Wandering Adventure Party

@nazokiyoubinbou @glennmagusharvey Yep... but what is a "major technological change? Something under the hood might not even concern most users. I'd say, a retro system always has some major usage incompatibles with modern everyday habits. Like you can't use MP3 files on a cassette player and you also can't use Windows 3.x to access a normal USB stick. No, you have to A) know how to use other oldschool technologies and B) you have to do without everyday standards and technologies in order to use a retro system.

Another complication is one's personal stand on modern technology. For me, I don't accept many cloud or even AI systems as being an integral part of modern computing. For me, many of these "technologies" are just stupid ideas from idiot companies. So, if someone would consider systems being retro just for using local storage space or for not using A.I.? A horrible thought.

@nazokiyoubinbou @glennmagusharvey I'll admit you could probably adjust easily to older interfaces. Like a program manager or a physical interface like a cassette player or Walkman. But using oldschool players or GUIs also feels a lot different. Where you see this divide between retro and "just outdated" is probably a very personal question.

@nazokiyoubinbou @glennmagusharvey Thank you guys for answering!

When you compare Windows 95 to Windows 11... they do look different, but - coming from either side - you would still know how to use the other system. It's got a Start Menu, a File Explorer, a Desktop. Windows 95 is still similar enough to use it without much thinking.

When you just go back just a years more... from 1995 to 1993... You would end up using Windows 3.1 or MS-DOS and you would not have all of these familiar programs and GUI elements. No desktop, no Start Menu. MS-DOS 5 or 6 only gives you a command prompt and maybe the MS-DOS Shell, Windows 3.1 has the Program and the File Manager.

You would have to remember or learn new/old things in order to use the computer with DOS or Windows 3.x. And it would be even more different, going back to Windows 2.x or even further, where you would need to use the MS-DOS Executive. To me, that's the definition of a retro system. Windows 95 is already a modern OS, it's just outdated. But not "retro".

Installing WinZip 8.1 SR-1 and WinRAR 3.71 on a virtual Windows 95. This is such a perfect example as to why I still don't consider Windows 95 to be a "retro" operating system:

Using the Windows Explorer, the long file names, the setup programs, the start menu icons and, of course, the programs themselves. A "normal" screen resolution with 16/24-bit color. Everything does look and feel pretty much identical to a modern Windows PC. Yes, all of these version numbers are a bit lower, but that's basically it. This is SO not a retro system!

#Win9x #RetroComputing #WinRAR #WinZip #90s #Retro #OperatingSystem