Software developer Justin Marshall has made the 1990 version of Microsoft Word 1.1a run on current Windows 10 and Windows 11 operating systems. This nostalgic project brings a 35-year-old software back to life in a modern 64-bit architecture.

Marshall rebuilt the source code and source documents, adapting them from 16-bit platforms to modern systems. As a result of this work, the classic Word experience can run seamlessly as a 64-bit Windows executable.

The Modern Return of Nostalgic Software

Released in the early 1990s, Word 1.1a offered users the revolutionary WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) technology of its time. In those years, while DOS-based programs with fairly simple interfaces like WordPerfect 5.0 or Word 5.0 were common, the first word processors developed for Windows made it possible to view the printed versions of documents on the screen.

Unlike today’s complex and AI-powered software, this old version offers a fairly easy and focused user experience. This project, shared by Justin Marshall on his GitHub page, creates a different experience opportunity for users who are curious about the software world of the past.

Technical Tools Required for Installation

If you want to run this classic software on your own computer, you need to meet some technical requirements. Besides a 64-bit Windows version and PowerShell, it is essential that Visual Studio 2022 is installed on your system.

Additionally, you need to have the Windows 10 or Windows 11 SDK package installed via Visual Studio and CMake 3.25 or later ready. After preparing all these tools, you can compile the program on your system by following the steps on Marshall’s GitHub page.

Do you think using a 35-year-old software on a current operating system is a nostalgic pleasure or just a technical curiosity? Please share your thoughts with us.