What's This?

Over time I tend to bookmark tech sites I find useful for research later so this is some of the many links I have gathered for your use and my own. More is to be added later :)

Please note I haven't had the chance to double check all these links so if one doesn't work, check with the wayback machine.

Operating Systems & Distros

Directories, comparisons and references for Linux, BSD and other operating systems.

• DistroWatch: News, release notes and popularity rankings for hundreds of Linux and BSD distros since 2001.
• Linux, BSD, OpenSolaris info archive: Distroware Archive: alphabetised directory of BSD, Linux and OpenSolaris distributions.
• Linux distro timeline: Interactive visual genealogy of Linux distributions and their lineage over time.
• Linux Distributions Compared: Linux Journal's classic side-by-side distro comparison article.
• Server operating system technical comparison: Long-running independent reference comparing server operating systems.
• English-Language Linux Distributions: University of Udine page listing English-language Linux distributions.
• CTO: Operating Systems: TUNES project wiki surveying operating systems, including microkernel and research OSes.
• http://www.lugs.ch: Linux User Group Switzerland's English-language distro resource list.
• torvalds/linux: Linus Torvalds' official Linux kernel source tree.
• DragonFlyBSD/DragonFlyBSD: Mirror of the DragonFly BSD source repository.
• truenas/os: FreeBSD base for TrueNAS Core, the open-source NAS operating system.
• FDOS/kernel: FreeDOS kernel for the open-source MS-DOS/PC-DOS compatible OS.
• reactos/reactos: Free Windows-compatible OS aiming for NT binary and driver compatibility.
• SerenityOS/serenity: Andreas Kling's hobby Unix-like OS with its own kernel, browser and desktop.
• NetaScale/SCAL-UX: Hobby Unix-like operating system in C.
• jimix/k42: Source for the K42 research kernel, IBM's scalable multiprocessor OS.
• PDP-10/its: Source for the Incompatible Timesharing System (ITS), MIT's PDP-10 OS.
• cfenollosa/os-tutorial: Step-by-step tutorial building an OS from scratch in C.
• SamyPesse/How-to-Make-a-Computer-Operating-System: Book project teaching OS development in C++ from boot to filesystem.
• LogicWavelength/Manjaro-Stuff: Personal Manjaro Linux scripts and configs.

OS & Software Archives

Download mirrors and archives for old operating systems and software.

• www.linux-distros.com: Archive focused on preserving older Linux releases that have left official mirrors.
• fsck.technology: Open directory listing of OS and software in an h5ai browser.
• ArchiveOS: Archive of inactive open-source Linux, BSD and independent operating system projects.
• distro.ibiblio.org: Long-running ibiblio mirror with browsable listings of dozens of distributions.
• ftp.nluug.nl: Dutch NLUUG/SURFnet public mirror with historic distro releases.
• grumbeer.dyndns.org: Personally-hosted archive of obscure early Linux distros including 386BSD, LST and MCC.
• linux.mathematik.tu-darmstadt.de: TU Darmstadt mirror of historic Linux distributions like LST, SLS and clienux.
• pd.spuddy.org: Spuddy's collection of Yggdrasil Linux and SLS CD images.
• tenox.pdp-11.ru: Russian-hosted archive of operating systems, apps and hardware drivers.
• http://www.ossh.com: Section of the CD-ROM Distributions HOWTO listing obscure Linux distros on physical media.
• dl.bobpony.com: Bob Pony's download mirror for Windows builds, ISOs, and related files.
• Old-DOS.ru: Russian-language archive of 35,000+ DOS programs, games and utilities. Pretty sure thet have old malware so be careful unless you are looking for it.
• VETUSWARE: Self-described largest free abandonware collection. Downloading is annoying as you have to sign up.
• Discmaster: Search interface over millions of vintage computer files hosted on Archive.org.
• microsoft/MS-DOS: Microsoft's official release of MS-DOS 1.25, 2.0, and 4.0 sources (archived).
• tongzx/nt5src: Windows XP (NT5) source code extracted from leaked archives.
• LisABC/XPSP1: Archived source code for Windows XP Service Pack 1 from the NT5 leak.
• roelandjansen/pcmos386v501: Source for PC-MOS/386 v5.01, a multiuser DOS-compatible OS for 386 hardware.

