I've built a virtual museum with nearly every operating system you can think of
a day ago
- #Emulation
- #Software Preservation
- #Operating Systems
- The Virtual OS Museum is a QEMU, VirtualBox, or UTM-based Linux VM providing emulated access to historical and modern operating systems.
- It includes a custom launcher with snapshot features for easy restoration and pre-configured installations to simplify running OSes without setup.
- The collection spans from early systems like the Manchester Baby (1948) to present-day OSes, covering mainframes, Unix variants, home computers, and mobile systems.
- Both full and lite versions are available; the full version is offline-ready, while the lite version downloads images on first use, with support for updates.
- The project aims to make preserved software easily runnable, addressing challenges like complex installations and emulator compatibility issues.
- It results from over 20 years of collection, involving installation from various sources, emulator patches, and adding era-appropriate software.
- Support options include Patreon, Ko-fi, Discord/Fluxer for discussion, GitLab for bug reports, and spreading awareness to the computing history community.