browservice VS v86

Browservice - proxy but goes one step further and renders the page and actually only sends back a clickable image to the browser on the old machine. Almost like screensharing.

I have a [Browservice](https://github.com/ttalvitie/browservice) server set up for the faster machines, which basically streams images, and a [retroproxy](https://github.com/humbertocsjr/retroproxy) service for the slower machines :)

Original iMac G3 (the very first) running Mac OS X 10.1 and Netscape 7.01. The magic comes from this program : https://github.com/ttalvitie/browservice

Browservice may be suitable if you have to use IE6 and you're OK using a proxy system.

"browservice" will render web pages server-side and then deliver them to your browser as an image with simple javascript.

It works in virtually all "old" browsers and can be very useful for older computers.

https://github.com/ttalvitie/browservice

TL;DR: Read the entirety of Readme.md (it's at the bottom of https://github.com/ttalvitie/browservice). If you still have specific questions, i'll try to help.

Check out browservice; either run it on your host, or in another VM.

A 4th gen i7, the VM gets 2.3 GB, but I've done similarly stupid stuff on an AMD Athlon 64 (sluggish but usable, 720p YT dropping frames but watchable). Browservice running in a VM to serve XP's IE8 is another fun Goldbergian trick.

> As a thought experiment, we're almost there! We could technically have `win95.img + bochs86vm.wasm + autorun.inf + msword.exe` wrapped in a "browser evaluator"

I looked into this and... holy crap! We are there. Not for modern programs quite yet, sure, but this is amazing. You can use Windows 2000 from your browser.

https://copy.sh/v86/?profile=windows2000

I think you are looking for Shadow.

https://shadow.goose.icu

Or just the whole kitchen sink. Why not?

http://copy.sh/v86/?profile=windows98

Also: https://github.com/copy/v86 - more productized browser x86 runtime, used by eg https://github.com/snaplet/postgres-wasm

Wonder if you could put all those databases in a Linux image and boot it using v86 [0], eliminating the need for a server.

[0] https://github.com/copy/v86

Trying it out in https://copy.sh/v86/?profile=kolibrios , it's also clearly a love letter to Windows 95 in particular. That could be an unstated goal here, create a very particular PC experience under very particular constraints. I don't know anything about the creator but it's very possible that this kind of work was actually their career in the 90s.

It's incredible how much work was done. Maybe this should be an internet curiosity like how TempleOS has become, though Terry's personality was a unique factor.

hmm, why would people still use VMWare? Isn't vbox open source, or even things such as https://copy.sh/v86/ would do most virtualization trick now days?

Oh, there are more OSes one can use at the parent page:

https://copy.sh/v86/

My highlights:

- First version of Windows (1.01)

- SerenityOS <3

- and even ReactOS