FUBAR OS: A throwback to simpler development

Game: FUBAR os

When was the last time you built something in pure JavaScript, HTML, and CSS—no frameworks, no bundlers, no build systems? For me, it was this week. And it turned into a full‑blown operating system parody, a portfolio piece, and a geeky game all rolled into one.

Core Theme: OS Playground

The project is called FUBAR OS (Faulty User-Based Application Registry)s. It boots like a retro console, throws fake errors, and lets you type commands into a terminal. It’s equal parts retro, portfolio, and interactive joke.

• Commands: menu, help, hide a handful of playful Easter eggs.
• Errors: Out‑of‑memory (OOM) crashes, BSOD‑style screens, and other simulated failures that remind us of the fragility of old tech.
• State: Reactive without React. Every keystroke updates the DOM directly, no virtual DOM, no hooks—just event listeners and state objects.

It’s a crack at old‑school tech geek fun, but also a showcase of how far you can push vanilla JS when you stop leaning on frameworks.

Clean Code, No Frameworks

I deliberately avoided modern tooling. No Webpack, no Babel, no React, no Vue. Just:

• HTML: Semantic structure, minimal boilerplate.
• CSS: just styles, no preprocessors.
• JavaScript: ES6+ features and no transpilation.

It’s the kind of codebase you just open and run in any browser. That constraint forced clarity: every function is meaningful, every state update explicit, every DOM mutation intentional.

⚡ Reactive State Without Overhead

The “reactivity” comes from simple observer patterns. A plain JS object holds state, and listeners update the UI when values change. No JSX, no diffing, no hydration. Just:

const state = { command: "" };

function setState(key, value) {
  state[key] = value;
  render();
}

function render() {
  document.querySelector("#terminal").textContent = state.command;
}

It’s reactive enough to feel modern, but light enough to feel like 1999.

🧨 OOM Errors and BSODs

Why simulate crashes? Because they’re part of the nostalgia. Developers who lived through Windows 98 or early Linux distros remember the pain—and the humor—of blue screens and memory leaks. Let turn these bugs into features.

It’s a reminder that errors can be playful, and that sometimes the best way to show technical skill is to embrace imperfection.

🕹️ Geek Fun Meets Resume

This isn’t just a toy. It’s also my resume. Instead of a static PDF, recruiters and fellow devs can “boot” my career history, explore my skills via commands, and see my philosophy in action.

🚀 Why This Matters

In a world drowning in frameworks, sometimes the most refreshing thing you can do is strip it all away. Build something raw. Make it fun. Show that you understand the fundamentals—and that you can bend them into something creative.

Final Thought

FUBAR OS is my nod to the early web, my portfolio in disguise, and my reminder that you don’t need a build system to build something delightful. Sometimes, all it takes is a few days, and a willingness to go deeper than you thought possible.

Game: FUBAR os