MacBooks (as well as Windows and Linux PCs) can now get a new OS, but it's probably not what you expected: Windows 95 has just been resurrected as a new app.
As the Betanews website (Opens in a new tab) reports, Felix Rieseberg, a Slack developer, created a working version of Windows 95 as an Electron application (Opens in a new tab) using JavaScript. And with the latest version, he can run it on almost any Windows computer, as well as MacBooks running macOS (including those running M1) and Linux devices.
The application has been improved so that Windows 95 works and looks better on the hardware line. An ARM version is also available, which could lead to an interesting situation where Windows 95 runs better on ARM hardware than Windows 10 or 11... maybe.
Analysis: Should we go back in time?
While it's unlikely that many people would actually want to ditch a modern operating system like the upcoming macOS Ventura for an older operating system like Windows 95, for those of us old enough to remember the Original version, Rieseberg's app It gives us a relatively easy way to enjoy our nostalgia for archaic software.
For many people, myself included, Windows 95 was a legacy version, and the fact that many of the new features it brought after Windows 3.1, such as the taskbar and Start menu, are still in Windows 11 almost 30 years afterwards is a testament to his influence
I will always think fondly of Windows 95 as my first real PC (rather than the one that belonged to my parents), so I associate the operating system with an exciting time in my life when I was discovering what PCs could hacer. Esto coincided with the golden era of PC games like Transport Tycoon, Theme Park, Theme Hospital, Doom II, Quake, Command and Conquer and more, without mentioning the preinstalled iconic games like Ski Free y Solitaire.
So I will definitely try it. Since it's an app, it's pretty easy to install and you run it on your current OS, so you don't have to worry about dual-booting OSes. Linux support also means I can run Windows 95 on my Steam Deck. What a time to live!