’90s kids rejoice! Microsoft releases the original Windows 3.0 File Manager source code

Published April 9, 2018

Microsoft has released the source code for the original, 1990s-era File Manager that is so familiar to all of us who were dragging and dropping on Windows 3.0. The code, which is available on Github under the MIT OSS license, will compile under Windows 10.

File Manager uses the multiple-document interface or MDI to display multiple folders inside one window. This interface style, which changed drastically with later versions of Windows, was the standard for almost a decade of Windows releases.

These little gifts to the open source community are definitely fun but not everyone is happy. One Hacker News reader noted that “Most of the MSFT open source stuff is either trash or completely unmaintained. Only a couple of high profile projects are maintained and they jam opt-out telemetry in if you like it or not (despite hundreds of comments requesting them to go away). Even Scott Hanselman getting involved in one of our tickets got it nowhere. Same strong arming and disregard for customers.”

Ultimately these “gifts” to users are definitely a lot of fun and a great example of nostalgia-ware. Let me know how yours compiles by Tweeting me at @johnbiggs. I’d love to see it running again.