Vintage Computing & Hardware

Personal collections, institutional museums and hardware documentation.

• mastodonpc.tripod.com: Personal collection of IBM PCs and PC/XTs with photos and mainboard details.
• DVQ.COM: Open directory of vintage computer photos including IBM 1130, 1800, and Burroughs.
• Digibarn: California barn computer museum with online collection of late-70s/80s personal computers.
• http://retro.hansotten.nl: Hans Otten's site covering MOS 6502, 1802, and Z80 single-board computers.
• Old Technology Collection: Amateur collector documenting old computers salvaged from being thrown out.
• Old Computers: Site dedicated to Z80-class machines and CP/M-like operating systems.
• HP Computer Museum: Museum of HP computing products from 1966 to 1991 — calculators, desktops, peripherals.
• Datamath Calculator Museum: Comprehensive reference for TI calculators and competitors from the 1970s onward.
• Russian Virtual Computer Museum: Soviet and post-Soviet computing history with English-language content.
• Soviet Digital Electronics Museum: Sergei Frolov's museum of Soviet calculators, electronic watches, and peripherals.
• bitsavers.org: Massive volunteer archive of PDFs and software for historic computing systems.
• Best of NeXT: Collection of NeXT Computer hardware, software and developer documentation.
• VOGONS Vintage Driver Library: VOGONS community's driver library for vintage PC hardware.
• The iPhone Wiki: iPhone hardware/firmware reference (no longer updated — see The Apple Wiki).
• ssshake/retro-computing-internet-resources: Curated list of projects connecting vintage computers to the modern internet.
• polpo/picogus: Raspberry Pi Pico board emulating ISA sound cards and CD-ROM (GUS, SB, MPU-401).
• johnsonjh/NeXTROM: NeXT ROM monitor bootloader for NeXTcube and NeXTstation hardware.
• cc65/cc65: Mature freeware C compiler for 6502 systems for Apple II, C64, Atari 8-bit, NES and etc
• mal359/unixfonts: Collection of Unix fonts in PostScript format.

Apple & Mac Resources

Software, themes, archives, emulators and tools for Apple/Macintosh systems.

• Macintosh Garden: Long-running Mac abandonware archive with thousands of discontinued titles.
• Mac Themes Garden: Showcase of Kaleidoscope schemes from classic Mac OS personalisation.
• System 7 Today: Active community for users running Mac OS 7.6.1 on pre-G3 Macintosh hardware.
• mihaip/infinite-mac: Classic Mac with bundled software running in your browser via WebAssembly.
• felixrieseberg/macintosh.js: Virtual Apple Macintosh with System 8 running entirely in Electron.
• dingusdev/dingusppc: Experimental PowerPC Mac emulator targeting classic Mac OS 9.
• zydeco/macemu: BasiliskII fork focused on running classic Mac OS on iOS and macOS hosts.
• zydeco/minivmac4ios: Port of Mini vMac to iOS for running Mac Plus / SE-era 68k Mac OS.
• morgant/basiliskiivm: Bash manager for running multiple BasiliskII Mac emulator VMs.
• nyteshade/mini-vmac-setup: Ready-to-use Mini vMac configuration bundle.
• utmapp/UTM: QEMU frontend for iOS and macOS to run Windows, Linux, and more on Apple devices.
• devos50/qemu-ios: QEMU fork emulating legacy iOS devices.
• TrungNguyen1909/qemu-t8030: QEMU fork emulating the iPhone 11 (A13/T8030) — archived.
• marciot/mac-minivnc: VNC remote-desktop server for vintage Macs like the Mac Plus.
• hundredrabbits/Macintosh-Cookbook: Pascal examples and projects for Mac System 7 — archived.
• classilla/tenfourfox: Firefox port keeping PowerPC Macs on the modern web past Mozilla's EOL.
• kevintruong/Mac-OS-X-Internals: Source archive from Amit Singh's 'Mac OS X Internals' book.
• ParksProjets/Maconv: Converter for old Mac formats such a MacBinary, StuffIt and BinHex.
• paleotronic/diskm8: Apple II disk image manipulation, cataloguing and analysis tool in Go.
• dremin/message-bridge: REST API plus web client bridging iMessage and SMS to older computers.
• dortania/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher: Installs modern macOS on Macs Apple officially dropped support for.
• theQuert/XPS-9360-macOS: Hackintosh configuration for the Dell XPS 13 9360.
• darlinghq/darling-docs: Docs for Darling, a macOS compatibility layer for Linux.
• palera1n/palera1n: Jailbreak for A8-A11 and T2 Apple devices via the checkm8 bootrom exploit.
• theos/sdks: Patched iOS SDKs with private framework .tbds for Theos jailbreak development.

