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submitted 1 day ago by sunshine@lemmy.ml to c/linux@lemmy.ml

I feel like I remember seeing something like this get posted and celebrated in this or some other techie community, and I'm interested in screwing around with other OSes but I can't remember which one it might be. What's your favorite 90s-flavored Linux desktop environment / distribution?

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[-] MonkderVierte@lemmy.ml 6 points 12 hours ago
[-] LunarLoony@lemmy.sdf.org 7 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago)

Trinity Desktop Environment is really cool - a bit more XP-era, mid-2000s style, though.

[-] radiouser@crazypeople.online 3 points 13 hours ago

I think it might be LXQT?

You need to theme it but depending on how you theme it you can get it looking like Win95. In fact I distinctly remember seeing Win95 themes for LXQT

https://github.com/pixelocdguy/windows-classic

[-] just_another_person@lemmy.world 45 points 1 day ago

You're confusing themes with entire distros.

This is what you want: https://github.com/grassmunk/Chicago95

[-] HayadSont@discuss.online 12 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago)

To add to this, a 'distro' -if you will- that was launched recently with this theme would be the aptly-named Blue95.

[-] BlueSquid0741@lemmy.sdf.org 17 points 23 hours ago

I haven’t used the Chicago theme, but if you’re in KDE, the Reactionary Plus theme is spot on and works great.

https://www.pling.com/p/2138468/

Or

https://www.opencode.net/phob1an/reactionary

[-] Inui@hexbear.net 7 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago)

Atomic desktops are the (current) future, so: https://blues.win/95/

[-] chaos@beehaw.org 4 points 19 hours ago
[-] monovergent@lemmy.ml 9 points 1 day ago

Chicago95 XFCE on Debian is my daily driver. Having been a Windows 2000 fanboy, it makes me feel right at home.

The Raleigh GTK theme ported to GTK 3 on XFCE is also a quick and dirty way to get a 90s-esque look: https://github.com/thesquash/gtk-theme-raleigh

For an entire distro, there's Hot Dog Linux: https://github.com/arthurchoung/HOTDOG

[-] undefined@lemmy.hogru.ch 10 points 1 day ago

I don’t think it’s what you’re looking for but what your post reminds me of is ReactOS, though that’s more of a rewrite of actual Windows than a Linux distro.

[-] i_am_not_a_robot@feddit.uk 6 points 1 day ago
[-] undefined@lemmy.hogru.ch 2 points 20 hours ago

Oh, that’s pretty sick.

[-] Tippon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 22 hours ago

This is one that was shared recently:

!https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/42247576

[-] HubertManne@piefed.social 3 points 21 hours ago

zorin has a windows like interface. I don't think it necessarily is tracking windows 95 but really the windows like thing is really just a start menu with submenus like windows that I think have not changed much between windows 95 and now.

[-] shittydwarf@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 day ago

Are you thinking of Plan 9?

[-] BRINGit34@lemmygrad.ml 3 points 1 day ago

q40s is a debian based distro. It comes with trinity desktop and has some very retro looking themes.

I tried it on an old laptop a while ago and it worked fine. But you could probably do the same thing with regular debian

[-] solrize@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

I've been using Debian MATE. It's mostly ok.

[-] LovableSidekick@lemmy.world 1 points 23 hours ago

Also are the Rolling Stones involved? Asking for a friend.

[-] StrawberryPigtails@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 23 hours ago

Vanilla? XFCE was looked a bit like Win 95/98 the last time I used it, say 5 to 10 years ago. I’ve been using KDE which reminds me more of XP or Vista in default configuration. Probably why I like KDE so much.

What your probably looking for though is a theme.

this post was submitted on 25 Apr 2025
55 points (93.7% liked)

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