Life & fun · alternatives · 2026
24 alternatives to Windows 98½ – fake desktop, real Internet
Browse the live web through retro desktop environments. Windows 98, System 7, NeXTSTEP, and more — every page is a real interactive browser session.
Windows 98½ is a desktop simulator that recreates the Windows 98 interface while providing genuine internet connectivity. Designed for users nostalgic for early 2000s computing or interested in retro aesthetics, it… Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes.
- 1
Windows 96▲88A live simulation of Windows 98 in the browser
2021 · windows96.net · its alternatives →
- 2
RetroTick parses PE/NE/MZ binaries, emulates an x86 CPU, and stubs enough Win32/Win16/DOS APIs to run classics like FreeCell, Minesweeper, Solitaire and QBasic, entirely in the browser. Built with Preact + Vite + TypeScript. Demo: https://retrotick.com GitHub: https://github.com/lqs/retrotick
Feb 2026 · retrotick.com · its alternatives →
- 3
Run KolibriOS, Linux or Windows 98 in your browser
2016 · copy.sh · its alternatives →
- 4
98.css▲256A design system for building faithful recreations of old UIs
2020 · jdan.github.io · its alternatives →
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Windows 95▲405Windows 95 app that runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux
2018 · github.com · its alternatives →
- 6
A design system for building faithful recreations of the Windows 7 UI.
2025 · khang-nd.github.io · its alternatives →
- 7
Windows 95 in an app. Runs on macOS, Linux, and Windows. - felixrieseberg/windows95
2018 · github.com · its alternatives →
- 8
Fake Update▲281Prank your friends with fake update screens
2015 · fakeupdate.net · its alternatives →
- 9
I wasn't quite sure if this qualified as "Show HN" given you can't really download it and try it out. However, dang said[0]: > If it's hardware or something that's not so easy to try out over the internet, find a different way to show how it actually works—a video, for example, or a detailed post with photos. Hopefully I did that? Additionally, I've put code and a detailed guide for the netboot computer management setup on GitHub: https://github.com/kentonv/lanparty Anyway, if this shouldn't have been Show HN, I apologize! [0]…
2024 · lanparty.house · its alternatives →
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- 11AS
Lots of fun to do. I would have not taken the time without the speedup provided by Claude. https://andyrosa.github.io/Sinclaude/simulator.html
2025 · its alternatives →
- 12
Here's the code: https://github.com/ConorCorp/corp-website
2025 · corp.band · its alternatives →
- 13
GodotOS, an operating system interface created entirely in Godot! Browse folders, edit text files, view images, play games, and more in one cohesive polished interface that can even be used on the web. Note that GodotOS is more of a toy than a serious project. It's meant to push the limits on UI design in Godot while creating a desktop that is minimalist, distraction-free, and aesthetically pleasing. Any feedback is greatly appreciated! Apologies for posting again, but I forgot to include "Show HN" in the title, and when I did post yesterday Hackernews almost immediately went down for over…
2024 · github.com · its alternatives →
- 14
Interactive portfolio by Wessel — explore a 3D retro desk with a working Windows 98 desktop. Projects, files, and newsletter inside.
Sep 2026 · wesselsdesktop.com · its alternatives →
- 15
https://lisagui.com/info.html This is a web OS I wrote in vanilla JS that looks like the Apple Lisa Office System (1983-85), with other contemporaneous influences and additional improvements and features. It's currently in alpha and isn't remotely bug free. I had been holding off on posting this here until it was somewhat presentable and useful. Please note; the Lisa conforms more literally to the desktop metaphor than most modern GUIs - some of the important differences are mentioned in the readme. This is a complete recreation of the UI in JS; it all renders to a single…
2025 · alpha.lisagui.com · its alternatives →
- 16
2021 · desk.glitchy.website · its alternatives →
- 17M4My 486 Server▲255
Hello. I wrote a multitasking 16-bit real mode "operating system" that works on every IBM PC compatible computer, and a TCP/IP stack for it. Then I wrote an HTTP server for it.
2022 · 486servu.dy.fi · its alternatives →
- 18
- 19HX
Hello HN, sharing my weekend project. I'm a fan of retro GUIs and fan of HN, so I built an alternative HN front end that resembles a Window XP desktop with an old Outlook email client. Archive and github links if you get 500 errors: https://web.archive.org/web/20220122190454/https://hackerxp.... https://github.com/assemblylanguage/hacker-xp
2022 · hackerxp.com · its alternatives →
- 20
Finally got my hobby OS up and running on real hardware. I love the old IBM thinkpads, so thought it was the perfect machine to get it working on. Been working on it for quite some time now, but this has been a big milestone!
2025 · github.com · its alternatives →
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- 22
Windows 9X▲148Windows 98 but all of the apps are AI generated
2024 · windows9x.com · its alternatives →
- 23
To try it out, simply build the project yourself from source, or use attached bootable ISO image of the system (in Releases on Github) and run it in QEMU. https://blog.vxn.dev/rou2exos-rusted-edition
2025 · github.com · its alternatives →
- 24
Demo: https://dustinbrett.com Hey HN! I've been building my passion project daedalOS for over 4 years now. The original idea was to give visitors to my website the experience as if they had remotely connected to my personal machine. To do this I decided I would attempt to recreate as much of the functionality as possible. My hope is to keep working on this project for the rest of my life and continue to evolve it's capabilities as technologies progress. Thanks for checking it out!
2025 · github.com · its alternatives →
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Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →