Nina KalininaSep 26, 2025
What do we have here? NEC PC-9821 laptop (non-PC compatible from Japan that can run Windows and a special MS-DOS version), running a rare variety of Linux called Plamo Linux/98. Linux 2.4.22, XFree86 4.3, and some Slackware compatibility. More screenshots - but from the screencapture device - will follow 🧵
Show threadNina KalininaSep 26, 2025
Plamo Linux comes with an unusual window manager that is definitely not copied from Windows 9x, and doesn't have any icons from Windows 3.x. Geroware Qvwm is all animated, and thus fairly slow on a non-accelerated video.
Show threadNina KalininaSep 26, 2025
You need to watch the video to appreciate how restless this window manager is! I don't think it's common for Japanese computing, by the way, just feels very hacker-y. "Hey I made these icons animated for fun! Also there's Oneko!"
Show threadNina KalininaSep 26, 2025

"Netscape" button opens Wazilla - Japanese flavour of Mozilla. It can sort of open my home page, and Google.co.jp still works in it. Of course it can show Japanese characters!

The staff with kana "Mo" on the logo hints that 和ジラ might be a multi-level pun. Gecko/20030829 hints at the build date.

Of course, no modern cryptography.

Show threadNina KalininaSep 26, 2025
Standard apps are not too strange. Emacs has a doctor that can make you feel better!
Show threadNina KalininaSep 26, 2025
There are some games on the CD; Contrib CD has NScripter port so you could play Higurashi on Linux.
Show threadNina KalininaSep 26, 2025
I want to install GNOME, which is done with a lovely script called 00INSTALL.sh. It reported that I miss a few packages.
Show threadNina KalininaSep 26, 2025
It is a Japanese computer, so it allows input in Japanese. Pressing XFER will enable Canna (or something? But I only have Canna installed) that allows entering Japanese phonetically, and convert to kanji as needed. That's how you get こんにちは　converted to 今日は!
Show threadNina KalininaSep 26, 2025
The dependencies were installed, time to try the GNOME install script again! Each package is installed by feeding tgz to the `installpkg` tool, by the way - there's no centralised package manager, or I didn't find it (I did not read the fm, and I should have)
Show threadNina KalininaSep 26, 2025
oi oi! It's ИIN o'clock?!
Show threadNina KalininaSep 26, 2025
I remind you, this is a Pentium MMX computer with 64MB of RAM. All and all, it works pretty fast. I wonder if Gnome 2 will work OK on it or not. It sure takes a lot of time to install.
Show threadNina KalininaSep 26, 2025
Xscreensaver <3 Linux/98 thanks @jwz as always <3
Show threadNina KalininaSep 26, 2025

A few hiccups, and we have Gnome 2.2 running on this Pentium-bases PC-9821 laptop. Yay! It is a bit slow, but it feels like home.

Sending the screenshot home feels like pain. Such file or directo, much wow

Show threadNina KalininaSep 26, 2025
Finally, pixel-perfect screenshots of Plamo/98 running Gnome 2.2.
Show threadNina KalininaSep 26, 2025
Things are so slow, taking screenshots from Gnome itself is probably not a good idea. 64MB of RAM is not really enough for everything, so Nautilus regularly OOMs. Let's add 64MB of swap...
Show threadNina KalininaSep 26, 2025

With the swap on, taking screenshots of GNOME goodness becomes a real possibility.

For whatever reason, GNOME is almost fully in English; perhaps, there wasn't a Japanese version back then? Or it is possible that my locale settings are all wrong.

Show threadNina KalininaSep 26, 2025
Gnome2 has nautilus, eels and bonobo under the bonnet!
Show threadNina Kalinina
Yep, my locale was broken. Now the locale is okay, but instead of metacity I'm running Gnome with twm and this is absolutely not how it should look like. 
Sep 26, 2025 at 8:26pmWeb
Show threadNina KalininaSep 26, 2025

Now this Gnome2 install feels properly PC-98 ready.

Also,it comes with TGIF?!

Any requests for software to try on the computer? Plamo/98 might not have everything, but it has SOMETHING

Show threadroot42Sep 26, 2025
@nina_kali_nina xblast
Show threadNina KalininaSep 26, 2025
@root42 what is that! And where to find it?
Show threadroot42Sep 26, 2025

@nina_kali_nina https://sourceforge.net/projects/xblast/

https://xblast.sourceforge.net/

XBlast

Download XBlast for free. XBlast is a multi-player arcade game for X11R5/R6 and Windows. The game can be played with at least two players and up to six players.

