I think of this as a homage or appropriation, a gentle upgrade of classic Windows XP aesthetic into a form that merges a few contemporary affordances and new polish. It's a classic way of keeping art and styles fresh and how aesthetics evolve while retaining a clear lineage that respects their roots.
Whilst that's true... Using "faithful" is inviting criticism where it doesn't align - intended or not.
always tension between the traditionalists and the nouveau
this ^ while also completely disregarding portfolio conventions. some have even said "If i was a recruiter I would instantly click off because it takes too long to load" hahah
If you're still working on this, you can add a "Pedantry mode" ou "Really faithful" switch that turns some of the suggestions on. It could work as a way to show that you're really aware of the shortcomings of the first implementation without messing too much with what you've got already done. And it can also work as a way to show some kind of "appreciation" for the feedback you're getting here..
Personally, I've used XP a lot back in the day, but don't remember much of the details like most users are reporting here, so I really liked to play with your website, and would definitely hire you if I was in such position.
Good luck!
"Pedantry mode" slightly brings down the elegance of the project.
Maybe they could have a fake "patch note" file within the virtual OS which frames it as a hypothetical service path upgrade (which showcases that OP does realize the slight variations in their design, while also showcasing that they can do technical writing)
But if he’s not a pendant, why would he add the mode? One should never have to bow to the pendants. However, should a pendant wish to implement its pedantic paradise by its pendant self it should be possible.
Nothings off the table so maybe I’ll look into that eventually! Before that id probably go the other way and allow the viewing of a basic single page basic portfolio haha
Maybe styled like a word doc or something
Go hardcore and render the word doc in HTML jspdf style
I guess it functions as a filter to exclude companies that won’t be best for you anyway. I think good portfolio/cv should do this!