You can log into 28 vintage computer systems in your browser for free, thanks to the Interim Computer Museum
Google killed the 25-year-old Sega Dreamcast PlanetWeb 3.0 web browser this week
Ambitious, indeed. It certainly looks the part, with 76 authentic color palettes and 198 original XPM backdrops used in the original release. It has a pseudo boot sequence that lets you watch as the "system initializes," after which you're pushed straight into the CDE desktop.
This isn't just a visual spectacle, as it actually works, at least partially. It has a desktop, an icon bar at the bottom, a top bar with "system info" and the time, and a workspace switcher that lets you switch between four virtual desktops. It has its own web browser (Netscape, naturally), a terminal, the XEmacs text editor, a file manager to manage your files, along with system apps to control the pseudo system processes. There are heavy customization options available, too, to let you switch up how the environment looks and feels.
Five minutes of playing around with the environment show how faithfully it appears to be replicated, but enough to show up its limitations. For obvious reasons, the Netscape browser doesn't quite work as you'd expect, with only a limited selection of hard-coded pages, with their faithful '90s designs, able to be viewed. Still, the project is quick, responsive, and (from what I can tell) bug-free, and works well on different devices, including on mobile.
While the limitations do exist, the project is well documented over at its GitHub site, with guides for both new users and power users to get the most out of it, as well as developers who might want to contribute. If you want to "experience the legend," then you can, without installing it natively, over at the specially-hosted project website , although installing it is as simple as double-clicking the 'Install PWA" button in any modern browser.
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
Key considerations
- Investor positioning can change fast
- Volatility remains possible near catalysts
- Macro rates and liquidity can dominate flows
Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/software/linux/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/software/linux/nostalgic-developer-recreates-the-1994-linux-desktop-as-a-modern-web-app-for-your-browser-open-source-project-brings-old-school-cde-interface-back-from-the-dead-and-features-classic-90s-web-browser-text-editor-and-more#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com
- Grab a mobile workstation with a jaw-dropping $1,200 discount and 96GB of DDR5 memory — Lenovo's robust & powerful ThinkPad P14s is on sale for just $1,539
- AI memory crunch forces DRAM market into 'hourly pricing' model, report claims — small and medium-sized businesses fighting for survival
- Nemotron Labs: How AI Agents Are Turning Documents Into Real-Time Business Intelligence
- Apple launches new MacBook Pros powered by M5 Pro, M5 Max, and 2x faster SSDs — new 'Super Cores' help deliver up to 30 percent performance boost
- Transcend 260S 2TB SSD Review: A Dependable Alternative PCIe 5.0 Contender
Informational only. No financial advice. Do your own research.