Microsoft Word from 1990 Runs Natively on Modern Windows

A developer has successfully ported Microsoft Word for Windows 1.1a to modern Windows systems, allowing users to run the 1990 software natively on their x64 machines.

The project, undertaken by Justin Marshall, uses the original source code provided by Microsoft in 2014 and replaces non-working 16-bit code with modern programming conventions.

This means that users can now experience the early days of Word without any emulation or virtualization required. The port is open-source and can be downloaded from GitHub.

The project highlights the differences between the original Word for Windows 1.1a and its modern counterpart, which has become a vessel for Microsoft's AI services. While the latest version of Word can write documents and expand drafts on its own, Marshall's port brings back the simplicity and barebones GUI of the original.