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Make Linux look like Windows 95

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Re: Make Linux look like Windows 95

#201
.. this is an easter egg in the bootmenu of our distro, c.f. https://github.com/fsfw-dresden/usb-live-linux/tree/master/f...

After booting into 'windows mode' and a delay, the hidden cloud intro from the win95cd (youtube:MaU5ED3LyXM) is being autoplayed fullscreen. There's also a qemu icon on the desktop that boots a random 50MiB win95 image I found on archive.org : D

Re: Make Linux look like Windows 95

#202

Love love these nostalgic takes, reminds me of this Windows 98 demo in a 3D simulation I recently came across. There is a real demand for 90s aesthetics https://twitter.com/PCBANGio/status/1493850712471527426

yeah 90s' good stuff's way more good than today's good stuff somehow xD

Re: Make Linux look like Windows 95

#203

I'll be the first to say the unpopular take on HN: I don't think Windows 95 looks that good (compared to today). I personally find more modern (like MacOS 10) styles to look the best, and flat designs to be just as usable as more skeumorphic ones. It seems to me that preference for UI styles is completely personal, probably being influenced by what OS we initially used. As someone (potentially a lot) younger than man…

What do you think of the shiny, glassy look of Vista and/or early MacOS 10? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Vista and https://www.techradar.com/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/iphon... Looked "space age", and less like the drab office building which Win 9x/MacOS 9 looked like. Is there any nostalgia for that?

Yes, there is. Well, Windows 7's version of Aero anyways. It's my favorite UI in terms of graphics.

Re: Make Linux look like Windows 95

#204

I have used themes like this on Linux and also some to make it look like MacOS. What I really want on Linux are tools that are written to be exactly like Windows, no more no less. Why? Well in addition to the numerous OS related problems I seem to encounter every time I go back and do a clean install of a distro like Ubuntu I am also annoyed by how poorly designed many of the basic tools like the calculator is. The W…

Perhaps you should just use Windows.

> Windows calculator is so simple that it makes it super easy to hop in, do a quick calculation via the numpad and jump out.

What's wrong with calculator in Linux? FWIW, I just fire up a Python interpreter and do calculations there.

Speaking of which, I feel Mac's Spotlight is a superior solution to ocassional calculation needs.

Re: Make Linux look like Windows 95

#205

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> we hit peak desktop right around Windows 2000 I could not disagree more strongly. Win2000 buttons are tiny, drag areas are tiny, basically everything is tiny and unclickable. I strongly prefer the generously-proportioned, touch-inspired interfaces of the last 4-5 years.

People who have to actually get work done on a computer are almost always good with using a mouse and keyboard, so we understand how to move with precision and speed.

I am just describing a preference.

Re: Make Linux look like Windows 95

#207
post #204

I have used themes like this on Linux and also some to make it look like MacOS. What I really want on Linux are tools that are written to be exactly like Windows, no more no less. Why? Well in addition to the numerous OS related problems I seem to encounter every time I go back and do a clean install of a distro like Ubuntu I am also annoyed by how poorly designed many of the basic tools like the calculator is. The W…

Perhaps you should just use Windows. > Windows calculator is so simple that it makes it super easy to hop in, do a quick calculation via the numpad and jump out. What's wrong with calculator in Linux? FWIW, I just fire up a Python interpreter and do calculations there. Speaking of which, I feel Mac's Spotlight is a superior solution to ocassional calculation needs.

A UNIX environment is something that I cannot live without. Furthermore Windows is also slowly throwing out their rock solid tools and replacing them with garbage. For the time being I am on a life raft using MacOS which gives me a reasonably designed GUI environment/tools + a solid UNIX foundation. But MacOS is also slowing sinking. It would be nice to have a well designed Linux environment with good simple tooling. That way you have everything: UNIX + freedom + good tools. I've tried writing my old simple tools but I seem to struggle using GTK. Its a long term goal to port all these old Windows tools to Linux(the dream is to have a FOSS Linux environment running on Apple M1 platform) but for the time being MacOS is still good enough.
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