Welcome to another installment of "Sick Windows Tricks!"

I can't be bothered to load it up myself since it has no GUI at all, but this is the startup screen from Microsoft OS/2 1.0. It looks just like the Windows 1.x startup! (For more information about OS/2 1.0 see: http://virtuallyfun.superglobalmegacorp.com/?p=593)

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Here are some screen shots of Windows 2 running in 256-color mode. This is made possible by using the Paradise video driver under ykhwong's DosBox builds.

The Windows 2.x Paradise video card driver is located right here: oldvga.zip

In 256 color mode, the control panel lights up with smooth colors. This Windows 2.x driver treats the display similar to a high color display. But instead of thousands of colors it uses a single global set of 256 generic colors.

Windows 3.x treats 256 color displays as 16 color displays where individual applications can each obtain a custom 256 color pallet to display images.

Any application that draws in color can use the nearest solid color rather than dithering.

On Windows 3.x or later with a 16k color or greater display, Klotz displays a smooth color gradient.

This screen shot shows the gradient reduced to the available 256 color set.

The "Easel" program can also display 256 color GIFs by filtering the image's pallet to the available colors.