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Calmira Reborn – a Windows 9x-inspired shell for Windows 3.1

107 points| networked | 3 years ago |huntertur.net

76 comments

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[+] ttrrooppeerr|3 years ago|reply
Took me a while to find the link, so here are some screenshots for you: http://calmira.net/screenshots/index.htm
[+] ickoonite|3 years ago|reply
Gosh, the first screenshot took me back. The MIDI player was part of a set of apps that came with the SoundBlaster 16 that stacked together like hifi separates. There was a CD player and a WAV player as well. Haven't seen them in, oooh, 25 years.

http://calmira.net/screenshots/andrew.htm

[+] pocketarc|3 years ago|reply
The Chrios screenshot is interesting.

> Sorry for my Bad English i am a 14 Years old Boy who loved old OS's!

That's actually amazing. You have to wonder what the story is. How did he end up even hearing about/using Calmira? And he's got his hands on an old laptop as well, apparently.

It's stuff like this that makes you appreciate that the internet is just as quirky as it always was. Curious people are still using it to learn and explore. It's great.

[+] stuaxo|3 years ago|reply
Nice; back in the day "grey" was Win95 and the new thing all the themes look like Win95.

It would be interesting to see the start menu etc but in a more native Windows 3.1 style.

[+] integricho|3 years ago|reply
So is there a light, Windows 9x-like (so really really fast and responsive) shell for Windows 10?

I cannot believe how unresponsive Windows 10 is, the menus, windows, all opening with so huge delays, it's a disgrace.

[+] askonomm|3 years ago|reply
I don't know, with 64GB 6000mhz RAM and Ryzen 9 7950X processor, things are instant for me on Windows 11, and even faster on Windows 10. Surely nobody runs on Windows on any lesser system?
[+] doix|3 years ago|reply
Back when I was forced to use windows, I used ClassicShell[0], but it looks like it's abandoned now. The spiritual successor seems to be OpenShell [1].

I can't remember if the shell was enough, but I remember that all the store apps were disabled, search in the start menu didn't search online, no cortana stuff, it was actually quite usable.

You might need the non-home edition to do some of the those things, I think group policies were involved. It's been a long time though, I've been using Linux for everything ever since Proton became good enough for gaming.

[0] http://www.classicshell.net/ (not https) [1] https://github.com/Open-Shell/Open-Shell-Menu

[+] leeman2016|3 years ago|reply
Using Windows 10 with the 6th Gen 6700 HQ, 16 GB ram and an SSD. There are some annoying lags here and there.

Like the login screen, for example. Lock the PC (Windows Key + L) followed by CTRL key to activate the password prompt, and immediately put in my password ... then the 1st one or two characters from my password won't usually make it into the password input.

[+] Bayart|3 years ago|reply
If know of things from the UNIX world, like Blackbox for Windows.
[+] the_mitsuhiko|3 years ago|reply
Somehow related: Windows NT 3.51 looks pretty much exactly like Windows 3.11. However at a later point where customers able to try the "new shell" beta which added Windows NT 4.0 / Windows 95 UI on top of Windows NT 3.51.

You can see the transformation on youtube: https://youtu.be/lTeeml8RULM?t=793

[+] stuaxo|3 years ago|reply
NT 3.51 had some interesting things that didn't make it across because things got overwritten by Windows 95 versions.

Progman.exe actually allowed nested program groups. Winfile.exe supported long filenames.

These both seem to have been overwritten by the versions from Windows 95 (with their Windows 3.1 ancestry) so lost those functions going forward.

[+] qwerty456127|3 years ago|reply
I'd rather have a good (all I've seen are grotesquely low-quality gimmick) Windows3x/9x/XP shell for modern OSes.

IMHO what we need to preserve is retro UX seamlessly integrated into the modern world (e.g. a pixel-perfect Win3x-like DE based on all the modern libraries/kernels and this way capable of interacting with modern web and peripherals).

But it's definitely nice to see people are developing anything cool for Windows 3.11. I would certainly install it if my Windows 3.11 PC was not left in another country.

Any screenshots BTW?

[+] pantalaimon|3 years ago|reply
I mean you can install CDE on a modern system.

And SerenetyOS tries to re-create the look and feel of that era.

[+] anthk|3 years ago|reply
Chicago 95 does it well with XFCE. And B00merang has almost 1:1 theme clones for 3.11.
[+] erremerre|3 years ago|reply
If only there was a screenshot in the site...
[+] derefr|3 years ago|reply
While I don't have anything to point to for what this version (Calmira Reborn) specifically looks like, I know that a number of YouTubers have done walkthroughs/reviews of previous iterations of the project. (One such review, of Calmira II 3.3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMeIwShY434.) I don't expect this new iteration differs much from the previous release; my impression is that this is just a resumption of maintenance and bug-fixing by a different author, so the UX should be the same.

