Web pages a little too style over substance? Behold the Windows 98 CSS file
- Reference: 1587570790
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/04/22/windows_98_css/
- Source link:
While retro websites are all well and good, replete with banners and whiffy HTML, software engineer [1]Jordan Scales found himself with a bit of time on his hands and did the logical thing: [2]recreate a bunch of Windows 98 controls in CSS form .
The library, which does not contain any JavaScript, renders vanilla HTML with a Windows 98 feel, including buttons, checkboxes and option buttons that follow Microsoft's elderly Windows User Experience guidelines.
Naturally, everything is the appropriate shade of battleship grey with a 3D effect bound to bring a tinge of nostalgia for those tired of the Microsoft's recent obsession with making things flat or shoving the Fluent Design stick where it probably doesn't belong.
[3]Other attempts to catapult users back to the halcyon days of Windows 98 have been attempted before, but have often required more than just CSS.
The suite also handles disabled components, group boxes, dropdowns and faux Windows, complete with the graduated title bar beloved by those that kept the Classic theme running for as long as they could. A treeview is also available, with an example placing the text "Avoid at all costs" as a child of the "JavaScript" entry.
Harsh, but fair.
Lord please forgive me for what I'm about to do [4]pic.twitter.com/ag4KWkX6PT — Jordan Scales (@jdan) [5]April 20, 2020
We spent possibly a little more time than we should having fun making HTML pages suddenly resemble the world of more than 20 years ago before talking to Scales and asking, well, why?
"Part nostalgia and part frustration with modern design," he replied, "I grew up with Windows 98, and when I see those chiselled buttons (and click them) my heart races – it's just so wonderful."
Scales had kicked off a project to recreate Windows 98-style buttons a couple of years ago but, finding himself with a little more free time on his hands in recent weeks, the New Jersey resident decided to breathe new life into the design paradigms of Windows 98. A frustration with some of the excesses of modern design also helped, as he explained:
Buttons just don't look like buttons anymore, it's so sad. Like I watch my mom on her iPhone not knowing to tap things because they just look like text. But Windows 98? It's a goddamn piece of elevated stone staring at you. It's wonderful.
Yes, Jordan, it is.
Scales is pondering recreating Tab views and NavMenus next after taking a well-earned rest and fixing some bugs.
The code is [6]available on GitHub and Scales is keen to see the odd pull request or two. Sadly, this hack's CSS skills stop at swearing loudly at a web page when an entire section of text is mysteriously thrown off the screen after an innocuous setting is changed elsewhere.
But if there is a particular bit of Windows 98 UI design that needs to come back in 2020, then the repo awaits your contribution. ®
Sponsored: [7]Forrester Build a Digital Experience Portfolio
[1] https://twitter.com/jdan
[2] https://jdan.github.io/98.css/#intro
[3] https://github.com/lolstring/window98-html-css-js
[4] https://t.co/ag4KWkX6PT
[5] https://twitter.com/jdan/status/1252302593558224897?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[6] https://github.com/jdan/98.css
[7] https://go.theregister.co.uk/tl/1936/-8554/forrester-build-a-digital-experience-portfolio?td=wptl1936
The emergency stop on this machine tool is a big red button on the front - it isn't a menu on a web page
The parking brake on my car is a handle - I don't have to two-finger swipe in a circle on the windscreen (unless you have a Tesla)
The parking brake on my car is a switch.
That's like being offered a choice between being stabbed in the eye or having your hand cut off.
They're both horrific.
TIFKAM
was the reason I gave Windows the elbow. YMMV naturally but TBH it is a pile of smelly dog poo. Usability went out the door with Windows 8 and MS has made it worse with almost every release since according to my SWMBO who has to fight it every day at work.
I would definitely prefer the 98 style. Even better would be if the buttons made a nice "thunk" sound when pushed...
Seriously, when I took my user interface class, one of the key elements was easily discoverable (what are the elements that do things), feedback (Yes! YOU PUSHED THE BUTTON), etc... TIFKAM GUIs have completely lost those elements.
This is exactly what the internet was designed for
^^^ see title.
Paris... because, it's been too long.
Now we just need someone to do a JS Form Builder
and a couple of hundred lines of server code and we can get the internet working proper like!
Death to Flat Style !
However I despise Microsoft, this is excellent work.
Re: Death to Flat Style !
from the article:
But if there is a particular bit of Windows 98 UI design that needs to come back in 2020
How about 3D SKEUOMORPHIC!
(I would like VERY much to say "IT IS HAPPENING" but not *quite* enough activity for THAT claim... yet)
I should look at this and see what could be ported over to FIREFOX'S CSS somehow...
This is exactly what the internet was designed for
No, this is what the internet is for...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4glrmcMhKU
Re: This is exactly what the internet was designed for
"This video is restricted", and I'm buggered if I'm signing in to something just to watch it...
Re: This is exactly what the internet was designed for
maybe just bite the bullet with a) a browser that destroys all history/cookies/cache on exit, and b) 10 minute e-mail address
(assuming the video is worth watching...)
/me wonders if youtube-dl will download it ANYWAY
["restricted content" usually means pr0n and THAT would make sense, as a joke]
Bring back win98 UI
IMHO the windows 98 was the most clear and easy to understand MS UI apart from maybe windows 2000 (I don't remember there being a massive difference)
At least it's not that minging Bootstrap. Where's the pointless "hero banner" when you need it. Oh, nobody's ever needed a hero banner.
Better
Nice. And a fuck-load better than any UI innovations from the last 10+ years. More usable than burger menus in unexpected positions, whirly date/time pickers, huge font sizes etc.
Re: Better
YES!
Where is the Motif version?
Anyone up to the challenge?
Windows 98 -- let me explain.....
In 1998 Windows 98 was delivering endless BSODs to my PC....endless. So in January 1999 I started a personal project to move to Linux, specifically Red Hat 5.1.
Success, both then and now. Currently here at Linux Mansions, everyone is on Fedora31 and XFCE.....absolutely no Microsoft OS products here!
XFCE may not have the sculptured buttons.....somewhere between sculptured and flat....but who cares anyway?
[Oh.....Fedora32 is out next week....go on......give it a try!!]
You know, given a choice between a Win98 GUI and a TIFKAM GUI i'd be quite interested to see what the users would pick to do work with.