Make your app run on a 64 MiB machine with 2 GiB of disk space.

And yes, I’m not joking.

The challenge is a real one for a reason. Due to apps specifically designed to be obese, everyone will now need a few gigabytes of memory and disk space to do really anything at all.

I’m literally wasting 8 gigs of physical memory and a terabyte disk to write this article. And the device you’re reading this on is probably using not much less.

Unsurprisingly enough, every app of today fails the challenge for that specific reason: it’s obese by design. The thought of frugality is practically absent.

The definition of app in question is in that ‘Software Terminology Then and Now’ meme. This includes everything - an actual app, a program, a game, even an operating system.

I am saying you MUST change. I’m introducing awareness to the issue that infests us now.

[The arbitrary 64 MiB/2 GiB measures are courtesy of VirtualBox.]

Take action now.

• ‘Make your app run on a 64 MiB machine with 2 GiB of disk space.’ That’s the challenge. Break a leg.
• Introduce yourself to Windows 98, one of the inspirations behind the challenge. Then compare with your ten. (Hah.)
• Use the hashtag #Win98Challenge twitter · mastodon.social.

[TODO More coming soon.]

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I don’t aspire to have all the credit. I know there’s already attempts to reach frugality. But I hope changes will happen.