Websites that look like desktop GUIs

Ha, well done. I really enjoyed Ash Kyd's site.

https://ash.ms/

Interesting collection. Between the veritable homages (AV notification included) [0] and reinterpretations for various purposes (e.g., music player [1]), it's a fun mix!

It also reminded me of the Nielsen Norman article exploring flat design and comparing it to three-dimensional design [2]. While it's becoming less and less possible, it would be interesting to compare the experience across different UX patterns for first-time computer users. It seems hard to separate familiarity and nostalgia from truly superior UX.

  [0] https://winxp.now.sh
  [1] https://poolside.fm
  [2] https://www.nngroup.com/articles/flat-design/

This one put some serious effort into it with a drum machine, game, meme creator, pdf viewer', etc. Mostly just as a resume for the creator:

http://eeerik.com/

I agree. I wonder how long it took him to build that?

It's a lot worse when you have to use corporate software who implements a windows manager inside a browser window.