
ReactOS 0.3.16 released - ch_123
http://www.reactos.org/node/772
======
frik
Office 2003 works now too:
[http://www.reactos.org/node/771](http://www.reactos.org/node/771)

Some screenshots of ReactOS:
[http://www.reactos.org/screenshots](http://www.reactos.org/screenshots) and
[http://old.reactos.org/en/screenshots.html](http://old.reactos.org/en/screenshots.html)

~~~
BrainInAJar
It's too bad all the screenshots are of open-source windows ports of stuff,
and stuff that's otherwise going to be really well-behaved (ie, not use secret
API's)

~~~
frik
Check out the second link, and scroll down. A lot of proprietary Win32
application work just fine.

From 3D games like Unreal Tournament to Adobe Photoshop, Screensavers,
XEmacs... like in Wine plus apps like CD burning apps and similar that require
NT drivers.

As driver support is still an issue on desktop Linux (3D graphics, HD audio,
proprietary hardware cards, etc), ReactOS has a great advantage over *nix
operating systems.

------
troymc
They're also doing a kickstarter for Thorium Core:

[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thorium/thorium-core-
cl...](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thorium/thorium-core-cloud-
desktop)

"Thorium Core is an attempt to build a commercial operating system and cloud
services platform, based on ReactOS, which is an Open Source implementation of
the NT architecture seen in modern versions of Windows."

~~~
twocows
I really like the idea of ReactOS in concept, so I'd pitch in if their
Kickstarter wasn't so blatantly what I didn't want. Cloud services? Come on.

~~~
km3k
Same here. I can't get behind that cloud services idea. If they really wanted
to just improve ReactOS and do something like was done with Mesa/OpenGL (
[http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-improve-opengl-
suppor...](http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-improve-opengl-support-for-
the-linux-graphics-drivers) ), I'd be happy to pitch in.

~~~
slacka
Nothing is stopping anyone from only supporting the core ReactOS project. They
take bitcoins, paypal, and wire transfers.

[http://www.reactos.org/donations](http://www.reactos.org/donations)

------
codeflo
If ReactOS were "ready" right now (i.e., could run 99% of all Windows 7
software unmodified), with all the bad press that Windows 8 gets, it might
even have a chance to steal some market share. However, I don't think they can
catch up before Microsoft manages to release another "good" version of
Windows, and then the game of catch-up will start again.

I hope I'm wrong. I'd really like to see this succeed.

~~~
copx
If ReactOS every became a thing (i.e. more than a hobby exercise) Microsoft
would sue them off the planet. I am sure Microsoft has countless patents
covering Windows technology.

~~~
cookiecaper
Yep. Microsoft allows WINE and ReactOS to proceed unchallenged because they're
aware of the Streisand Effect. If it ever became a legitimate threat to
Windows' dominance, they'd be lawyered out of existence lickety-split.

~~~
techdragon
ReactOS has spent a LOT of time and effort remaining in the clear legally. It
would be a hell of a lawsuit but after the dust settled, it would be in favour
of ReactOS barring a freakish reversal of precedent. They have taken the same
approach as Pheonix Technologies used back when they cloned the IBM BIOS and
sparked the dawn of the Wintel/IBM Compatible era
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_Technologies#Cloning_th...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_Technologies#Cloning_the_IBM_PC_BIOS)

~~~
cookiecaper
I'm a WINE contributor so I'm aware of their meticulous legal requirements. It
doesn't mean that MS won't go nuclear in the courts. ReactOS or CodeWeavers
are small enough that they could easily be killed with litigation alone,
regardless of outcome. After years fighting one premise, MS will be ready to
go again on another premise, until the little companies that create these
products throw in the towel.

------
yangyang
I just downloaded and installed in a virtualbox VM. It feels ridiculously
snappy compared to windows. Runs Firefox with the odd crash. Impressive to see
how far it has come but there is still some way to go.

~~~
pizza234
I love the idea of ReactOS, but my guess is that, in the current conditions,
either it will get nowhere, or it will take an extremely long time to get
anywhere significant (that is, not a niche product).

