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Remembering the good old days of the first operating systems

Can you remember the first steps of the Internet? The first operating systems were based on tremendous technology back then, and now with one mouse-click you can run these systems in your own browser. How amazing is this ? 

Here at HTML24, as we develop web applications, we sometimes take a step back and realize how far we have come. 

From the first huge bulky computers with operating systems that only experts were able to understand and use, to the small microcomputers we have in our pockets, that even a small child can operate. 

In this blog post, we are putting our rose tinted glasses on and take a trip back to the golden days of the first operating systems. Are you ready to be filled with this nostalgic feeling as you read this post ? 

  1. Mac OS System 7.js

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The first memory we would like to bring up is the Mac OS System 7 operating system. It was introduced by Apple in 1991 and was also known as “Big Bang”. 

Back in the days, one of the main features brought with this operating system were the drag and drop function and the very first start of personal file sharing. 

It is incredible to think about the fact that this OS, once demanded a state of the art computer to run. 

And even then, the system was still somewhat slow and unresponsive compared to modern operating systems.

  1. VIRTUAL DESKTOP

The virtual desktop website offers several operating systems from Windows 95, 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000 to Macintosh OS8.6 and Macintosh X 10.4. 

It also runs within your browser. Fun fact: you will find in the Windows 95 version, the browser displayed as The Internet.

  1. QUAKE JS

quake-3-html24

Another example is Quake 3 Arena, the famous first-person shooter video game, launched in 2001. Back then, it was a very resource-intensive game. Now, you can play QuakeJs easily in your browser. 

While we are talking about in-browser gaming, we are about to make another tremendous gap with the cutting edge cloud technology. 

For instance, cloud gaming allows to play games through a remote server. It means that you can play from any screen devices: computers, TV, mobile phones, tablets etc. without having a local server on your machine. 

One knows how big the challenge regarding latency in gaming is: to be able to send inputs to the server and at the same time to receive video and audio, all through a cloud server ! 

Last month Google announced a cloud streaming service, Stadia, which should be launched during 2019.

  1. WINDOWS93.NET

Last but not least, the craziest one, Windows 93. Windows 93 is a hilarious parody of Windows 95. As you’re getting slowly lost in the multiple files and programs there are, most of you will probably get quite a few of the many easter eggs and nostalgia they put into this fake OS. 

What is Win 95 without the great funky effects of closing down a window, or having a good time playing Wolfenstein 3D?

Our personal favorite, of course, is the program called Hydra.exe. We highly recommend that you check that one out.

Have fun !


We hope that you have had great times rediscovering the ancient systems we used to run on our enormous computer. We have been assisting to a giant leap in technology. 

Today, there is a tremendous number of applications and softwares browser-based. Among which are ERP Dynamics 365 or Slack App, the instant messaging and collaboration system. 

At HTML24, we like taking up challenges. Web development is in our DNA, and we have helped many organizations both from small-sized organizations to large one, with process automation and systems integration. 

You can reach out to us or let us contact you whenever it is the right time for you. And we can discuss the great things we may achieve together.