Run tiny apps in the browser

with RetroTick (GH | HN):

"Run classic Windows and DOS executables directly in your browser. No installation required. Just drag, drop, and watch programs come alive in a web page.

"RetroTick is an x86 virtual machine and Windows/DOS API compatibility layer built from scratch in TypeScript. It parses PE (Win32), NE (Win16), and MZ (DOS) binaries, executes x86 machine code instruction by instruction, and reimplements a subset of the Win32, Win16, and DOS API surface, enough to boot several .exe files from the classic Windows era and render their GUIs in the browser."

The demo site offers a host of classics to enjoy:

• Games
  • Cards (DLL)
  • FreeCell
  • SkiFree
  • Solitaire
  • Minesweeper
• Programs
  • Calculator
  • Clock
  • Command Prompt
  • GLX Gears
  • MS-DOS QBasic
  • Sound Recorder
  • Super PI
  • Task Manager
  • Welcome to Windows 95
• Screen Savers
  • 3D Maze
  • 3D Pipes
  • Bezier
  • Flower Box
  • Marquee
  • Mystify
  • Starfield Simulation

Updates

• The developer shared on HN: "Hidden feature: right-click any executable and select 'View Resources' to browse its embedded resources like icons, bitmaps, dialogs, and version info. It even supports viewing Delphi forms (though Delphi programs can't actually run yet). Think of it as a browser-based Resource Hacker or eXeScope."

• retrowin32 "is a still-early Windows emulator for the web (and other non-Windows platforms). Take a win32 .exe file and run it in a web browser or a Mac. See some demos."

❧ 2026-02-27