* Project handcrafted by a human
GentleOS/16 is a fantasy OS for vintage 16-bit PCs.
Its minimal requirements are a PC-compatible machine with an 8086 CPU, 256KB of RAM, and a CGA display capable of 320x200x4 mode.
It's built specifically for tinkering with old hardware on the bare metal, using plain C. It doesn't have any "practical" use, there's no web browser and no way to run third-party apps.
It's a simplified version of a slightly more advanced OS for 32-bit devices - GentleOS/32, with which it shares most of its design considerations.
For more information, see Questions and Answers.
Try in your browser
Open this page in a desktop browser to run an online PC emulator
Click here to launch GentleOS/16 in an online PC emulator.
Gallery
Devices
Apps
Downloads
gentleos16.img - Bootable disk image that can be written to a 1.44M/720K/360K floppy, HDD or USB flash drive
gentleos16-fd1440.img - 1.44M floppy-sized image for use in emulators
gentleos16-fd720.img - 720K floppy-sized image for use in emulators
GENTLEOS.COM, GENTLEOS.DAT - COM executable with corresponding data file, which can be started from DOS
Links
- Questions and Answers
- GentleOS/32 - Sibling OS for 32-bit devices
- Source code
Discussion threads:
- Thread on HN (2026-06-07)
- Thread on Lobste.rs (2026-06-08)
License
Copyright © 2026 luke8086. GentleOS/16 is licensed under the GNU General Public License, version 2.