ReactOS Releases 0.3.14

[Lucradia]

http://www.reactos.org/es/news_page_70.html

Remember that stuff about USB? Well, it's not in here it seems >_>

But, we have WiFi support now :P

[Version Dependency]

By the time this thing gets to a 1.0 release, there will be hardly any need for it.

[Lucradia]

By the time this thing gets to a 1.0 release, there will be hardly any need for it.

It's got NT 6.1 (Windows 7) Compatibility, just so you know. So unless we don't need windows by that time, we will need ReactOS :P

[aaaantoine]

Woo! WiFi support!

...Except only open and WEP (read: slightly less open) connections.

[|{urse]

I'm curious whether it's good for gaming yet.. I just may try it again since it's been a few years.

Anyone had luck with newer games?

*googles*

Edit: No directx or d3d wahwahwaaaah

I do like the idea of reactos though.

http://www.reactos.org/media/screenshots/2007/ros_033_halo.jpg

Okay downloading 0.3.14 :lol:

[drawkcab]

By the time this thing gets to a 1.0 release, there will be hardly any need for it.

^^^ This

[forrestcupp]

It's got NT 6.1 (Windows 7) Compatibility, just so you know. So unless we don't need windows by that time, we will need ReactOS :P

The way they're going with Windows 8, you just never know.

[grahammechanical]

I just downloaded the live CD iso and in trying it out it was just about to show a splash screen when it switched off the machine. Either that or the motherboard shut itself down. I had to toggle the little power switch on the back of the power supply to get power to the on/off switch on the case. Gave me a scare for a few moments.

Regards.

[asifnaz]

I wish React OS had more developers and thus more development pace . It could completely replace Windows .

I may join development with a couple of friends btw

[Lucradia]

I wish React OS had more developers and thus more development pace . It could completely replace Windows .

I may join development with a couple of friends btw

They always need more developers. Especially the free kind.

[|{urse]

Okayso, I tried it, it works (really really well too) Imagine if reactos (in a more mature state) teamed up with Ubuntu and released a multiOS DVD. Then users could safely blow away windows and I coud change my sig. :lol: It would be awesome if a larger community adopted this OS.

[Lucradia]

Okayso, I tried it, it works (really really well too) Imagine if reactos (in a more mature state) teamed up with Ubuntu and released a multiOS DVD. Then users could safely blow away windows and I coud change my sig. :lol: It would be awesome if a larger community adopted this OS.

Not sure if cygwin is actually being developed though. Honestly, I'd rather have ReactOS and that rather than a Virtual Machine that is integrated to the OS.

[ojdon]

Shame it's still too early to be able to USB install ReactOS. I'd love to give it a go on my Netbook.

[Lucradia]

Shame it's still too early to be able to USB install ReactOS. I'd love to give it a go on my Netbook.

Yeah, they said USB is still really buggy, even though the USB Branch can now install ReactOS to USB and programs from it.

[Slug71]

One thing i wish they would do is port Grub2 as the default bootloader, Use packagekit as its Update Manager and maybe use a repository system like Linux for software and possibly port over BTRFS.

I love the concept they have going and i think some commonality with Linux would be awesome. I really think it may help them too.

[Lucradia]

I love the concept they have going and i think some commonality with Linux would be awesome. I really think it may help them too.

It uses a Monolithic Reverse engineered kernel based off of Windows' Kernel. What commonalities are there?

[Slug71]

It uses a Monolithic Reverse engineered kernel based off of Windows' Kernel. What commonalities are there?

No i just mean commonalities in general.
Like having Firefox and possibly Thunderbird by default and not some hack of IE, Grub2 as the bootloader and Packagekit for updates.

If BTRFS could be ported then that would be awesome too though. I know there were talks of porting Ext2 over and has been mentioned before. So im assuming theres a possibility.......

[forrestcupp]

No i just mean commonalities in general.
Like having Firefox and possibly Thunderbird by default and not some hack of IE, Grub2 as the bootloader and Packagekit for updates.

If BTRFS could be ported then that would be awesome too though. I know there were talks of porting Ext2 over and has been mentioned before. So im assuming theres a possibility.......

But their point is to try to be like Windows, not Linux. The only thing they have in common with Linux is Wine.

[Slug71]

But their point is to try to be like Windows, not Linux. The only thing they have in common with Linux is Wine.

True, but i think they appeal more to the open source world and therefore have a bigger following here than with the average 'PC' user most of whom dont know the difference. Therefore think it would be nice to have some more collaboration.

[Dry Lips]

I'm thinking about the legal aspects of this. I've got the feeling that if they actually managed to create a stable and useful alternative to Windows, they would've been sued into oblivion by Microsoft.

[forrestcupp]

I'm thinking about the legal aspects of this. I've got the feeling that if they actually managed to create a stable and useful alternative to Windows, they would've been sued into oblivion by Microsoft.

People have been saying that for a long time, and they're still kicking. The closest thing that happened was the fiasco that came from an ex-Microsoft dev working on it, and they had to do a huge audit to prove they are really doing a clean room reverse engineering.

I think if they are keeping up with the safety measures they have taken after the audit, they will be fine. The only thing they could get hit with would be weak IP, and honestly, ReactOS looks enough different that it probably will be ok.

[Dry Lips]

People have been saying that for a long time, and they're still kicking. The closest thing that happened was the fiasco that came from an ex-Microsoft dev working on it, and they had to do a huge audit to prove they are really doing a clean room reverse engineering.

I think if they are keeping up with the safety measures they have taken after the audit, they will be fine. The only thing they could get hit with would be weak IP, and honestly, ReactOS looks enough different that it probably will be ok.