sitename
Show threadNina KalininaSep 26, 2025
@root42 alas, not in the list of packages :( and I don't have a tool chain for this system (yet?)
Show threadroot42Sep 26, 2025
@nina_kali_nina you probably only need xmkmf, make and gcc. Plus the X11 headers.
Show threadNina KalininaSep 26, 2025
@root42 this little maneuver is gonna cost us 51 years, on this Pentium MMX with 2x CD and 3.5GB partition. But I'll try it one day, I hope
Show threadroot42Sep 27, 2025
@nina_kali_nina poppycock! I compiled kernels on a 486SX-25 back in the day to get soundcard support (before loadable modules) and every try took 45 minutes! One little game will not be THAT bad. :)
Show threadNina KalininaSep 27, 2025
@root42 gcc 2.95 and whatever imake I have on the system aren't good enough; upgrading to gcc 3.3 isn't trivial. But I'll try nevertheless.
Show threadNina KalininaSep 27, 2025
@root42 I have a weird Frankenstein monster made of different Plamo versions that has gcc-3, I've spent over an hour and a half on making it, and it still needs tweaking before it can compile anything...
Show threadNina KalininaSep 27, 2025
@root42 I give up, compiling X11 things for this is nearly impossible
Show threadF4GRX SébastienSep 27, 2025
@nina_kali_nina @root42 NULL undeclared is not a great start :/
Show threadNina KalininaSep 27, 2025
@f4grx @root42 this is fine 
Show threadouroukayeSep 27, 2025
@nina_kali_nina @root42 combination of old style window and japanese alphabet is very nice to the eyes
Show threadroot42Sep 27, 2025
@nina_kali_nina gcc 2.95 should be fine for older xblast versions. Maybe don‘t pick the most recent one but one from the era. Also, creating the Makefile should happen with the xmkmf command, not imake.
Show threadroot42Sep 27, 2025

@nina_kali_nina try this version:

https://archive.org/download/Linux_Games_CD-ROM_Walnut_Creek_July_1999/Linux_Games_CD-ROM_Walnut_Creek_July_1999.iso/tgz%2Fglibc-sources%2Fxblast-2.2.1-1.src.tar.gz

Show threadroot42Sep 27, 2025

@nina_kali_nina also:

https://linux.die.net/man/1/xmkmf

Show threadNina KalininaSep 27, 2025
@root42 I had no idea about xmkmf, and there wasn't a README for some reason. Now we're talking, I only need to bring the resources
Show threadroot42Sep 27, 2025
@nina_kali_nina I think resources might be a separate download. Should be on archive.org as well.
Show threadNina KalininaSep 27, 2025
@root42 yep, I'm aware, just slightly busy trying to recompile a bit of the world
Show threadroot42Sep 27, 2025
@nina_kali_nina welcome to 1990s Linux experience. :)
Show threadNina KalininaSep 27, 2025

@root42 yay!

https://git.sr.ht/~nkali/plamo98-goodies/tree/main/item/xblast

Show threadroot42Sep 27, 2025
@nina_kali_nina I knew you would make it!
Show threadroot42Sep 27, 2025
@nina_kali_nina I still remember the black and white version. That was around 1995 I think. Didn’t have the raytraced artwork.
Show threadNina KalininaSep 27, 2025
@root42 the domain is for sale, btw
Show threadChipSep 27, 2025
@root42 @nina_kali_nina Should be a full gcc and tools in the d set. And X headers in the x set.
Show threadLunar 🛸 ♾Sep 26, 2025
@root42 @nina_kali_nina In a similar vein, Xboing: https://www.techrescue.org/xboing/index.html
XBoing

XBoing is a blockout type game where you have a paddle which you use to bounce a ball around the game area blowing up blocks with the ball.

Show threadNina KalininaSep 26, 2025
@lunarloony @root42 same, no packages :(
Show threaddgelessusSep 26, 2025
@nina_kali_nina does it have Enigma (that GPL game with the mouse-controlled black marble)? A 2003 distro might be a little early for it, but the game already had a couple of releases by then, so I'm curious
Show threadNina KalininaSep 26, 2025
@dgelessus there's no Lua, so no Enigma. And yes, it's a bit early unfortunately :<
Show threaddgelessusSep 27, 2025

@nina_kali_nina ah dang, not too surprising though. Thanks for checking :D

No Lua surprises me more... isn't Lua used by, like, half of everything from the early 2000s? (okay, mostly by video games I guess, but I'd have expected *some* popular OSS to use it by then)

Show threadNina KalininaSep 27, 2025
@dgelessus apparently not in Japan. I guess Ruby must have been a big thing
Show threadwyattSep 27, 2025
@nina_kali_nina what is the cpu
Show threadNina KalininaSep 27, 2025
@wyatt Pentium MMX 150 MHz!
Show threadwyattSep 28, 2025
@nina_kali_nina ah significantly stronger than what I've got.

I wonder if an old version of Wine would work on it.
Show threadNina KalininaSep 28, 2025
@wyatt probably, but it usually isn't very fun. It should run ReactOS, even - but there's no SSE, so no modern soft can be run
Show threadwyattSep 28, 2025
@nina_kali_nina yeah i was just thinking windows visual novels in nscripter
Show threadwyattSep 28, 2025
@nina_kali_nina from what i've read though, reactos on pc-98 is not very optimized even on pentium 2/3 (or celeron near equivalent) machines
Show threadwyattSep 28, 2025
@nina_kali_nina https://cyber.dabamos.de/unix/x11/#xneko would be fitting
Cool, but obscure X11 tools

Cool, but obscure X11 tools.

Show threadNina KalininaSep 28, 2025
@wyatt Plamo 3.x installs oneko with X: https://tech.lgbt/@nina_kali_nina/115271948453030749
Nina Kalinina (@[email protected])

Attached: 1 video You need to watch the video to appreciate how restless this window manager is! I don't think it's common for Japanese computing, by the way, just feels very hacker-y. "Hey I made these icons animated for fun! Also there's Oneko!"

LGBTQIA+ and Tech
Show threadroot42Sep 26, 2025
@nina_kali_nina looks absolutely correct for twm. :)
Show threadNina KalininaSep 26, 2025
@root42 100%