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Developer Installs Windows 95 On An Apple Watch (theverge.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Developer Nick Lee has successfully installed Windows 95 on his Apple Watch. It works, but it runs very slow. For example, it takes about an hour for the OS to boot up. In a blog post, Lee points out the Apple Watch features specs capable of running the old OS. To get Windows 95 running on the Apple Watch, Lee had to modify Apple's development software in "rather unorthodox ways" that allowed him to turn the OS into a Watch app, which also emulates an environment for the OS to run on, he tells The Verge. To deal with the fact that Apple Watch's screen is always turning itself off when not in use, he set up a motorized tube that constantly turns the Watch's crown, preventing it from falling asleep. In addition, Lee altered the Watch's software to let Windows 95 track a single fingertip, hence the constant swiping in his video.
For example, it takes about an hour for the OS to boot up.
Man, I thought my PC had bad boot times.
Anyone else remember this guy? Ancient UNIX on a nintendo gameboy.
C|N>K
It works, but it runs very slow. For example, it takes about an hour for the OS to boot up
That sounds about normal speed to me.
Despite hating both windows 95 and the apple watch. This is some awesome hackery.
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Exactly! An hour is a lot better than eternity, which is how my Win95 machine worked, frequently.
Lee also had to deal with the fact that the Apple Watch's screen really wants to turn off when it isn't in use. To deal with that, he set up a motorized tube that constantly turns the Watch's crown, preventing it from falling asleep.
It's worth watching. Props to this guy for some cool software hacking skills. But his motorized tube reminds me of ITAPPMONROBOT.
Why?
I guess you missed the bit where he answered the question "What are you, nuts?"
He has previously emulated 68k Mac OS and now turns his attention to a 486 PC.
I would suggest another platform of the period, Risc OS. I'm not sure if the SoC used in the watch supports ARM's virtualization extensions but since there's no arch emulation it should still run at lightning speed compared to an Archimedes of the early 90s.
Run Bochs on his iWatch.
Lots of people, you know, that likes to hack stuff and try to defy normality... But it's k, you stay in your cozy little world
Everyone needs a hobby
Why not?
Pun(s) intended.
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
Finally, something useful to do with an Apple watch
judging from the comments the core audience is long gone and the readers are just strays from Reddit
There was a day when doing something purely for enjoyment, the sake of doing it and just seeing if it could be done were lauded
On today's Slashdot such things are derided and despised
The two people that bought the damned watch.
It looks like he installed Mac OS also. https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
its just a pc emulator port to c compiler on a common cpu platform. you could do the same on android gear in a few hours.
Install Win95 on an Apple Watch, that's how.
Tons of people bought this watch.
I have never seen one in the wild, however.
....the apple watch couldn't be a bigger overpriced piece of shit - someone proves me wrong!
If he given the work to actually write a JIT x86 to ARM translator, but the project is mostly a "i compiled Qemu to X and became news" so, not expecting that anytime soon.
Do it and you too could be in an article that may or may not be here some day.
This is actually the funnest thing I've seen about the iwatch. For his next trick he should install excel 97 and get the flight sim Easter egg up and running :)
Wasn't Windows 95 the OS for which Microsoft licensed the use of "Start Me Up" in ads? An hour just to boot up Windows 95 on the Apple Watch brings a new level of meaning to the part of the song the Microsoft ads omitted ("... you make a grown man cry ...").
Tons of people would still only be what, a couple of dozen people? Supposing that most of them are well fed westerners.
Put a Commadore-64 emulator on it
Table-ized A.I.
So basically he bypassed some security and fired up an x86 emulator.
And I masturbated tonight. Where's the news?
I guess I can see how making an obsolete OS run on a modern device as something that would be fulfilling but I fail to see how that would be important news to anyone.
I ignore Anonymous Coward posts. If you want to discuss something, that's awesome. Log in.
He must be a TURRARRAZIST! Help! (Shoots himself in the head with a flamethrower FUR OBAMA!)
Well yes, if they were starving then we would question their sense of priorities
I can't be the only one who thinks that it's funny that he managed to run the most over hyped desktop OS of its time on the most over hyped wearable gadget of its time.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
So if it'll run Win95, it should run DOS then.
As much as i love messing around with emulators. It's much harder and more interesting when someone gets another OS working on the bare metal, obviously not gona happen with windows. I remember when there was a tiny linux port for my 3rd gen ipod, could play Doom2 on it and type in the cli with the wheel onion network style :P it was awesome... it also added a new feature which keeps your pocket uncomfortably warm.
I can lick my tongue
We already knew it would run NetBSD!
http://m.slashdot.org/story/59884
http://greenlandma.com/
That's like saying, "Guy takes Stalin and installs Mussolini."
"You won't believe what this guy did with an Apple Watch! !!!111"
If you want to reach the millennials, you gotta know the lingo.
Is that so? Let's see it then. No? Well, someone else actually has done it on Apple watch instead of just spouting off about it. That's why it's interesting.
I wonder how long before the reminder pop-ups appear to upgrade to Windows 10.
Reminds me of the time I did a fast Fourier transform on a HP calculator. It really redefined the meaning of fast.
Lots of people, you know, that likes to hack stuff and try to defy normality... but it's k, you stay in your cozy little world
I hate to be pedantic, but actually it's not k. It's [k - 1]. But that's okay as long as one precaches the twiddle factors. #FastFourierTilTheDay
Reminds me of the time I did a fast Fourier transform on a HP calculator. It really redefined the meaning of fast.
Lots of people, you know, that likes to hack stuff and try to defy normality... But it's k, you stay in your cozy little world
I hate to say this, but actually it's not k.
It's [k - 1]. But that's okay, just set the right radix and cache the twiddle factors in advance. #FastFourierTilTheDay
Reminds me of the time I did a fast Fourier transform on a HP calculator. It really redefined the meaning of fast.
Lots of people, you know, that likes to hack stuff and try to defy normality... But it's k, you stay in your cozy little world
I hate to say this, but actually it's not k.
It's [k - 1]. But that's okay, just set the right radix and cache the twiddle factors in advance. #FastFourierTilTheDay
Someone has made Apple Watch do something actually useful!
I've always wanted a watch that demands I upgrade it to Windows 10 every time I look at it.
Feminest rag.
That two wrongs don't make a right.
Win95 was a DOS extender, just better disguised than Win3.1 and Win3.11
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The great thing about multitasking is that several things can go wrong at once.