Windows Never Released

Windows Never Released (abbreviated to WNR) is a cult started by jhj22 in 2008. It is where people make fictional Windows bootscreens using programs such as Photoshop or Paint.NET and often compile then into videos. Videos either have sounds for each bootscreen, or music that plays throughout the whole video. The cult regained popularity in 2012-13 when Adi and Nermal Cat started creating their own WNR videos, then once again in 2016 thanks to creators like MinderiaYoutuber and feandesign becoming popular in the WNR scene. In 2017, Luigi2012SM64 started a new cult known as Never Released Operating Systems, intended for non-Windows ideas. Since late 2017 there has also been a cult known as OS Mockups, which combines both WNR and NROS into one.

During 2017 there was an increase in "cringy" WNRs. This lead to Aero Community members starting to consider WNR dead, leading to Twiglets1888 starting the Windows Mockups cult, where each idea would usually have accompanying desktops, logon screens or programs too. This would give people a deeper understanding of how the idea may have looked and worked. However, in July 2017 following a drama everyone agreed to end the elitism and return to doing WNRs instead of WMs.

Reception
While the cult is little known, it has gained some slight infamy outside of the community for the low quality and unrealisticness of many of the bootscreens. The term "Windows Never Released" has also been criticised for being broken English, along with it being misleading. People who are unaware of what WNR is think that it means "unreleased Windows versions" and still start accusing the creator of lying.

The community also has a bad reputation for its toxicity and immaturity. Since 2017, the community has split into two sides - "Minderians" and "non-Minderians". This resulted from many people using assets created by Minderia, which is frowned upon by the older part of the community for being lazy and low effort. The splitting has gotten even worse, with some people being referred to as terms such as "Arsenians", "Cheat Manians", "Tartarians" and "Fitians".