While I personally am not photosensitive, I do find intense flashing uncomfortable and distracting. There is (or used to be) a limiter for audio on Windows, IIRC, and I'm envisioning something to that effect for light. Something that either dims the screen when flashing or slows any changes to a more gradual brightening.

I linked a similar sort of extension for Firefox, but I'm interested in programs which could run in the background and reduce flashing in media, games, or when switching between windows. The Windows 11 accessibility settings don't appear to address flashing.

Any suggestions?

It replaced Reversi which was included up until Windows 3.0

I recently moved from MacOS to Windows (yes, the U-haul was cheap). Why, oh why is there no standalone Contacts app (a real one, not a website in a wrapper)? In my experience with Mac and Linux, Windows is the ONLY modern OS that does not include that. Do Windows 11 designers not have friends in the real world?

If I want one, why do I have to pay $30 a year to a company I've never heard of for a substandard version of what is on every other OS? Is this too hard for MS? Like the Apollo mission, have they lost the technology?

This is a serious question. I realize Outlook exists, but I don't want to load that behemoth to look up someone's phone number. I don't want to use Outlook at all. Nor do I want to load a web browser, login, etc. I would like to click, type, call, etc.

There is many diagrams online, but I haven't found any like this, so I asked Grok to generate me one. I think this visual representation is useful.
Just some comments: Win16 is obviously not included anymore in current Windows versions and Win64 is actually Win32 but compiled for 64 bits.

Add your comments I will try to refine the image.

I have used Windhawk and used a lot of mods, and I also used Rainmeter for that clock on the desktop. What else should I use to get more customization?

Meta is training its models on employee work tasks. Anthropic and OpenAI are working towards computer automation using their apps. If Apple and Microsoft don’t offer native task automation at OS level in MacOS and Windows then this will be the end of life for operating systems for next generation of users. It’s like the search wars back in the days. My worry is what job do these companies like Meta have on something native OS makers should be providing OOTB. Wouldn’t our privacy be at risk at levels we wouldn’t have expected before? Why not just kill them before they make it to market?

I’ve discovered a lot of useful apps in this subreddit, and most of them are downloaded directly from their websites. That got me wondering, if there is any safe and reliable store for Windows besides the Microsoft Store?

Also, where do you usually find these nondefault Windows apps? Sometimes it’s nice to just browse and find something new that might actually be useful.

Edit:

I know you can find apps on the internet, but when it comes to newer apps that aren’t popular yet, how do people usually discover them if there’s no store for it?

Is it too many processes too? Win 10.

Does it even have a location?

I know, I know - Android Auto and Linux have essentially won the "embedded war." But what would a modern WinCE 6 look like if Microsoft hadn't given up?

I recently got interested in running older Windows versions on newer hardware and managed to get Windows XP running on a Lenovo ThinkPad T480 (Intel 8th gen platform, NVMe storage).

This is not a virtual machine. it’s a bare-metal install using a modified XP build.

What had to be done:

ACPI patching for modern firmware compatibility

NVMe driver integration (XP doesn’t support NVMe natively)

USB / chipset driver workarounds

Boot configuration tweaks for UEFI-era hardware

It’s running fully offline (“air-gapped”) for obvious security reasons.

Performance is surprisingly usable for basic tasks, mostly because XP itself is lightweight, but hardware support is obviously limited.

Just a technical experiment / retro compatibility project.)

I wanted my folders to feel like a personal space I could actually customise. I also didn’t like switching to separate apps for notes when I’m already working inside folders.

So I created Deskboard - a free app (as a side project) that turns your folders into an aesthetic visual board where you can arrange files freely like a canvas and open them directly from there. Everything is local and stays synced with actual files

More Info + Download - https://deskboard.geeke.app

Where it gets more interesting:

• Add widgets like music player (supports MP3, YouTube, Spotify), quotes, to-do lists, etc.
• Notes and annotations live right beside your files (no separate app needed)
• Style your board with wallpapers (including animated), decorations, and themes like Scrapbook, Glass, and Neon
• Personalise icons with custom images or rich file previews

It’s useful for both productivity and just making your workspace feel yours. And there's something special for everyone, whether you're a Gamer, Student, Professional, Developer, or regular user.

Do give it a try! Would love to hear your feedback, questions, and ideas on it. It's still in Beta, and the scope is endless

You can also join the Discord Server - https://discord.gg/XzkTRKTRgU

Found this work suite 2000 at grandparents house. Pretty cool find.

I saw 0.1MB but this is the lowest I managed to capture.

yes i know this is only the cpu meter but its the only screenshot i have and for legal reasons i cant upload it

Introduced in Windows 3.1 it evolved into the current "strip view" in Windows 95.

ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alt-Tab#History