(Also, I can't really blame them for not providing screenshots; it's likely a deliberate choice. If you're using the kind of retro-computing setup that the target audience of this shell uses, you're probably connected to the web through Trumpet WinSock on a 28.8kbps modem — not the ideal environment for loading screenshots! Sure, you could first visit this page on another, faster computer; but you might have to eventually visit the page on your retro-computer to actually download the software onto it. At that time, you'll be very glad that this page doesn't have any screenshots on it!)

[+] thesuitonym|3 years ago|reply
I suppose it looks like Windows 95/98, and if you don't already know what that looks like, it's probably not a product you're interested in anyway.
[+] Gordonjcp|3 years ago|reply
I used to use this in the olden days, when Netscape Communicator ruled the Internet and the webby company I worked for had their servers in my mate's kitchen in the flat upstairs, with a whopping 128kbps leased line.

I dual-booted my 486DX4/120 between Windows 3.1 (Windows 95 was out but who could afford that much RAM?) and some early Slackware.

[+] spiritplumber|3 years ago|reply
I remember Calmira, it allowed us to skip an upgrade cycle on some company laptops once.
[+] timbit42|3 years ago|reply
I prefer the OS/2 Workplace Shell so I use WPS4WIN.zip which puts the OS/2 Workplace Shell on Windows 3.x.

Screenshots: http://toastytech.com/guis/wps.html

The download is here: https://winworldpc.com/product/ibm-workplace-shell/151

The app windows still have the Win3.x buttons so I use the button editor in MAKEOVER to make them look like OS/2 buttons. Download: https://archive.org/details/MAKEOVER_ZIP

[+] IIsi50MHz|3 years ago|reply
I vaguely recall using an official-seeming OS/2 Workplace shell that was meant to be both productive, and remind you in various places that if you like this, you'll probably like OS/2.
[+] protoman3000|3 years ago|reply
Who uses these things productively as daily driver in 2023? No judgement, just curious.
[+] thesuitonym|3 years ago|reply
Do people have to be constantly productive all day every day? Maybe someone just has some old games they want to play, and they want a more modern shell to do it with.

But if productivity is the only thing you recognize, I recall reading that George R.R. Martin uses an incredibly old PC to write on. I think it was DOS or maybe Windows 3.1.

[+] pantalaimon|3 years ago|reply
I think those retro projects are mostly just for fun. There is nostalgia involved, but also those older systems tend to be easier to tinker with.
[+] nirimda|3 years ago|reply
The copyright in the source code has a big jump from 2007 to 2022, so I guess possibly no-one, it's probably more entertainment/skills development for someone who finds modern always-on internet computers too distracting.

I sometimes used Calmira when I was in school until I switched to RedHat 5.1.

[+] BizarreByte|3 years ago|reply
I use a handful of modern projects on a Mac running System 7 for “productive” purposes. I don’t use the computer itself for work, but I program on it, manage my servers on it, keep my household information recorded on it (bills, budget, power usage, etc), write on it, etc.

Beyond being distraction free it doesn’t remind me of my work computer, which helps doing things on it not feel like an extension of my day job.

In all fairness I’m pretty weird in this regard. I don’t see it as a toy, or fun retro thing, and it’s not a nostalgia thing, it’s just a computer and experience that I enjoy using to accomplish things I would have had to do anyway.

[+] pfoof|3 years ago|reply
Forget your i3s or dwms, this is the desktop environment we need.
[+] helf|3 years ago|reply
I still have CalmiraXP on my childhood i386. It’s great lol
[+] 1vuio0pswjnm7|3 years ago|reply
How do we download and install Windows 3.1 in 2023. I would like to install it on bootable USB stick.
[+] rpastuszak|3 years ago|reply
Not sure about running it from a bootable USB stick, but DOSBox + Win 3.11 was fairly simple to set up on Mac, i.e. I have no internet, but MS Bob works like charm.
[+] rbanffy|3 years ago|reply
The idea of a UI revamp for Windows 3 reminds me of HP's Dashboard. I actually liked it.
[+] johnea|3 years ago|reply
Really is a sad thing, an entire generation brain damaged by M$.
[+] sbjs|3 years ago|reply
There’s certainty a nostalgic emotional reaction when seeing these but it’s not strong enough to move me to prioritize trying out esoteric technology over the other million interesting or necessary things on my plate.