[Emupedia]’s work to preserve computer history by way of making classic and abandoned games and software as accessible as possible is being done in a handy way: right in your browser with EmuOS.
Doing things this way has powerful “Just Works” energy. Visit that link in a modern browser and in no time at all you’ll be looking at a Windows 95 (or Windows 98, or Windows ME) desktop, filled with a ton of shortcuts to pre-installed and ready-to-run classic software. Heck, you can even keep it simple and be playing the original Microsoft Solitaire in no time flat. There is also a whole ton of DOS software waiting to be fired up, just double-click the DOSBox icon, and browse a huge list. The project is still in development, so not everything works, but the stuff that does is awfully slick.
Here’s some additional background that goes into more detail about the project and its capabilities, but if you’d prefer to just click around to explore, here’s the main link again (and here’s a list of mirrors.)
If OS emulation is your thing, don’t miss emulating the IBM PC on an ESP32 microcontroller. And if you’re more into lesser-known vintage operating systems, how about re-inventing PalmOS to run on x86 architecture?
What differentiates this from projects like https://www.pcjs.org/ or the in browser emulation at archive dot org ?
Or why would I want to use this rather than RetroPI/RetroOrangePi etc or one of those multi machine emulator architectures?
For #1, it’s the same type of thing, just a different groups curation.
For #2, a piece of dedicated hardware vs in-browser software would seem to have extremely different use cases.
The hardware method would be better suited for the media center, and for coop/verses play, potentially for the full on retro vibe (in similar controls/display)
The browser method would be better suited if you got the itch while already sitting at your computer and browser, or to point out to someone else while you aren’t at home or have that Pi on hand with you.
More options make for less limitations
How do I shut down a particular version and go back to the boot screen? No, Start-LOG OFF or START-SHUT DOWN don’t work. Otherwise, quite fun.
Shift F5? You might lose any saves though
It’s just a theme. Right click on the screen and choose your option.
Oh. I thought it was three separate emulations.
I’m still looking for this retro game: Rotring “GEO Mission 1”
By now the only references remaining I can find is in a gaming magazine from 1995 :-/
https://archive.org/details/PCSpiel1095/page/n13
https://archive.org/details/PCSpiel1095/page/n41
And the guy responsible for its development: https://web.archive.org/web/20050419011743/http://home.foni.net/~jfischer/start.html
This was worth it for me just to hear the llama getting it’s ass whipped once more!
That was great. Looking for Castle of the Winds myself…..
Yes. Oh man I really miss that.
But can it run Sims 3?