Magazines, Ads & Print

Scanned magazines, advertisement archives and other print/media.

• nosher.net: Curated narrative tour through 300 microcomputer ads from the late 1970s onward.
• Computer Ads from the Past: Substack archive of vintage computer ads with historical context.
• VintageComputer.net Magazines: Scanned issues of Byte, Creative Computing, Microtrek and Kilobaud.
• Retromags: Community preservation site for vintage video game magazine scans.
• CGW Museum: Browsable scanned archive of every Computer Gaming World magazine issue.
• karpour/computerchronicles-episodes: Metadata index of every Computer Chronicles TV episode (1983-2002).
• karpour/computerchronicles-server: API server backing the Computer Chronicles metadata dataset.

Emulation & ROMs

Emulators, ROM archives and game/system preservation resources.

• Vimm's Lair: Long-running console game download site supporting NES, SNES, N64, PSX and more.
• PCjs Machines: Browser-emulated vintage IBM PC software such as DOS, Windows, OS/2 and early PC apps.
• SIMH software kits: OS and software images for the SIMH historical computer simulators.
• GameHacking.org: Cheat codes, patches, save editors, and reverse-engineering tools for video games.
• 86Box/86Box: Cycle-accurate emulator for x86 machines from IBM PC to early Pentium.
• 86Box/roms: BIOS ROMs and machine images required by the 86Box emulator.
• bochs-emu/Bochs: Cross-platform x86 emulator focused on accuracy over speed.
• jeffpar/pcjs: IBM PC and other machine emulations in JavaScript which powers pcjs.org.
• otya128/winevdm: Runs 16-bit Windows applications (1.x-3.1) on 64-bit Windows.
• leecher1337/ntvdmx64: Restores Microsoft's NTVDM (DOS support) on 64-bit Windows editions.
• simh/simh: Original SIMH project simulating PDP-1/8/10/11, VAX, Nova, Altair and more.
• open-simh/simh: Community fork of SIMH with active maintenance.
• TomHarte/CLK: Low-latency emulator covering Apple II, BBC Micro, Atari, ZX Spectrum and more.
• livingcomputermuseum/Darkstar: Xerox Star 8010 workstation emulator from the Living Computers Museum.
• sebastianbiallas/pearpc: PowerPC architecture emulator able to boot Mac OS X 10.3/10.4 and Linux PPC.
• pdjstone/archimedes-live: Acorn Archimedes running live in the browser with bundled RISC OS.
• commanderx16/x16-emulator: Emulator for the Commander X16, David Murray's modern 8-bit computer.
• dolphin-emu/dolphin: Reference GameCube and Wii emulator with HD rendering and netplay.
• PCSX2/pcsx2: Long-running PlayStation 2 emulator with strong game compatibility.
• xenia-project/xenia: Xbox 360 emulator research project with Vulkan and D3D12 backends.
• xlenore/ps2-covers: Curated PS2 game cover art for emulator frontends.

Security & Malware Research

Malware samples, reverse-engineering challenges and security research archives.

