Where to go:

Linux

The operating system used to create special effects in Titanic

Geos and New Deal

One of the first GUI's. Yes, they are still in business.

QNX

A real time operating system with an amazing demo.

DOS

Different versions of the well known operating system and some great software to run in DOS.

OS-9

A lightweight operating system used mostly for embedded systems.

Sources for Cheap Hardware

These companies routinely sell used and refurbished desktop and mobile computers at a significant discount.

Recommended Reading

Articles and Web Pages with plenty of cheap ideas.

QNX

QNX 1.44meg Demo
The QNX group put together this demonstration of the scalability of their real time operating system.
One formatted floppy disk can hold a windowed GUI, An HTML 3.2 Browser, and a TCP/IP stack.
The whole thing decompresses and runs in RAM (6 megs required).

QNX Real Time OS
This is new. Try a free install of the whole shebang.

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