Windows hit another milestone on Friday—just not a version of Windows that Microsoft had anything to do with. Artists Jankenpopp and Zombectro released the final version of Windows 93, a bizarre look at what might have been in the world of Windows if a young Bill Gates imbued a sense of fun (or pharmacology) into Microsoft’s operating system.
Windows 93 is an almost fully-operational version of old-timey Windows that runs in your browser. There’s even a short boot phase where the Windows 93 logo appears followed by the original PlayStation boot sound, because why not?
The project first appeared in October and the artists have been hard at work on it since. Although this appears to be the final version, a pop-up notice in Windows 93 says to expect more updates in the future.
The story behind the story: While Windows 93 is a lot of fun to play with it also reminds us just how much can be done in a browser tab. Windows 93 is very detailed. The Start menu works, programs open in their own Windows, and right-clicking on a program in the taskbar gives you an option to close it. Windows 93 also relies on a bunch of outside projects—as most software does these days—so check out the credits file on the desktop to see all the details.
Windows 93 Explorer
Cornered again.
Poking around Windows 93 is a a perfect distraction for a day when all anybody is thinking about is the Apple Watch debut. Windows 93 comes with its own version of solitaire called Solitude that is just as addictive as the original (Ed. note: That explains why this article was an hour late.).
There’s also a Wolfenstein 3D clone called Castle GAFA 3D that’s a lot of fun to play and even improves on the secret Pac-Man level. Click on Star Wars.avi and the “OS” loads the ASCI II version of Star Wars: Episode IV.
And for those of you worried about your pseudo-system’s hard drive health there’s even a Defrag tool that thinks it’s a snake game.
I could go on, but I don’t want to spoil all the fun so head over to the “finished” version of Windows 93 and poke around, play a few games, or click the dolphin. You won’t be sorry you did.