February 8, 2026
Retro builds, modern meltdowns
Let's compile Quake like it's 1997
Fans fire up old Windows, then fight over what id really used
TLDR: Fabien Sanglard shows how to rebuild Quake using 90s tools, igniting nostalgia and a debate over whether modern “containers” truly reproduce old builds. Commenters clash over historical accuracy (DJGPP on DEC Alpha) and ethics, proving the environment can shape software—and today’s shortcuts aren’t always safe.
Retro king Fabien Sanglard just dropped a guide to building Quake like it’s 1997, and the comments went full time machine. Fans cheered the software archaeology vibes—installing Windows NT 4, dusting off Visual C++ 6, and hunting the original q1source.zip from the Quake Official Archive—but the real show was the crowd drama.
Strongest take: modern build tools aren’t magic. One commenter warned that “containers” (software boxes used by automated build robots, aka CI) don’t guarantee identical results, and NT’s weird “reinstall to see the second CPU” quirk proves old hardware and operating systems were glued together in ways today’s devs forget. Then the history court convened: a sharp-eyed commenter challenged whether id really used DJGPP (a DOS-based compiler) on a DEC Alpha machine, sparking a fact-check frenzy. Team “trust Fabien” vs. Team “pedant police” went to war.
There were jokes galore. People roasted the “crazy” 1280x1024 setup screen, flexed that Windows NT boot splash showing CPUs like a gym selfie, and nodded to WinRAR 2.50 still slapping. One spicy grenade: someone asked to rebuild the old “Linux source code leak,” prompting instant side-eyes and ethics debates. Finally, a hopeful whisper: “Quake book incoming?” Fans would read it yesterday.
Key Points
- •Early Quake executables were programmed on HP 712-60 running NeXT and cross-compiled with DJGPP on a DEC Alpha Server 2100A.
- •After shipping Quake in 1996, id Software moved to Intergraph hardware running Windows NT; later builds used Visual C++ 4.X.
- •The article outlines four ways to recreate the 1997 build environment, including actual period hardware or a VirtualBox VM.
- •Windows NT 4.0 installation is straightforward but requires reinstalling to enable SMP via the HAL; certain dual-CPU boards need extra regulators.
- •To compile with VC++6, use the original q1source.zip from the Quake Official Archive, avoid GitHub/FTP transfers, extract with WinRar 2.50, and open WinQuake.dsw.