📟 Debian Time Capsule

You’re not visiting a website.
You just logged into a Unix workstation.

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There was a time when desktops were heavy, monitors were beige, and opening a terminal felt powerful.

This project is a recreation of the Common Desktop Environment (CDE) — running entirely in your browser.

Not a mockup.
Not screenshots.
A real, interactive desktop. And yes — it installs as a PWA.

You can also customize it.

Change color palettes.
Swap backdrops.
Adjust fonts.
Make it feel like your workstation.

And if you build something great, share it.

Your theme can be exported as a link and anyone can load it instantly — same colors, same backdrop, same vibe.

Post it in GitHub Discussions and see what others are building.

🚀 Try It →

Features

• 76 Color Palettes
  From iconic Platinum to warm Broica—authentic Motif themes that transform your entire desktop.

• 168 Original Backdrops
  Dithered XPM textures from the 90s. CircuitBoards, BrokenIce, Afternoon—pure computing history.

• Boot Sequence
  Watch the system initialize, just like a real Unix workstation with authentic Debian messages.

• XEmacs Editor
  Real Emacs keybindings (C-x C-s, M-x, C-k), interactive minibuffer, GNU splash screen.

• Terminal Lab
  41 interactive lessons. Learn Unix by doing—from ls to pipes.

• Virtual Filesystem
  Create files, make directories, navigate with context menus. A real filesystem in your browser.

• Netscape Navigator
  Web browsing from 1994. Supports browsing the modern web directly with retro compatibility.

• Lynx Browser
  Text-based web browser from 1992. Keyboard-driven navigation.

• Man Page Viewer
  Unix manual pages with authentic formatting. 28 essential commands with clickable examples.

• 4 Virtual Workspaces
  Organize across four desktops. Switch with Ctrl+Alt+1-4.

• Window Management
  Smooth dragging with title bars, borders, and minimize/maximize controls.

• Context Menus
  Right-click anywhere. Real menus, real actions.

• Keyboard Shortcuts
  20+ shortcuts. Navigate like a power user.

• PWA Installation
  One-click install from desktop. Works offline. Runs like a native app.

• System Updates
  Authentic apt-get package update sequences.

• Sound Synthesis
  Authentic system beeps via Web Audio API.

Works everywhere

Desktop feels native.
Mobile adapts with touch gestures.
Keyboard shortcuts still work.

It behaves like a real system — not a responsive layout pretending to be one.

You can even install it.

Click the icon labeled Install PWA and the browser handles the rest.
No custom installer. Just native installation.

The goal wasn’t pixel perfection.
It was experience authenticity.

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Documentation

The desktop is fun to explore. But if you want to understand how it works under the hood, start here:

Getting Started Installation, PWA setup, first launch experience, and basic navigation. → docs/user-guide/getting-started.md

User Guide Shortcuts, window behavior, workspaces, customization, and daily usage. → docs/user-guide/keyboard-shortcuts.md

Architecture How the desktop is structured internally. Window manager model, virtual filesystem layer, state persistence, and IndexedDB usage. → docs/technical/architecture.md

Full Documentation Index Everything organized in one place. → docs/README.md

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Contributing

If you like weird frontend projects, you’ll probably enjoy this one.

You can:

• Add new themes
• Create backdrops
• Improve accessibility
• Refactor things I overengineered
• Or just open issues

PRs are welcome.

Contributing →