• vx-underground: One of the largest public malware sample and source archives for research.
• Objective-See Mac Malware Collection: Patrick Wardle's curated macOS malware collection with technical writeups.
• Crackmes: Reverse-engineering challenges for practising binary analysis.
• rshipp/awesome-malware-analysis: Comprehensive awesome-list of malware analysis tools and resources.
• AllsafeCyberSecurity/awesome-ghidra: Curated list of Ghidra reverse-engineering plugins, scripts, and tutorials.
• mitchellkrogza/The-Big-List-of-Hacked-Malware-Web-Sites: Continuously-updated list of sites hosting malware or ransomware.
• ytisf/theZoo: Widely-cited public repository of live malware samples for analysis.
• vxunderground/MalwareSourceCode: vx-underground's malware source code collection across many platforms.
• objective-see/Malware: Objective-See's macOS malware sample collection with YARA rules.
• Endermanch/MalwareDatabase: Large GitHub malware collection organised by family.
• jstrosch/malware-samples: Malware samples plus training exercises suchh as Azorult, Emotet, TrickBot and more.
• fabrimagic72/malware-samples: Malware samples caught by the maintainer's honeypots including WannaCry and TrickBot.
• win2007/MalwareDatabase-1: Repository of Windows and MS-DOS malware samples for research.
• RamadhanAmizudin/malware: Malware samples for analysis, mostly sourced from MalwareTech.
• gbrindisi/malware: Repository of malware source code samples in C.
• kaiserfarrell/malware: Virus collection source code in C.
• malwares/DangerousZone: Collection of dangerous malware samples with minimal documentation.
• ashishb/android-malware: Curated collection of Android malware samples for mobile security research.
• kh4sh3i/Ransomware-Samples: Small organised collection of ransomware samples by family.
• jgamblin/Mirai-Source-Code: Leaked source for the Mirai IoT botnet, preserved for research.
• guitmz/virii: Collection of ancient computer virus source codes for DOS and Windows.
• onx/CIH: Source code of the CIH/Chernobyl virus from 1998.
• nccgroup/Winpayloads: NCC Group's framework for generating undetectable Windows payloads.
• govolution/avet: Antivirus Evasion Tool automating payload encoding for pentesting.
• JackJuly/linkook: Sherlock-style OSINT tool finding linked social accounts and emails from a username.
• Octocontrabass/brandy: Reverse-engineering analysis of SCO Xenix copy protection.

Web Archives & Wikis

Preservation-focused wikis and digital archive projects.

• ArchiveTeam Wiki: Wiki of ArchiveTeam... rogue archivists preserving online history before it disappears.
• Higher Intellect Vintage Wiki: Higher Intellect's knowledge base for vintage hardware, OSes and software.
• BetaArchive Wiki: BetaArchive wiki documenting betas and development builds of OSes.
• Crusty Windows Wiki: Wiki devoted to obscure and obsolete Windows versions and bootlegs.
• Hidden Palace: Community wiki preserving video game prototypes, hardware kits and dev source.

Web Tools & Utilities

Standalone web tools, developer utilities and Windows utilities.

