Os8088: Mac-like operating system for vintage IBM computers
Developer creates modern GUI OS for 1980s IBM XT, 286, and 386 machines with multitasking and memory efficiency.
Conversation activity · last 40 hours peak 3/hr
Summary, timeline and people extracted by Claude from 11 items across 2 sources · 21h ago. Quotes are verbatim.
Os8088 is a new operating system that brings Mac-like graphical user interface capabilities to vintage IBM XT, 286, and 386 computers. The OS demonstrates efficient resource management, running multiple applications simultaneously with preemptive multitasking on machines with limited memory, and includes features like dock-based window management, file browsers, and built-in applications such as Notepad, Clock, and Minesweeper.
- Os8088 implements preemptive multitasking on 1980s-era hardware with as little as 147KB RAM in use.
- The OS features a Mac-style dock, window management with title-bar dragging, and cascading window instances.
- Applications are loaded as independent segments from floppy disk, each with its own 512-byte buffers or larger memory allocations.
- Community response on Hacker News was substantial, with the project reaching 215+ upvotes and 140+ comments within hours of posting.
How it unfolded
-
Report Story gains traction on Hacker News
Os8088 is posted to Hacker News frontpage, accumulating 215-222 points and 140-146 comments, indicating significant community interest in the retro computing project.
-
Event Os8088 project released
Developer jggonz releases Os8088, a GUI operating system designed for IBM XT, 286, and 386 computers, featuring Mac-like interface elements and multitasking capabilities.
What people are saying verbatim
“Five programs running at once. A Note Pad loaded off the software floppy, a ticking Clock, a bouncing ball, the Control Panel and the Task Manager, each a separate instance with its own dock tile.”
Os8088 project documentation · os8088.com
“The Task Manager reports the machine at 70% busy and 147K of RAM in use.”
Os8088 project documentation · os8088.com
“Minimized is not stopped -- the Clock is still counting, it only skips drawing.”
Os8088 project documentation · os8088.com
Voices from the web unedited
-
> The graphical operating system that could have been for the IBM XTVisi On[1] was a graphical operating system for the IBM PC that actually existed as a commercial product, though definitely not a very successful one. It was made by VisiCorp, the same company that created VisiCalc (the first spreadsheet for a personal computer).It was demoed at…
-
This is great -It’s almost as impressive as the “GOS” written for Atari 8-bit running on 6502 at 1.79 MHz. Visually it’s almost identical but has a nicer font. The specs are somewhat similar with 16 task slots, calculator app and task manager, serial mouse support (ST mouse) and Atari’s hardware sprites helping with some of the graphics. The XOR…
-
https://os8088.com/how-it-works/multitasking/> Pre-emptive multitasking on an 8086> Twelve task slots, 1,536 bytes of stack each, and a timer interrupt that takes the CPU away from whatever is running 18.2065 times a second. No task is asked to cooperate and no task can refuse.If you don't have protected mode, can't any program just rewrite the…
-
This is great. I had a little Flytech Carry-I 8088 back in the day that could just about run Windows 2 with dual floppies, 640K RAM, Hercules graphics and a Microsoft serial mouse.Although it was admittedly a bit rubbish compared to Amigas, STs and Acorns of the time I still really enjoyed using.If I'd had the chance this is exactly what I would…
-
This looked great, I started reading things, and then I just kept reading and reading the voluminous description details, and it was an immediate indication to me that the whole thing was built up by Claude. Confirmed in the repo. I closed the tab.I appreciate the topic, interest, and ambition, but if a human couldn’t be bothered to create and…
-
The graphical operating system that could have been for the IBM XT.A MacOS-like desktop for the Intel 8086, written entirely in real-mode assembly (with Claude). Verified to run on real hardware, with FAT12/16 support, ported apps, games, Sound Blaster support and upcoming Hard Drive support.
-
Beveled-buttons Minesweeper (first appeared in Win 3.11 IIRC) running on a preemptive 8086 OS with a bootleg System 1/2/3 interface looks absolutely cursed.
-
It's funny how virtually everyone on HN is using AI to write code and simultaneously dismisses all interesting new software as written by AI.
-
> Hand-written real-mode 8086. No C, no linker, no runtime library.More like hand-prompted...