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ReactOS is a free and open source implementation of the Windows NT architecture, which intends to provide support for existing applications and drivers, outside of the control of Microsoft.
The release of ReactOS 0.4 brings improved file system support, including native, out-of-the-box support for ext2, ext3, and ext4, as well as read-only support for NTFS.
Additionally, the bundled version of UniATA was updated to add better support for SATA and PATA devices. Support was generally improved for third-party device drivers, making it substantially easier to install and use real hardware, as opposed to just virtual machines like VirtualBox.
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Release of ReactOS 0.4 Brings Open Source Windows Closer to Reality
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The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
You are dishonest, but never to the point of hurting a friend.
(Score: 2) by VLM on Wednesday February 17 2016, @08:17PM
I'm surprised that ten minutes of google searching and I can't find a compatibility list.
No I'm not demanding support or demanding a volunteer make one.
I'm just surprised, I can't possibly be the first person to think of this.
With absolutely nothing as a guide, I'm curious what works. Maybe thats the secret to lure people in, get them to try it... don't tell no one nothin' and they'll uncontrollably have to try it.
Personally I'd be interested in weird hardware support. Obscure software that programs radios by directly flipping parallel port hardware bits. Obscure software that programs eproms by doing unthinkable undocumented things over a USB port. Stuff like that.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 17 2016, @08:23PM
http://appdb.winehq.org/ [winehq.org]
If you like, think of ReactOS as a kernel for Wine.
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Wednesday February 17 2016, @08:40PM
He means hardware support, not software support.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 17 2016, @08:47PM
Works with nothing. It said read-only support for NTFS - enough said.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 17 2016, @08:51PM
And full read-write support for ext* filesystems. You only care about NTFS if you've already got a windows partition on the system.
(Score: 2) by maxwell demon on Wednesday February 17 2016, @09:30PM
Or if you want to access an NTFS-formatted external disk.
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 3, Touché) by fido_dogstoyevsky on Wednesday February 17 2016, @10:17PM
You only care about NTFS if you've already got a windows partition on the system.
Or if you want to access an NTFS-formatted external disk
...that you haven't yet gotten around to reformatting as ext4 :)
It's NOT a conspiracy... it's a plot.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 18 2016, @04:05AM
Yeah most of us want the filesystem not to corrupt itself.
(Score: 2) by maxwell demon on Thursday February 18 2016, @05:08AM
Some people could get angry if you reformatted their external disk to a file system their operating system cannot read. ;-)
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 2) by fido_dogstoyevsky on Thursday February 18 2016, @06:59AM
Some people could get angry if you reformatted their external disk to a file system their operating system cannot read. ;-)
But... but... the instructions said windows 7 or better, so surely changing their operating system is doing them a favour?
It's NOT a conspiracy... it's a plot.
(Score: 1) by Arik on Thursday February 18 2016, @10:44AM
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 17 2016, @09:03PM
Hardware support is going to be critical. A lot of the people who are still using XP or have to use a specific version of Windows do so because of hardware required for the software they run, things like X-ray units in dentist offices or specialized servers for CNC program files in machine shops. Over the years I've encountered literally dozens of situations where the only thing keeping a client on Windows was because the application AND hardware they had to use would only work on Windows. They really wanted to get off Windows but since they had to have Windows for the specialized software they didn't see the point in having to have two computers around where one would do the job just as well.
If ReactOS can use drivers for proprietary hardware that were written for Windows then it really has a chance to capture those users, if not you can forget about it.
As someone else pointed out ReactOS has been in development for 12 years and they are still in beta, at best. During that time WINE has evolved to the point it can handle a lot of, formally, Windows only software. Not all of it and not perfectly, but the list of supported software is large and growing. The only real stumbling for WINE is the hardware support.
(Score: 2) by Post-Nihilist on Wednesday February 17 2016, @09:52PM
ReactOS use mainline Wine for userland since 2009. So all that WINE maturation has also benefited ReactOS
Be like us, be different, be a nihilist!!!
(Score: 3, Informative) by Gravis on Wednesday February 17 2016, @10:41PM
I'm surprised that ten minutes of google searching and I can't find a compatibility list.
maybe you just suck at internet. https://www.reactos.org/wiki/PC_ROS_Rigs [reactos.org]
(Score: 2) by VLM on Thursday February 18 2016, @01:43PM
Close; something like this
https://www.reactos.org/wiki/Games_ROS_Testing [reactos.org]
But not for games.
(Score: 2) by Gravis on Thursday February 18 2016, @02:54PM
wait, you want a software compatibility list?! not terribly difficult to find but out of date. https://www.reactos.org/wiki/Testing_Central [reactos.org]
(Score: 2) by VLM on Friday February 19 2016, @01:14PM
Ugh, look at that name. You can tell its a microsoft emulator. Right out of the same ecosystem that thinks "Excel" is the first word that comes to mind when you're looking for a spreadsheet program.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Freeman on Wednesday February 17 2016, @11:56PM
"As ReactOS is still in alpha stage development, we encourage would-be testers to first try it out on a virtual machine before taking the plunge with real hardware. Of course regardless of whether you do a physical or virtual install there are some basic requirements to keep in mind.
x86 processor, Pentium-class or newer
96MB of RAM, 256MB recommended
650MB of free space minimum, 5GB+ recommended if you intend to do testing
VGA compatible graphics card, VESA BIOS 2.0+
For virtual machines, the team recommends the following." Virtual Box, VMWare, and Qemu are the recommended virtual machines. https://reactos.org/installing-reactos [reactos.org]
The requirements are pretty low. Compatibility at this point may also be pretty low, because it's in Alpha. While they have made a good deal of progress, they are far from finished. This is as close to a "compatibility list" software wise as they have https://reactos.org/gallery [reactos.org] The original post on the reactos site which was linked to on the first comment lists what has been introduced. Basic things like USB Support. A fairly notable lack of compatibility is the fact that NTFS support is Read Only. I've kept one eye on ReactOS for a while, but they're still not quite there on Basic things. So, check back in a year or two. This is an Alpha level Operating System that's pretty much trying to do the same thing that FreeDOS did, but for Windows. It's going to take a while and so long as they keep at it I'm sure they'll get there eventually.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Thursday February 18 2016, @12:03AM
Looking at a post above mine I was able to find this link too: https://www.reactos.org/wiki/Supported_Hardware [reactos.org]
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by Joe Desertrat on Thursday February 18 2016, @02:14AM
This is an Alpha level Operating System that's pretty much trying to do the same thing that FreeDOS did, but for Windows.
I took a very brief look at it several years ago. Now admittedly I did not expend any great effort, but all I was able to bring up was a DOS prompt.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Thursday February 18 2016, @11:12PM
I have successfully booted ReactOS into a Windows like environment many times. Though, most of the time I use Virtual Box. I'm waiting for it to hit Beta, before I really start to mess with it. Alpha Open Source = Test this for us, it's broken, we know it, and could you fix some stuff for us while you're at it? Beta Open Source = Test this for us, let us know if you find something broken, and enjoy. Release Open Source = We've let you beat our software with a stick and it seems we've fixed all the bugs; Enjoy.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 18 2016, @12:51AM
There is a list on the project's wiki:
https://www.reactos.org/wiki/Supported_Hardware [reactos.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 18 2016, @12:57AM
RTFT fail on my part, sorry for the redundant post.