![]() So I had to take the Virtual Machine option using Windows 2000 with the following considerations in mind. Theoretically it should run even on Windows 10 32-bit but I did not have such a native setup lying around. VC++ 1.52 is itself a 16-bit program so it can only be run on 32-bit Windows. This is the last VC++ compiler from Microsoft that can target for WFW 3.11. Everything has to revolve around it and this project is no exception.įor this, we have the Visual C++ 1.52. The most important aspect of developing an app is the compiler toolchain. Windows 3.1 also largely consumes 16-bit apps which is the tail-end of that era before Windows 95 came in. Nevertheless, as you will see, the effort to put in to write such an app is still herculean in its own right. Therefore, if one wants to write an app using Windows OS standard APIs, WFW 3.11 is the oldest one can go back without putting in even more exponential effort. Or to be more precise, why Windows For Workgroups (WFW) 3.11? There is a special reason for this, WFW 3.11 released in 1993 is the first Windows OS for consumers to have network installable TCP/IP support. If you are too lazy to continue reading and want to dive into code, here is the repository on Github. ![]() On the right is my Mac with the Slack client for verification. Left is my Thinkpad 390e running Windows 3.1. This blog post is a few months late as I needed time to clean up the code and write the documentation.ĭon’t forget to checkout out Part 2 of the game app with Hui Jing too! The App And perhaps what lessons can it offer us today. ![]() We would develop a small game for Win 3.1 with great help from the knowledge gained from this first project.įor Part 1, I shall detail the learnings and process for how a new old app can be created with the aid of modern tools and hindsight of old technologies. After all, Slack clients exist for most platforms but I’m certain one does not exist for Windows 3.1.Ī few months later in Dec 2019, I would join the Super Silly Hackathon for the second time with fellow retrocomputing enthusiast Hui Jing. ![]() My colleague Subhransu and I worked on a whacky idea of writing a brand-new Windows 3.1 app which was an OS released almost 30 years ago. In October 2019, my company SP Digital held an internal hackathon. ![]()
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