Windows 98 "Wrist Watch" Runs On A Raspberry Pi

Watches are a personal thing and no one size fits all. Maybe that's why smartwatches have had a hard time becoming as mainstream as smartphones. Not everyone might be satisfied with just having Android or watchOS on their wrists. Some might want an honest to goodness desktop OS they can wear. So 314rcreator, a.k.a. Lord_of_Bone on Reddit, whipped up a quick hack that put a Raspberry Pi A+ that ran Windows 98. Because, well, why not?

As anyone who has read about or even worked with a Raspberry Pi, it's not exactly easy to get something non-trivial working without some fudging around with electronics. For this project, for example, you'll need a 2.4-inch PiTFT touch screen and a Powerboost 500 battery just to name a few. That's not yet including the switches and buttons and the case that will protect your wrist.

While Microsoft has recently supported the Raspberry Pi, that's only true for more recent boards and for Windows 10 IoT Core only. Anything older, and you're own your own. Fortunately, there's such a thing called "emulation" these days. Using the popular QEMU software, 314creator was able to get Windows 98 up and running in no time.

By now you'll probably be wondering what practical benefit this Windows 98 wrist watch has. You probably won't surprised that the answer is "nothing" other than the sheer joy of slapping Windows 98 on your wrist. The OS wasn't made with touch screens in mind, for one, and you obviously can't use it well without a keyboard and mouse. Still, it's the only way you'll ever be able to boast about getting a Blue Screen of Death on your wrist without cheating with a wallpaper.

SOURCE: 314reactor