[prlambert]

Nice work! The most surprising part for me was that your websites says you are 20 years old – so I gotta ask, what was the motivation?

I'm 39, born in 1983, so I have serious nostalgia around Windows 95. I was 12 when it came out, my parents bought a Dell when it was new and those years were very formative for me. I assumed that nostalgia would be the only driver to do this... But you weren't born until ~8 years after it was released. I'm genuinely curious (and impressed!)

[graypegg]

Can't speak for them, but I'm 25 and have a massive amount of nostalgia for windows 2000, for the weird reason that the first computer I ever got free-reign over was a give-away machine from the IT department from my mother's job at the time. Maybe around 2007-8? I'd have to bet it's something like that for GP too!

[seanw444]

Same for me. I'm 22, and Windows XP makes me nostalgic. It was the computer I was able to play Flash / web games on when I was 8-12.

[marttt]

+1, came here to ask this same question. Interestingly, even though I started with DOS and Windows 3.1, I have no nostalgia whatsoever for the latter. I often very much miss the simplicity of DOS and still enjoy the aesthetics of DOS programs, but not so with Win 3.1.

Looking back, Win95-2000 was indeed an excellent UI. Looks as though ReactOS has recently moved away from having that look as its default, though: https://reactos.org/gallery/

[hatf0]

Well, for some context, I had a website prior to this that was pretty bare-bones - the whole thing was basically just a terminal prompt. Realized pretty quickly that was a terrible idea for mobile & general UX, so I wanted to stick with something that still felt ... retro, and that integrated well with the web stack (React/Next.js, Tailwind CSS, Vercel) that I've been using at work. I'm also a huge retro hardware enthusiast, so finding this library checked every box.

Also some nostalgia from that time! My dad was an early adopter of technology (as part of his work - he was head of R&D for a large corporation), so he'd bring home all sorts of cool computers that would be handed down to me. First laptop I ever remember using (when I was 5 or so?) was a ThinkPad (before Lenovo ruined the brand) running Windows XP. I was raised fending for myself in SMF / phpBB forums & IRC chatrooms, so I still hold an appreciation for the times pre-iPhone :P

[farazzz]

Not the person you’re asking, but I’m 22 and personally I just love the pixelated OS aesthetic

I love pixel art, and Windows 95 looks so cute!

[marttt]

We must also not forget the most relevant add-on for the Windows 95 UI: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_screen_of_death#/media/Fi...

BTW, it is quite enjoyable how the linked Wikipedia article illustrates the evolution of BSOD into the polished, polite and careful error screen of current Windows. "We're always getting everything ready for you" vs "Dude, your data is surely gone; maybe get a different job? Error code for your brain: BFF9B3D4".

I still prefer the brutality, though. Like a bucket of cold water.

[Aeolun]

I thought that was odd, since I’m much younger and they were formative for me too. Then I realized I’m 36 xD

Anyway, I think it’s probably something like how the brutalist architecture was all built before I was born, but it’s still something I can appreciate now.