Nexus One runs Windows 3.11, possibly the saddest thing we've seen all day (video)

In a volatile Android ecosystem where bigger and better phones pop up every week, your Nexus One might be feeling a little obsolete. Frankly, there's hardly a better way to cheer it up than by installing an operating system that's a little more its speed. In the finest DOSBox tradition, one gentleman recently imbued his Googlephone with Windows 3.11, by far our favorite 1993 Microsoft OS. Realizing the futility of getting it to do anything -- ah, memories -- he set about crafting a step-by-step guide for you to do the same. If you care to give his misery company, you'll find instructions at our source link; if not, don your rose-tinted glasses and peep the video after the break.

[Jason V Posted May 17th 2010 5:22PM]

Looks and acts like my old 386, yet somehow just doesn't have that 15" CRT monitor-baking-my-brains feel to it. My 3.11 machine had a couple hundred MEGS of HDD space and an impressive library of DOS games. ;)

[darex Posted May 17th 2010 5:30PM]

Just as pointless as running Android on an iPhone.

[slickpaki Posted May 17th 2010 5:35PM]

@darex Totally agree!

[slickpaki Posted May 17th 2010 5:35PM]

Im surprised the Nexus One was working like shit on Windows 3.11. It should have been blazing fast!

[ramifications Posted May 17th 2010 7:46PM]

@slickpaki

It was fast. It's just that he has trouble moving the mouse cursor so it takes him a while to click on things

[slickpaki Posted May 17th 2010 5:36PM]

I think the interesting part of the video was that holster to attach your Nexus One to a full-size keyboard.

Pretty amazing, where can I buy that?

[KenEsq Posted May 17th 2010 5:39PM]

Hey...a little respect for WFW 3.11. Sure by today's standards it's bad, but back then it was either that, Netware or the worst networking of all...AppleTalk.

[Dan Fruzzetti Posted May 17th 2010 5:59PM]

Windows 3.11 was your favorite 1993 Microsoft OS? It was not an OS.

[Dumad Posted May 17th 2010 6:17PM]

Woa!!! This means I can put my Flying Toaster Screen Saver to use again on my N1? YAY ^_^

[aelaos Posted May 17th 2010 6:25PM]

Give DOS Back to the people!!! These were nice and manly days!!! Not like the nowdays fluffy icons and sissy windows stuff. And you had full control of the system. Everything was controlled by your Autoexec.bat and config.sys , nothing too fancy , the satisfaction were all yours.

[tomi Posted May 17th 2010 7:08PM]

omg! Windows 3.11 ! I miss it so much :( I still believe that it's the best os out there!

[dicobalt Posted May 17th 2010 7:18PM]

Win 3.11 was more of a shell than it was an OS. DOS was the OS.

[einhanderkiller Posted May 17th 2010 7:44PM]

This video is fucking noisy.

[Eric Tate Posted May 18th 2010 9:44AM]

@einhanderkiller it was recorded inside of a busy Starbucks.

[DBG Posted May 23rd 2010 1:49AM]

@Eric Tate So are you one of those people who can't write code, an e-mail, etc (screenplays?) without others around to watch you?

=p, just ragging on you of course, when housemates get too noisy I head down to my local Border's for free power + wifi.

[Gregorian Posted May 17th 2010 8:20PM]

I was just wondering how many sad things Sean has seen today.

[xboomer Posted May 17th 2010 8:21PM]

3.11 was so much better than 3.0. Nice choice!
...or not...now that I think of it...wait a minute...now I'm confused...
...Better now...err...
I'm sort of thinking that this must have been a compete waste of time.
...Better now...err...
Final answer. Yup. Complete waste. Why would Engadget care???
...confused again...

[BigFatDuck Posted May 17th 2010 8:47PM]

Reminds me of the poor fool who decided to run Android on an iPhone. :P

[NeoXY Posted May 17th 2010 9:00PM]

+1 Internets to who ever can name the music in the background.

[Eric Tate Posted May 18th 2010 9:45AM]

@NeoXY not even I would be able to name it. I recorded it at Starbucks and wasn't paying attention to the music.

[theweeklymancast dave Posted May 17th 2010 9:24PM]

Still better than actually using OS2.0 for gathering actual data.

[hfm Posted May 17th 2010 9:34PM]

wow... the N1 runs Win3.11 faster than the first comp I ran Win3.11 on...

[Johnny Rockets Posted May 17th 2010 10:10PM]

How the hell is the N1 obsolete JUST because Google will start shipping it in stores now?

What kind of idiocy is that?

For F's sake, if I could /exclude certain authors, I certainly would after reading this garbage.

Is it so difficult to report the news without bashing a device?

[skidodo142 Posted May 17th 2010 10:16PM]

this dude has got to be in a panera

[Eric Tate Posted May 18th 2010 9:45AM]

@skidodo142 it was at Starbucks. but you were close!

[Endurer Posted May 17th 2010 11:08PM]

Seriously, there should be an option to rate down stories, just like we have for comments. This is bias at it's best.

[MrGlitch Posted May 17th 2010 11:11PM]

This is both sad and incredibly awesome. :)

[Steve B Posted May 18th 2010 2:12AM]

Why is it that a 17 year old OS uses virtually the same (awful) system of changing settings as the current version? Maybe by the time Windows 12 comes out, control panel will be gone forever...

[dotrocket Posted May 18th 2010 3:12PM]

Lovin' the calibration!