Analysis updated 2026-05-18
Give an OpenWrt router's web admin panel a nostalgic Windows 98 look.
Package the theme into an installable .ipk file for a router without a full OpenWrt buildroot.
Add the theme to an existing OpenWrt LuCI feed and enable it during a custom firmware build.
| fffonion/openwrt-win98-theme | bozhoudev/xhs-article-to-images | ballwictb/besur-themes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stars | 56 | 57 | 58 |
| Language | CSS | CSS | CSS |
| Setup difficulty | moderate | moderate | easy |
| Complexity | 3/5 | 2/5 | 1/5 |
| Audience | ops devops | writer | developer |
Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.
Requires an OpenWrt build environment or an existing router running OpenWrt 24.x with LuCI.
This project, called luci-theme-win98, is a visual theme for LuCI, the web-based configuration interface used by OpenWrt, an open source operating system that runs on home and small business routers. Instead of the usual modern router admin panel look, this theme redesigns the interface to resemble the classic Windows 98 desktop, with gray window frames, raised buttons, recessed input boxes, blue title bars, a teal background, and a fixed taskbar footer at the bottom of the screen. The theme covers the full set of pages you would normally see in a router's admin panel: the login screen, header and footer bars, desktop icons, tables, forms, alert messages, and a mobile friendly layout. It uses a set of classic-looking menu icons taken from an existing Windows 98 icon set released under the GPL license, a Windows startup flag image pulled from a public domain source on Wikimedia Commons, and a pixelated font from an MIT-licensed project to complete the retro look. All of these static files are served from a specific folder path within the OpenWrt web server. To use it, someone would add this repository as a LuCI feed inside an OpenWrt build setup, update and install the feed, enable the theme through the build configuration menu, and then select it by name inside the router's own theme settings after installation. The project also includes a Python script that can package the theme into an installable .ipk file locally, automatically bumping a version number each time it runs, and a GitHub Actions workflow that builds and uploads that package automatically whenever code is pushed or a pull request is opened. This is a niche but complete piece of software for OpenWrt users and router hobbyists who want a nostalgic look for their router's web interface rather than the default modern styling.
A Windows 98 styled visual theme for the LuCI web admin panel used by OpenWrt routers.
Mainly CSS. The stack also includes CSS, OpenWrt, LuCI.
Bundles icons under the GPL license, meaning modified redistributions of those assets must also stay open under compatible terms.
Setup difficulty is rated moderate, with roughly 30min to a first successful run.
Mainly ops devops.
This repo across BitVibe Labs
Verify against the repo before relying on details.