It's little secret that the Computer Industry moves very fast, and technology changes at a rapid pace. And the only way to advance that technology is to keep looking to the future, and paying attention to how the market, technology itself, and people's use-cases change over time. While it's is entirely true of MODERN operating systems, it's also true of LEGACY products as well. See, it's not as simply cut and dry that these things are *dead*, it IS cut-and-dry that they are not safe or usable for certain purposes though.

DOS, and similiarly, old versions of Microsoft Windows, have moved onto their own trajectory as "legacy products" - away from *regular* use, and into more of a *specialized* set of applications. I wanted to use this page to highlight what these applications are, both using actual hardware, and using virtual machines such as Oracle's VirtualBox (which is what I use).

MS-DOS As A Legacy Platform - I know it's DOS, but it applies since Windows 3.1x runs on top of it. Typically, when I use true blue Microsoft Disk Operating System on a legacy device or a VM, it's purpose is to run software that is VERY nitpicky about the type of DOS in use. See, MS-DOS was not the only product on the market compatible with DOS, as DOS was a rip of CP/M. Digital Research's DR-DOS, Concurrent DOS, IBM PC-DOS Split off after IBM and Microsoft parted ways in the early 1990's, and of course FreeDOS are all variants of DOS used. But the only really, truly reliable way to run certain products without a lot of hassle, workarounds, or trickery, is MS-DOS unfortunatley.

One such program is Ultima VII: The Black Gate, and Ultima VII: Serpent's Isle - these two games are NOTORIOUS for their crappy "VooDoo" (I Call it "DooDoo") Memory Manager which does not play right with HIMEMX.EXE, JEMMX, or XMGR.SYS - as these throw the computer into Protected Mode and something about how they handle that is incompatible with the way bog-standard Microsoft HIMEM.SYS works (HIMEM.SYS is NEEDED to get either game to run on a Legacy DOS platform). The reason why is because these games and their insane memory manager uses some strange "Flat Driver Model" called "Unreal Mode" or "VooDoo Mode", which is triggered from REAL MODE (DOS's native functional mode) - and if anything throws the computer into "Protected Mode" it will not allow the games to run without wacky hackery as I recently found out (ie running the U7.EXE or SERPENT.EXE file with a "p" command line switch to bypass the intro and character creation and run the game with whatever savegame it already has loaded).

But the other, more RELEVANT issue, is Windows itself. Windows 3.1x WILL run in FreeDOS, DR-DOS, and some others, but it won't always work in full "386 Enhanced Mode" - which is the mode most 386+ machines run it in, and is pretty much REQUIRED for the kind of high level Windows games and applications I prefer to run in Windows 3.1x in the 21st Century. Windows 3.1x will not run in any other mode than Real or Enhanced mode in FreeDOS, and that makes it useless for a LOT of it's functionality outside maybe Solitaire or maybe Hyperion at best.

Windows 3.1x - 9/10 I use Windows 3.1x for esoteric applications designed for it. This includes Windows versions of the various Sierra games from the early 1990's (a lot of late-release Sierra titles like Hoyle's Classic Card Games, Leisure Suit Larry 5 & 6, Freddy Pharkas Frontier Phmaracist, King's Quest V - had a "SIERRAW.EXE" file that was a version of SCI for Microsoft Windows 3.1x - and they all required SVGA 640x480 or higher to function). One benefit of running the SIERRA Games in Windows 3.1x is the Copy Protection can be digitized - so say, I'm playing Freddy Pharkas Frontier Pharmacist, I can have the Modern Day Book of Health and Hygene (The copy protection for FPFP) open in Adobe, and not need to keep track of the original book somewhere lost in my house at this point! And still get the full "early 90's" experience, even turning down the volume and listening to some Nirvana on O.G. CD or even Mp3 through WinPlay3 while I play the game. See, there's some huge benefits to a 486 with lots of RAM, a SATA HDD, and a fast VLB controller!

Another use case is some programs REQUIRE Windows 3.1x and won't run right or reliably in Windows 95. For example, I've had issues with SimCity 2000 animations in 95 because I use a higher color count. Some programs, like Circuitmaker 6, won't run in anything BUT Windows 3.1x. But the biggest part of it is, Windows 3.1x was the FIRST version of Windows I ever used, so I have a little bit of nostalgia for it, and it also was the first version of Windows I ever had on any machine I actually owned.

In the Windows 9x Series - I typically pick Windows 95 OSR 2.5 or Windows 98 Second Edition - it just depends on if I'm leaning toward stability or compatibility with applications, and the age of the applications to be used.

The trade off is Windows 95 OSR 2.5 is a lighter O/S than 98 SE is, but it lacks a few tiny underpinnings that makes running more recent applications/games a lot harder. However, on a 486, you probably won't be running anything that will require Windows 98 SE unless you're into limit pushing like I am.

But Windows 98 SE is a much more reliable, stable, and compatible O/S than 95 OSR 2.5 is. However, it comes at a speed Penalty if you don't use something like 98 Lite to remove all the stupid garbage from the O/S that you don't need.

