HamsterOS Is Coming!

A real operating system, built from scratch

Mean Hamster Software is building HamsterOS — a floppy-first hobby operating system targeting 386-class PCs and newer. The goal is an OS that boots from a single 1.44 MB floppy disk, runs a full VGA desktop, and fits an entire personal computing experience into something you could hold in your hand.

HamsterOS is already past the "can it boot" stage. Version 0.30 runs a complete GUI desktop with managed windows, a toolbar, a file browser, and a suite of built-in apps — all on a single floppy.

What's in it

• 32-bit protected-mode kernel targeting 386+ hardware
• VGA desktop at 640×480 (16 colour floppy build) or 800×600×256 on the hard-disk build
• FAT12 floppy filesystem with full read/write support and verified sector writes
• File browser with columns, sorting, copy/paste, rename, and delete
• Notepad with load/save, Undo, Find, and Replace
• Preferences, Clock, Calculator, Calendar, Paint, Piano, Sliding Puzzle, Snake, and Mines
• Screen savers — including the Flying Hamsters sprite saver
• RAM disk as drive R:, desktop icon persistence written back to the boot floppy
• Launcher bar, Find tool, and app-sensitive menus

Coming November 2026

We are targeting a public release in November 2026. Follow along at the HamsterOS product page for updates as we get closer to launch.