Don't get me wrong, I would personally like to see them succeed. But I'm thinking that the only reason why they haven't had any negative reaction from Microsoft, is that they're simply not seen as a threat to them.
If they actually had some success and people started using it, Microsoft would sue them, even if the ReactOS guys are doing a clean room reverse engineering. I'm sure Microsoft has plenty of patents that they could invoke and claim that ReactOS was infringing on. But right now they simply don't care enough about ReactOS to bother.

[Simian Man]

I can't help but think that the ReactOS developers are only keeping on out sheer bloody-mindedness. The time when this would have been useful is long since past and it's been clear for a while that they would never actually accomplish anything. There are operating systems that are well-designed, those that have great support, those that have interesting features, and those that are fun to use. ReactOS isn't any of those and never will be.

[Lucradia]

I can't help but think that the ReactOS developers are only keeping on out sheer bloody-mindedness. The time when this would have been useful is long since past and it's been clear for a while that they would never actually accomplish anything. There are operating systems that are well-designed, those that have great support, those that have interesting features, and those that are fun to use. ReactOS isn't any of those and never will be.

Again, until Windows becomes useless to everyone, we'll still need ReactOS. ReactOS is compatible with Windows 7 features, if said features are coded for the system. (IE: ReactOS has the capabilities of the base of Windows 7: NT 6.1, and this means if ReactOS Devs were to code Aero into ReactOS, it would work immediately, but this also means they have to work on ReactX, their Open-Source implementation of DirectX.)

Unlike WINE, ReactOS can install Windows drivers as well. WINE does not have a hardware abstraction layer; instead, calling on Linux's.

Edit: ReactOS can install themese now apparently, http://reactos.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=9646

[Simian Man]

Again, until Windows becomes useless to everyone, we'll still need ReactOS. ReactOS is compatible with Windows 7 features, if said features are coded for the system.

That would only be useful if it worked though. Can I install ReactOS on my machine, have the Nvidia drivers install, have Office 2010 install, connect to my Wifi, install Skyrim and have all of that work? Do you think that will *ever* work? They are chasing a moving target with little hope of ever catching up.

Running wine under Linux, for all of its problems, at least is usable.

[Lucradia]

Wifi works in ReactOS :V You just need to change it to WEP or Unsecured.

[kurt18947]

Don't get me wrong, I would personally like to see them succeed. But I'm thinking that the only reason why they haven't had any negative reaction from Microsoft, is that they're simply not seen as a threat to them.
If they actually had some success and people started using it, Microsoft would sue them, even if the ReactOS guys are doing a clean room reverse engineering. I'm sure Microsoft has plenty of patents that they could invoke and claim that ReactOS was infringing on. But right now they simply don't care enough about ReactOS to bother.

If ReactOS were to get to where MS perceived them as a threat, MS would likely engage in legal battles even if they knew they were likely to lose but would sap ReactOS meager resources in the process. Any ReactOS victories would likely be pyrrhic and/or too late to matter. Witness the Microsoft-Novell suite that went on for over a decade.

[Simian Man]

Wifi works in ReactOS :V You just need to change it to WEP or Unsecured.

So it would work as long as I don't use it with any of the WiFi networks around me? Great. In the unlikely event they create a usable product, they would be sued to oblivion like Kurt said.

[forrestcupp]

So it would work as long as I don't use it with any of the WiFi networks around me? Great. In the unlikely event they create a usable product, they would be sued to oblivion like Kurt said.

Even if you're right, it doesn't change the fact that it is an interesting project. Some people would argue that Linux is unusable in certain situations.

[kaldor]

I've been messing around with it. It's the first time that it's actually worked for me, but I'm not really impressed at all. It's a really cool idea, and it might be a good learning tool.

But realistically, it's massively lacking. Even simple stuff which shouldn't be. The entire UI on the file browser is 100% useless because none of the buttons actually do anything.

Give it a couple of years and it might be the perfect OS for me to use on older PCs for some older games(if drivers work). It's a pretty lightweight OS.

[Simian Man]

Even if you're right, it doesn't change the fact that it is an interesting project. Some people would argue that Linux is unusable in certain situations.

But it's not an interesting project. Plan 9 was an interesting project. Haiku is an interesting project. ReactOS isn't interesting from a research perspective, because they are just re-implementing established ideas (some of them bad). And it's not interesting from a user perspective, since it's unlikely to ever be usable.

[forrestcupp]

But it's not an interesting project. Plan 9 was an interesting project. Haiku is an interesting project. ReactOS isn't interesting from a research perspective, because they are just re-implementing established ideas (some of them bad). And it's not interesting from a user perspective, since it's unlikely to ever be usable.

That's your opinion. I've always found cleanroom reverse engineering pretty interesting.

[Lucradia]

I've been messing around with it. It's the first time that it's actually worked for me, but I'm not really impressed at all. It's a really cool idea, and it might be a good learning tool.

But realistically, it's massively lacking. Even simple stuff which shouldn't be. The entire UI on the file browser is 100% useless because none of the buttons actually do anything.

Give it a couple of years and it might be the perfect OS for me to use on older PCs for some older games(if drivers work). It's a pretty lightweight OS.

You know, if you were a coder, I'd probably tell you "If you want it not to lack massively, go code for it."

Edit: looks like they're going to Cmake from here on: https://twitter.com/#!/reactos/status/168124405371764736

[|{urse]

That's your opinion. I've always found cleanroom reverse engineering pretty interesting.

Facting opinions is a dangerous game fraught with dangerous danger.

I think (after using reactOS for a few days) that I may just hunt down whoever's responsible for this OS and say thanks for a job half-done (and offer to help however I can, of course) :D