As for use cases, I use these more for running DirectX games and for running more advanced applications. Just to know what I use it for: Circuitmaker 2000, Cakewalk Pro Audio 5.0 (yes, my 486 is a Digital Audio Workstation), various utilities for the SoundBlaster AWE64 (like Vienna for making soundfonts), and I could even run some of my device editing software on it as well over regular MIDI. Also, I tend to use Windows 95 for NES ROM Hacking since most utilities for that work on 95 (or best in DOS THROUGH 95). There's also a Norton WiFi utility I want to use in 98SE on my laptops that allows WPA access on the Cisco Aironet cards.

For gaming, usually I run Postal, Diablo, and occasionally DOOM95 for network games through this. I also run the usual maxis stuff (Sim City), and try some sick experiments like running FNAF or trying to get Beachead2000 to run on it, and a lot of interactive fiction stuff like Lighthouse, Shivers, The 7th Guest, or the 11th Hour run on this platform. Have yet to try Monkey Island 3 on Win95 on the 486 yet though.

I don't just always use regular hardware though....

One more recent use case has been using Windows XP SP3 x86 on a VirtualBox virtual machine to edit my Line6 POD HD500 guitar effects processor. For some reason, Line6 has never made an editor for Linux, the one someone made is like a poor quality early beta and extremely unstable. So to edit it, I have to go through Windows XP in a VM - so now I'm kinda' glad I never got rid of my copy of XP Pro I bought new in 2008 for $325. However, this presents some MAJOR difficulties for recording processor editing for YouTube because the processor is ALSO my audio Device for Windows XP in the VM, and that means, I'd either need to RECORD IN XP, install a Win7 VM and use an older version of OBS on limited resources, or maybe even resort to screen-capturing it on my 486 being edited over MIDI IN/OUT from Windows 98 Second Edition - talk about a mess huh? I'm not dedicating just one bloody computer with Windows 10 just so I can record some guitar videos....that's just silly.

Well, let's start with upgrading. Upgrading costs MONEY! Money is not something I have a whole lot of, especially for leisurely shit like computer games. I'm not paying a company a small ransom for a computer game I ALREADY HAVE that STILL WORKS on the platforms IT WAS DESIGNED FOR ORIGINALLY. There's no point in going to GoG to re-buy the same thing just because it has an integrated DOSbox Installer - that's just stupid and throwing money away. Also, the updated versions of some of these games, lack the features, or the *atmosphere* the original installs I have provides. For example, if I get the Updated version of Monkey Island 1 or 2, I'm going to need to drop it down to the VGA graphics, and then I'll still get the LATER release of SoMI with the 9 verb and graphical inventory, instead of the 16 verb and text inventory my original 1990 VGA release I got from my sister has. I know that seems petty, but the truth is, I'm more nostalgic for the 1990 release than the later iMUSE/CD releases. Sure, it's higher quality, but I have some sentimental connectionn with that first VGA reason, so I'd prefer that one, and best of all, it's FREE, and I don't need to wait for 30 minutes for a 389MB install to copy over to my 486's hard drive, only for me to delete 390MB of that install from the drive when I'm done.

Some people say "why not use DOSBOX" when it comes to the DOS stuff, well, because DOSbox does not always work properly. Yes, it works 100% with all the POPULAR DOS titles (ie AD&D:xxxxx, B.C. Racers, Car & Driver, Doom, Duke Nukem, etc...), but there are some weirdo shareware and oddball shit I don't want to bother with. However, sometimes I DO use DOSbox if it's more convenient and useful, or provides some benefit that might make working with a legacy 486 running the same software more fiddly (the cases are few to none with my resources like Screen Thief and a decent-enough DV Capture device).

But Legacy Windows raises the most eyebrows because people seem to assume the only uses for Microsoft Windows is surfing the internet, shitposting on social media, and sending e-mails. I totally get this sentiment, because most people would be missing the ability to purchase from Amazon/Temu, and stream their favorite movies all day long hidden under a Office 365 window. But SOME of us have some legit use cases have a good reason.

For starters, old games don't run right on modern Windows and can be a downright pain to GET running right if it's even possible. One of the worst culprits is the original The Sims - that game was designed in a time when computers had 2D Graphics cards, or low-spec 3D accelerators that cost a lot over AGP (advanced graphics port). But a modern PC is designed to run at HD/UHD resolutions, widescreen (or short screen if you're a bastard like me), and Windows has since changed the scaling system as of Windows 8, so games like The Sims act all sorts of funky when running on a modern computer.

So let's see, install The Sims on Windows 10, hack the registry, modify a bunch of files, install a nocdcrack, and then have to squint to see everything in glorious 1080x768p? Or install it on a Windows XP virtual machine, scale everything up 2x from 800x600, and play it every bit as comfortably as one would have in the 2000's? Both installs only take 10 minutes, both installs run the same thing, just one takes 3.5 hours of tinkering and hurts my eyes, and the other one takes ZERO tinkering and is comfortable to look at.