computer's web browser. Now, a Slack developer by the name of Felix Rieseberg has created an actual Windows 95 app that can run on each of the three major desktop operating systems.
Rieseberg developed the Windows 95 app using Electron, and it faithfully emulates the glory days of Windows 95. We installed the app on macOS 10.13.6 High Sierra machine and had no problem roaming through the operating system, checking out Control Panel, Solitaire, Minesweeper and even goofing off in Windows Explorer. We did encounter a few problems, however. Accessing the MS-DOS prompt crashed the app (requiring use to rest the save state for the OS) and Internet Explorer doesn't work at all -- it just gives a generic Windows error message when attempting to open a webpage.
Despite these minor niggles, it's worth a download just to take a quick trip down nostalgia lane to a simpler time in computing before Americans had widespread access to high-speed internet or even cell phones. In fact, in 1995, I think that I was probably rocking a 2400 baud dial-up modem to login to my small town's local ISP: Netpath. It wasn't until a few years later that I was able to enjoy the "hot rod" speeds with 14.4K, 28.8K and later 56K modems.
To download the Windows 95 v1.0 app, head on over to GitHub where you'll find executables for Windows, Linux and macOS. You can also grab the source code, of course, if you want to take a peek inside.
