I want to live in this alternate reality where Windows 95 Mobile exists

Shawn Knight

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Through the looking glass: In true Windows fashion, Internet Explorer coughs up an unexpected error message. Classic.

Who needs the Google Assistant, Siri or even Cortana when you can have everyone’s favorite personal assistant, Clippy?

That’s the message pushed in a recent “concept” video from YouTube channel 4096 that imagines what a mobile version of Windows 95 might have looked like had software design not kept pace with hardware advancements.

The mere thought of a modern version of Microsoft’s dated operating system may make some people’s skin crawl but personally, I kinda dig it. There’s certain some retro appeal going… then again, I’ve always been the type to favor practicality over flash.

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"That’s the messaged pushed in a recent “concept” video from YouTube channel 4096 that imagines what a mobile version of Windows 95 might have looked like had software design not kept pace with hardware advancements."

That's not what's happening at all. The actual functionality is almost 100% modern/metro. What we're seeing is a Windows 95 skin of Windows 8.1/10 and hardly anything more. What people actually want are the older Windows version ergonomics and layout with a slightly updated aesthetic. Instead Microsoft is going to re-introduce Aero (I.e. "fluent design") in another desperate bid to make Windows 10 finally supplant Windows 7's user base. Good for those few who actually like how Windows 10 works but just another facepalm for the majority.
 
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Windows 95 would run hella fast on modern hardware that's what. Someone installed Windows 98 on a small SSD. It completed in about 15 seconds.

Android is a big bloated OS these days compared to anything before Windows Vista. We always manage to use up all the extra hardware performance that comes our way, always wanting more. Insatiable.

Maybe when hardware advances are much harder to come by in the future as silicon lithography hits the buffers we'll go back to the early days of computing where every byte and cycle counted in the software. You can't have much faster hardware every year so you better work hard on much faster software.
 
Having owned a Windows Mobile (not Windows Phone) device in the HTC Touch HD, I would shoot this 95 device including the people that came up with this concept directly into the centre of the sun.
 
Yes, we all miss windows 95 and its crashing periodically and our losing work. Sure, bring it back....
 
Windows 95 would run hella fast on modern hardware that's what. Someone installed Windows 98 on a small SSD. It completed in about 15 seconds.

Android is a big bloated OS these days compared to anything before Windows Vista. We always manage to use up all the extra hardware performance that comes our way, always wanting more. Insatiable.

Maybe when hardware advances are much harder to come by in the future as silicon lithography hits the buffers we'll go back to the early days of computing where every byte and cycle counted in the software. You can't have much faster hardware every year so you better work hard on much faster software.

Android isn't eating hardware resources for nothing. It's busy bringing profits to its maker by digging all the user info it can. Other OS makers are following google footsteps of course, as this bussiness practice works so well for them.
Today's Windows 95 wouldn't work like it did in its days...
 
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