Windows 9x Subsystem for Linux

iibobev 3 days ago 32 commentsRead Article on codeberg.org

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Discussion (32 Comments)Read Original on HackerNews

micw•about 1 hour ago

For a second I thought github has updated to a clean and usable user interface. Then I realized that it's codeberg / forgejo ^^

shevy-java•about 1 hour ago

Perhaps codeberg replaces github one day. Microsoft really should take things more seriously than they do right now. AI slop made them very lazy.

b112•24 minutes ago

It happened with Oracle over and over. Bought MySQL, messed it up, mariaDB is king now. Bought openoffice, messed it up, now libreoffice is king. Created OEL, acted like complete asshats, messed it up, it just goes on and on.

And that doesn't even touch the Sun purchase, Solaris was impressive in its day, it could have had a stronger holding even today.

Microsoft's monopoly is a little like Oracle's was. Luck. Being ready at the right time. There was effective use of that luck, but that time has passed now.

Ah well.

someperson•about 2 hours ago

I'm heartened that recent Linux kernels in 2026 can still target i386 systems!

Between i486, i586 and i686 there's been a steady drumbeat of Linux distros and kernel itself deprecating support

drzaiusx11•about 2 hours ago

Didn't mainline Linux drop i386 in like 2012? Wild it still functions tbh

setopt•about 2 hours ago

I’m curious, are you running i386 devices or more philosophically opposed to deprecation?

rahen•about 2 hours ago

Previous: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47861270

inaprovaline•about 1 hour ago

> Proudly written without AI.

Love it!

mohamedkoubaa•16 minutes ago

We need a humans.txt standard

jll29•about 2 hours ago

Could the be a good "mom and pop" OS to reduce (remote) IT maintenance workload for geeks from parent "clients"?

Arainach•about 2 hours ago

No.

No one should be running Win9x for anything connected to the internet. Ever, full stop.

The only reason to touch it is for a dedicated retro gaming setup or (completely airgapped) for some industrial tool with drivers/software provided by a company that has been defunct for 25+ years.

setopt•about 2 hours ago

Are there even still sufficiently large populations of win9x-compatible viruses online to make it a security issue anymore?

derefr•34 minutes ago

Maybe not viruses much any more, but definitely worms. (And also some automated malicious servers scattered about the Internet that pull lists of devices with certain ports open from Shodan et al, and then repeatedly attempt to attack/penetrate whatever's on those lists.)

There are several videos available on YouTube, of someone connecting a Win9x/2K/XP machine to the modern Internet, waiting just a few minutes, and then observing (through Process Explorer) the silent introduction of various payloads onto the system.

jjmarr•about 1 hour ago

> or (completely airgapped) for some industrial tool with drivers/software provided by a company that has been defunct for 25+ years.

this is a juicy enough target to justify such a virus.

qsort•about 2 hours ago

> Could the be a good "mom and pop" OS

Hate to be that guy, but if that's your problem just hand them an iPad or a Chromebook. Unsatisfying, I know, but it's not like my mom is Mrs. Roberts.

A WSL-like for Win9x is mostly just for the lulz.

nilslindemann•about 3 hours ago

Can it run a Linux subsystem?

shevy-java•about 1 hour ago

The idea is quite cool. How practical is it though? Last time I used a Win9x system or Win2k was ... many, many years ago.

DeathArrow•about 1 hour ago

It seems similar to colinux.

johnea•about 1 hour ago

Windows fans, like being a Mustang or Corvette fan, represent arrested development in last centuries technology...

the__alchemist•9 minutes ago

Windows is closer to a "Just works" for my use cases. I think if you are more into running applications on a PC or writing software not related to the OS, it can be a good choice. Where I would choose linux for servers, multi-user IT style systems etc.

isityettime•about 1 hour ago

Windows as a product feels that way, but I think if you're a kernel hacker, that's not really true for you. Monolithic kernels for Unix-like operating systems like GNU/Linux aren't fundamentally that innovative either. (There's innovation within Linux, of course.)

I also don't really think computing advances in such a linear way. Lots of cool new tech is about digging up underappreciated insights from computing's distant past and applying it in a new context, or even just propagating it more widely.

I'm not saying Windows 9x in particular had anything super interesting going on. But all of the viable desktop and server operating systems are based on really old tech, and at the same time computing's distant past is full of hidden treasures.

tosti•about 3 hours ago

https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=pastMonth&page=0&prefix=fa...

Stop spamming plzkthxbai ^-^

mtlynch•about 3 hours ago

These are all different submitters. HN is supposed to detect duplicate links.

tosti•about 2 hours ago

Allrightie then ./

gitowiec•about 2 hours ago

And writing "Proudly written without AI." in README.md now is new black?

jessetemp•about 2 hours ago

It’s a craft like anything else. Some people enjoy building a table and feel a sense of accomplishment telling their friends “I built this.” Other people just want a table and buy one from Ikea

sph•about 2 hours ago

It's like those labels of protected origin they put on high-quality artisan foods from the EU.

setopt•about 2 hours ago

It’s more like a low-background label: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-background_steel

Conscat•about 1 hour ago

I had never heard of low background steel. That's a fascinating problem it solves (and I love the analogy).

dataflow•about 2 hours ago

My question is, if they did decide to use AI someday, would they remember to update README.md in the same commit? I would probably forget.

drxzcl•about 2 hours ago

The agent will happily fix that for them. They are through like that.