Show HN: Windows 98 web desktop with a functional remote browser (no CORS)
win9-5.comOP here. I’m reposting this with a focus on the tech stack because I think the "retro" look buried the lede last time.
The Problem with Web Desktops:
We've all seen cool Windows 95/98 JS recreations (like 98.js.org), but they all hit the same wall: the browser inside them is fake. You can't load modern sites (Google, YouTube, HN) inside an iframe due to X-Frame-Options, CORS, and mixed content security policies.
The Solution (BrowserBox):
This project is a frontend for a tool I'm building called BrowserBox.
Remote Isolation: When you open IE in this demo, you aren't opening an iframe. You are spinning up a remote browser session in a Docker container on my server.
Streaming: The view is streamed back to the client (using standard web technologies), and your clicks/keystrokes are sent to the server.
Result: You get a "real" internet connection inside the simulation that bypasses all client-side restriction. You can watch YouTube or browse HN from inside the virtual desktop.
The Stack:
Backend: Node.js / Puppeteer-ish control (raw CDP, custom bookkeeping)
Frontend: Vanilla JS / Custom retro UI framework
Infrastructure: Dockerized browser instances
I built this because I missed the "Wild West" feel of the 90s web, but I also wanted to show that remote browser isolation doesn't have to be clunky enterprise-ware.
Give the browser a try (sound on for full immersion) and let me know if the latency holds up for you.
I think it would be really cool to have a Windows 98 running in browser and an agent to proxy all interaction to real desktop and web:
* It proxies web sites and optinally modifies them to look era-appropriate.
* It can generate missing native apps as shims to apps on your host or web sites. Like, cmd that's actually a pwsh. Or VSCode that looks like Borland C++ Builder.
* Streaming media like Bandcamp or Spotify inside a real WinAmp 2.x.