It appears that it's been a while since I last updated this thread. Well are you guys in luck because a lot has happened in the realm of WebTV since I last posted. Namely, a private server focused on recreating the original WebTV experience from the 90s that's been in the works since 2021 is now in public beta! The server is named
WebTV Redialed, and it offers most of the features official WebTV/MSN TV clients support, including discussion groups, mail (to other Redialed users), and favorites (just a disclaimer: I have no direct involvement with WebTV Redialed. I just know a couple of the guys working on it really well and figured I'd spread the word here). Most relevant to this community, though, it also has proper support for WebTV for Dreamcast!
At the moment, you'll either need to use the
DreamPi for WebTV image from TurdINC and apply the service routes on it to point to WebTV Redialed's IP
if you have a real Dreamcast and a means to run the WebTV Connection Kit software, or hack the 0WINCEOS binary in a GDI/CDI image to change the default IP of 10.0.1.129 to Redialed's if you intend on using an emulator (although the current Redialed IP is too long to fit in the stock binary without more involved hacks). To get the IP, go to
this page (it's for instructions on using the WebTV Viewer to connect, but the IP and port apply to other platforms too. I have no control over how the site is organized). Also note that at least one Dreamcast-specific feature, the dictionary, won't work with Redialed at the moment. I'm not sure if support for that will be added any time soon, but I figured I'd just let you guys know in advance.
In related news, one of the guys working on WebTV Redialed (nitrate92) has also been working on a proper translation of the WebTV Connection Kit for the past couple of years, mostly in collaboration with lead Redialed developer JarHead. Not only are most strings for the browser translated, but stuff like the title screen, original menus, and options panel are translated too, and the ultimate goal is to have everything translated as accurately as possible for this strange port of the WebTV browser so us filthy English speakers can take full advantage of it. Now, the project has been and will likely remain a work-in-progress for some time, but there are plans to release it publicly on GitHub soon. Stay tuned for more information on that.