GentleOS/16 is a classic interest OS that runs off a 48-year-old CPU and 192KB of RAM

Abstract

GentleOS/16 runs on 8086-era PCs — wants 8086+, 192 KB RAM and CGA 320×200×4.
It’s monolithic, principally compile-time configured, and helps solely CGA/VGA, keyboard, and a PC speaker.
The sibling GentleOS/32 wants i386, 4 MB RAM, and VGA 640×480×16.

As working techniques transfer ahead as an entire, the system necessities for operating them solely get greater and larger. Home windows 11’s NPU 2.0 requirement brought on fairly a stir when it first got here to mild, and even Ubuntu is asking for higher {hardware} as of late.

However what if we had an working system that went within the reverse course and aimed for older {hardware}? And what if that older {hardware} was an 8086 CPU that was launched again in 1978? Properly, that is precisely the type of {hardware} that GentleOS/16 goals to suit onto.

GentleOS/16 takes its identify very, very critically

You will not want a RAM improve for this one

As noticed by Hackaday, the GentleOS sequence is designed to work on legacy {hardware} and calls for little or no by way of specs. Whereas Hackaday targeted on GentleOS/32, I could not assist however discover that it had a sister venture known as GentleOS/16. This one targeted on even older {hardware}, aimed toward PCs which might be no less than a decade older than I’m:

A interest working system for classic 16-bit PCs.

Its aim is to offer a easy platform for tinkering with retro {hardware} and operating graphical interactive apps on naked steel.

At minimal, it solely requires an 8086+ CPU, 192 KB of RAM, and a CGA show supporting 320x200x4 mode.

By design it is fully monolithic, principally configured at compile time, and solely helps customary PC gadgets: CGA/VGA, keyboard, PC speaker. The one future plans are bugfixes, optimizations, and including extra apps.

If GentleOS/16 remains to be a bit too mild on the system necessities to your wants, you’ll be able to all the time try the 32-bit variant we talked about earlier. This one can run on an “i386 CPU, 4MB of RAM, and a VGA show able to 640x480x16 mode,” and has some fancy options that GentleOS/16 can solely dream of, akin to displaying precise, honest-to-goodness colours on the monitor. Yeah, critically high-tech stuff.