• NirSoft: Nir Sofer's free Windows utilities for passwords, diagnostics and forensics.
• Winbindex: Searchable index of Windows system binaries by version with download links.
• Windows unattend.xml generator: Web form generating autounattend.xml answer files for Windows 10/11 installs.
• Klocman/Bulk-Crap-Uninstaller: Free Windows uninstaller for batch-removing bloatware with registry cleanup.
• massgravel/Microsoft-Activation-Scripts: Open-source Windows and Office activator with HWID, Ohook, TSforge and KMS methods.
• Mexit/MultiOS-USB: GRUB2-based multiboot tool booting ISOs/WIMs directly from a single USB.
• UltimMC/Launcher: Offline Minecraft launcher and Qt-based fork allowing play without Mojang auth.
• jely2002/youtube-dl-gui: Open Video Downloader: youtube-dl GUI built with Rust, Tauri, and Vue.
• dazedcat19/FMD2: Free Manga Downloader 2 and multi-source desktop manga client.
• singak1/YT2Spotify: Imports YouTube playlists into Spotify by matching titles to tracks.
• BetterDiscord/BetterDiscord: Discord desktop client modification adding themes and plugins.
• victornpb/undiscord: Userscript for bulk-deleting Discord messages from servers, channels or DMs.
• ThaTiemsz/Discord-Emoji-Downloader: Downloads every custom emoji from a Discord server into a ZIP.
• thonny/thonny: Python IDE for beginners with variable visualisation and step execution.
• rahuldkjain/github-profile-readme-generator: Web UI for generating GitHub profile READMEs with stats and icons.
• epoberezkin/gh-pages-generator: Multi-page static site generator converting Markdown to GitHub Pages output.
• d3ward/toolz: Browser testing toolset for adblock, fonts, and viewport units — archived.
• RuyiLi/image-splitter: Small JavaScript utility for splitting images into square tiles.
• underpig1/octos: Create and share interactive HTML/CSS/JS wallpapers on Windows.
• Azgaar/Fantasy-Map-Generator: Web app generating interactive fantasy maps with biomes, rivers, and cultures.
• godotengine/godot: Free and open-source 2D/3D game engine with node-based scenes and GDScript.

Privacy

Privacy tools, VPNs and censorship-circumvention resources.

• PrivacyTools.io: Privacy guide covering software, services and apps for surveillance resistance. While it is here fmhy.net is better.
• vpnhood/VpnHood: Undetectable cross-platform VPN with traffic obfuscation to bypass DPI blocking.
• Psiphon-Inc/psiphon: Meta-repo for Psiphon, the censorship-circumvention tool.

Communities & Forums

Online communities and Fediverse clients (including vintage-system clients).

• MbinOrg/mbin: Federated link aggregator and microblogging platform, fork of kbin.
• SuperIlu/DOStodon: MS-DOS Mastodon client built with DOjS.
• smallsco/macstodon: Basic Mastodon client for Classic Mac OS in Python.
• meyskens/mastodon-for-workgroups: Mastodon client for Windows 9x built in Visual Basic 6.
• Havoc6502/MOStodon: Mastodon client for the Commodore 64 (requires a compatible modem).
• kayhyn/32bit.cafe: Site repo for the 32bit.cafe indie-web community.

Miscellaneous

Random links that may need categorisation later, plus game-related and novelty projects.

• eaglePB2/Plazma_Burst_2_Archive: Archive of Plazma Burst 2 SWF files and open-sourced resources.
• eaglePB2/Plazma_Burst_Others_Archive: Archive of Plazma Burst-related Flash files and open-sourced community resources.
• Molisson/ALEI: Userscript patching the Plazma Burst 2 level editor — actively maintained.
• LisABC/ALEI: Earlier archived fork of the PB2 level editor userscript.
• Eric-Gurt/PB2Launcher-win: Windows launcher application for Plazma Burst 2.
• Nyoveee/plazmabuddy: Discord verification and admin bot for a Plazma Burst community.
• acemod/ACE3: Open-source realism mod for Arma 3 with medical, ballistics, and map tools.
• CBATeam/CBA_A3: Community Base Addons for Arma 3 — framework many other mods depend on.
• The-Powder-Toy/The-Powder-Toy: Desktop falling-sand sandbox simulating pressure, heat, and chemical reactions.
• foone/SierraDeathGenerator: Generates faux death and error screens from Sierra adventure games.
• gaoryrt/retro-404: Retro 404 not-found page with Windows 95/98 UI.
• leahneukirchen/dosfetch: NeoFetch-style system info display for DOS written in Pascal.
• AjaxIronside/AjaxIronside.github.io: Personal GitHub Pages site.
• GozGeek/gozschedule: Personal shell-based scheduling utility.
• oldweb-today/oldweb-today: Browse old websites in period-appropriate emulated browsers via Wayback integration.