FVWM95 was a fork of FVWM 2.0.43 that replicated the Windows 95 interface on Unix/Linux systems. It was widely used by users transitioning from Windows but became obsolete as full desktop environments like GNOME and KDE emerged.
Based on FVWM 2.0.43, FVWM95 added a taskbar module, Windows 95-style window decorations (minimize/maximize/close buttons), and a Start menu. It retained FVWM's configuration file format and module system. The project was hosted on SourceForge and distributed via FTP.
After the release of Windows 95 in August 1995, there was significant demand for a similar look and feel on Unix/Linux systems. In 1996, Hector Peraza and David Barth forked FVWM version 2.0.43 to create FVWM95, which added a Windows 95-style taskbar, Start menu, and window decorations to the FVWM window manager.
FVWM95 was announced on the FVWM mailing lists in April 1996 and quickly became popular among Linux users who needed to alternate between Windows and Unix environments, or who were migrating from Windows. The most distinctive feature was the taskbar at the bottom of the screen, with a Start button on the left, a window list in the center, and a system tray area on the right -- faithfully reproducing the Windows 95 paradigm.
The fork was deliberately limited in scope -- it aimed to emulate the look of Windows 95 without bloating the core FVWM code. However, FVWM95 became obsolete relatively quickly as full desktop environments like KDE (1998) and GNOME (1999) provided more complete Windows-like experiences.
Windows 95 released, creating demand for Unix equivalent
FVWM95 announced on FVWM mailing lists
KDE 1.0 released, reducing need for FVWM95
GNOME 1.0 released; FVWM95 becomes largely obsolete
FVWM95 played an important transitional role in Linux desktop adoption during the mid-to-late 1990s, making Unix systems more approachable for Windows users. It demonstrated that the open source community could rapidly respond to commercial UI trends. The project is archived on SourceForge.