NetCafe1998

Home screen
Games

Inspiration

We were inspired by the raw charm of the early internet — a time when browsing felt like a new adventure. The sound of dial-up, messy toolbars, and Windows 98 desktops shaped our first online memories. With NetCafe 1998, we wanted to bottle that nostalgia and make it clickable again in today’s modern browsers.

What it does

NetCafe 1998 is a retro desktop simulation that brings the late-90s internet café experience to life. Users can:

Open and move windows like Yahoo!, Games, and Calculator
Interact with period-authentic UI elements
Experience a simplified version of what the early web felt like — chaotic, colorful, and oddly comforting

All of this happens in-browser, with no installation required.

How we built it

We built the project using:

React + TypeScript for UI logic and modularity
Tailwind CSS for precise, era-accurate styling
A custom Window Manager to handle dragging, resizing, layering (z-index), and window state
Faux web apps (like Yahoo! and MSN) designed with historically inspired content and layout

This modular setup allows us to plug in new retro-style apps easily.

Challenges we ran into

Handling drag and resize logic without breaking the inner components
Managing focus and z-index stacking dynamically for overlapping windows
Replicating Windows 98 aesthetics using only CSS — no image sprites or legacy assets
Making sure it worked well across screen sizes and browsers

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Pulled off a near-authentic retro UX purely with modern tech
Built a functioning window manager from scratch
Got it all to run smoothly without external UI libraries
Delivered a fully nostalgic experience in a single tab

What we learned

Advanced React state management and DOM coordination
How to use Tailwind CSS for exact visual reproduction of vintage UIs
Why the smallest UI details (fonts, shadows, borders) make the biggest difference
CSS tricks for draggable/resizable window UX