I've followed all the newsletters and it feels like the development it's
always a somewhat working rewrite on top of a somewhat working rewrite on top
of a somewhat working rewrite.

The way to go, while it appears small, it's the last 10% which is a 200% in
practice. It's pretty clear from the development that is's an excessively
large project for a small, changing, group of hobby developers.

Obviously, I hope things will change. I'd really like a free Windows XP in
virtual environments.

~~~
vxNsr
I bet in about 10 years Microsoft will release XP as a free product, without
support, kinda like what adobe did with cs2

~~~
zokier
Adobe did _not_ release CS2 as a free product.

------
ChikkaChiChi
This has always been an admirable project; I just fear that the world has
moved on.

A competitive kernel alternative to Windows seemed like a necessity 6 years
ago. Today, everyone I know who would be interested in ReactOS is OS agnostic
and can exist without any one operating system in particular.

~~~
graylights
I disagree, the future of windows is why ReactOS is important. For the same
reason DosBox is important, to run legacy apps.

10 years from now, how are you going to run those XP apps that aren't
compatible with even windows 7, let alone three more cycles of ugprades.

~~~
TillE
That's what Wine is for; ReactOS borrows a ton of their code. I do wish there
were more progress with Wine on Windows for 16-bit apps at least.

Wine can't run Windows device drivers, but that's a pretty narrow use case.

------
tokiwarthoot
For the people that said things like

"I'd pitch in if their Kickstarter wasn't so blatantly what I didn't want.
Cloud services? Come on" "I can't get behind that cloud services idea."

You guys have a really short vision.

The idea of thorium is 2 things: -Making cloud services applications is really
not difficult at all. The thing you need is a working os with working network
services. The idea is that Thorium would help ReactOS mature as 90% of the
hard work, would benefit ReactOS also. -If Thorium becomes reality, the
ReactOS people could start providing cloud services. This means steady income.
If thorium were to get big enough, they could conceivably keep on going
without even needing donations.

Thorium is an excellent idea. Thorium is what ReactOS needs. If the
kickstarter gets funded, apparently it won't which is a shame, but if it does,
those 120k are easily converted into 240k in some months, by selling cloud
services to more people.

Look a little farther than your noses.

------
coreymgilmore
Very cool project. You see new Linux distros but this if the first I've heard
of someone "forking" off of a Windows system. Potential in the Windows 8 world
-> very high.

~~~
ahomescu1
It's not really a fork in the development sense (they didn't start from
Windows code, they completely rewrote it), unless I'm missing something and
they did fork GPL/BSD code. They are sharing a lot of libraries with Wine
though.

------
sdegutis
I've been very interested in ReactOS for several years now, as I've wanted to
replace WindowsXP on my desktop with something more open and extensible.
Unfortunately, I have since upgraded to Windows Vista, Windows 7, and now
Windows 8. So I am not sure that ReactOS is going to be a viable option for me
anymore.

But now I think that I am not in the target audience of ReactOS at all. But
rather, it is intended for businesses which for some reason are stuck using
WindowsXP but would like to switch to an open alternative that is still being
patched with security updates regularly. This is a reasonable and generous
plan, and I applaud the ReactOS team for their work towards this effort.

------
ComputerGuru
A review I wrote back in 2006 of ReactOS:
[https://neosmart.net/blog/2006/reactos-the-next-
windows/](https://neosmart.net/blog/2006/reactos-the-next-windows/)

The roadmap has changed considerably since then, esp. as there were several
major setbacks and snafus pertaining to the legal status of some reverse
engineered components. However, neither the appeal nor the readiness of the OS
have really evolved much since then.

------
avis
Is Alex still heading reactos?

~~~
userulluipeste
If by Alex you mean Alexey, then yes!

------
gum_ina_package
These guys have been working at this for almost a decade (maybe longer), and
they finally got Office 2003 to work... year of the linux desktop cometh!

Guys, let's be honest here, even the "disastrous" Windows 8 in all of it's
horror has sold more copies than OS X has since the very first OS X shipped.

ReactOS isn't going to make any meaningful impact on the average computer
user's life.

~~~
yincrash
What does this have to do with Linux?

