Summary
- AI Desktop 98 runs modern LLMs inside a Windows 98-style desktop for a playful, nostalgic AI experience.
- Retro touches: Recycle Bin for chats, dial-up style browser loading, plus Minesweeper.
- Works with Claude, OpenAI, Gemini, Apple Intelligence, Groq, and local models; currently iOS only.
For me, one of the most interesting ways of exploring retro tech is imagining if the sequence of inventions was different than what we experienced in real life. For instance, what if we managed to figure out how to get LLMs like Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini up and running before we went through the Y2K bug scare?
If you’d like a peek into what this alternate reality may look like, then AI Desktop 98 may be for you. It’s an app that lets you run your AI assistants in a Windows 98-esque desktop and looks kind of like what the writers for Back to the Future 2 would have imagined if they were asked to put LLMs into the movie.
I used Claude Code, Google Antigravity and OpenAI Codex to develop an app, and found only one worth using
Vibe coding is here to stay, and it has only one champion
AI Desktop 98 shows us a reality where Clippy was actually useful
And it looks glorious
Over on the ClaudeAI subreddit, user SoftSuccessful1414 talks about what inspired them to make AI Desktop 98. It all began when they asked Claude to roleplay as if it were on Windows 98, and it did a surprisingly good job at playing the part. SoftSuccessful1414 even claims that Claude would pretend to wait for a modem connection before it would talk.
That inspired SoftSuccessful1414 to go one step further and make a full app that brings your favorite LLMs back to 1998. While the inspiration came from Claude, AI Desktop 98 also works with Apple Intelligence, OpenAI, Gemini, Groq, and local MLX models. However, it’s not just a pretty UI; the app also comes with some nice retro touches, including a Recycle Bin for deleted chats, a browser that loads websites as if it were on dial-up, and Minesweeper. Because, of course, you need Minesweeper.
Right now, the app only appears to be available on the Apple App Store, with no hints of an Android version on the horizon. Still, it’s a very cool app that shows off just how inventive people can get with their LLMs.
I cancelled my ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini subscriptions for Claude — and I should have sooner
Wish I did this sooner.
