There are already proper WMs with the Win95 look e.g. IceWM.
I’ve wanted to work on OS clone desktop environments (to cover all the little things a window manager alone can’t) for a while now because I think it’s worthwhile to preserve older environments and keep them available for usage even after their commercial creators have abandoned them.
Finding the time to do that is a challenge though, particularly with the higher activation energy of having to learn the ins and outs of X11, Wayland, and other bits and pieces involved in building a functional *nix desktop.
Yeah, that’s exactly it! Unfortunately the different skill sets required here are so different. You part need deep understanding of the low level inner workings, and part need great attention to detail in user interface design. It would probably be easiest to pull of as a team effort.
It's not Linux but Serenity OS checks all the other boxes.
Yeah, I’m aware of Serenity and think it has a really cool combination of old school Windows and Mac OS!
Re:Chicago95 – Windows 95 Theme for Linux
by prmoustache on Monday July 31, 2023 @08:21AM
(#36941515)
Aren't you mixing up toolkits and window manager? Seems to me like we are pretty well sorted on linux with some amazing window managers that are superior to what Microsoft and Apple ever produced.
To be less niche and reach even more nostalgic users it could be something like a RetroWM with modes for like Windows 95, XP, maybe even Mac OS 9.
If I only had unlimited time on my hands… :D