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    / /  __/ /_(__  )  __/ /_/ /  / /_/ / /  / /  
 __/ /\___/\__/____/\___/\__/_/   \__,_/_/  /_/   
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Picking a retro operating system to emulate on my phones

(Originally posted to Cohost on Fri, Sep 1, 2023, 2:48 PM)

A Windows 95 desktop with a bluish interface and a wallpaper of Ruri Hoshino on a Quake background.

(source for the wallpaper, thanks to the Wayback Machine)

Somehow I have the feminine urge to run a virtual machine for an old, lightweight operating system. Airgap it from the internet for security reasons, but run period-accurate productivity software, and share a directory with the host system (which is possible thanks to QEMU's -hdb fat:rw:/my_directory argument, I believe? But I haven't tested it extensively).

Yeah, I know it's possible to use an Android smartphone as a full computer -- I've repurposed a rooted 2013 Kindle into a backup Linux PC (see Termux for non-root phones, Linux Deploy for root phones) -- but there's something so nostalgic about running 90s systems via Termux QEMU or Limbo. It's fun, and it's cozy; with such a hyperactive mind, I can calm it by laying down in bed and exploring my beautiful desktop, changing the theme, switching wallpapers (gathered from old websites), and writing diary entries in Notepad/WordPad.

The real question I've pandered, for so long, is which OS would be a good candidate for this fun little adventure? I've been eyeing:

Windows 3.1: when running via DOSBOX it's incredibly snappy (which also makes it a good choice for, say, the Pi 4 I have), but afaik DOS-based emulation uses up unnecessary battery because the CPU never catches a break.
Windows 98SE: I have a soft spot for this one. I hear it recommended as the best DOS version of Windows. Windows 95 and ME sound unstable, hence their lack of exclusion from this list (but I'm considering revisiting ME).
Windows 2000: Often mentioned as the most stable and reliable version of Windows, this is the one I've experimented the most with recently. This and XP seem to be the easiest to get up and running via QEMU, not requiring any device drivers from the internet.
Windows XP: Probably the heaviest option -- but being the first OS I've been exposed to, I have some pretty cozy memories when it comes to its Fisher-Price look and symphonic "soundtrack".
Others (Damn Small Linux / KolibriOS): Not as old as the previously-mentioned, but they're wonderfully pint-sized and running them in RAM don't use up read/write cycles on my flash storage.

I'm awfully indecisive!

EDIT (2023-09-04): Windows 2000 it is then!

A screenshot of Windows 2000's installation. It says, "Please wait while Setup detects and installs devices such as your keyboard and mouse. This will take several minutes. During this time, your screen may flicker for a few seconds."

It's pretty slow on even my fastest tablet, but it's not unusable. The final command looks like this, for installing from my PC:

qemu-system-i386 \
--enable-kvm \
-cdrom "EN_WIN2000_PRO_SP4.ISO" \
-hda win2k.img \
-m 128 \
-vga cirrus \
-device ac97 \
-usbdevice tablet \
-rtc base=localtime \
-net none

After transferring the virtual hard drive for use on my tablet, it should look like this:

qemu-system-i386 \
-hda win2k.img \
-m 128 \
-vga cirrus \
-device ac97 \
-usbdevice tablet \
-rtc base=localtime \
-net none \
-hdb fat:rw:shared \
-vnc :0

The "shared" in -hdb fat:rw:shared is a directory, where I'll store certain files for easy transfer. I could also use the -snapshot command to run Windows 2000 without modifying the virtual drive.

EDIT (2023-09-29): Added -vnc :0 to display Windows 2000 as a VNC server.