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So I've heard the name ReactOS several times on here but never really been drawn in by the posts about it. Can someone explain why they would use it over Window

by coltonv 11y ago

So I've heard the name ReactOS several times on here but never really been drawn in by the posts about it. Can someone explain why they would use it over Windows/their preferred Linux distro? i ask out of curiosity not criticism. it seems like a cool project so I'm wondering it's benefits over existing OSes.

pavlov 11y ago
It's a binary-compatible Windows clone. If you don't need to run Win32 binaries, you probably don't want ReactOS.
TazeTSchnitzel 11y ago
It's free, it's open-source, it's Windows-like, and it can run Windows applications. It's very lightweight and has a live CD.
- alkonaut 11y ago
  Those are all good of course, but how long before it is significantly better (faster, more compatible, easier) than e.g. doing the same with Wine? is it already?
  - cookiecaper 11y ago
    It doesn't do the same thing. ReactOS is a full reimplementation, including the Windows kernel. You can boot your system with it. One of the main goals is to provide for the loading of Windows drivers. ReactOS and WINE share code for userspace to the extent possible.
    - alkonaut 11y ago
      I see. Is the reason it wants to use Windows drivers that it hopes to get better performance in comparison to Wine or VMs?
      - userulluipeste 11y ago
        The hardware vendors used to pour more effort into the Windows drivers than into the other ones. (I think it's not about being unfair or against FSF ideology, it was just that the market so far was still heavily in the Windows' courtyard, so they were kind of forced to give in and have the other platforms only on lower priority.)
      - ConceptJunkie 11y ago
        I would think a big reason is that the version of Windows that ReactOS is based on hasn't been supported in about a decade or more, and there are people who could be perfectly-well served by it. Windows' biggest competitor in the past decade or more has always been the previous version of Windows. The early versions of NT were incredibly stable and did a great job while using 1/100th of the memory and disk space of what Windows requires now.
  - magpi3 11y ago
    ReactOS uses some of WINE's code: http://www.reactos.org/wiki/WINE http://www.reactos.org/wiki/WINE
cookiecaper 11y ago
ReactOS is an open-source attempt to re-implement Windows. As far as I know, no one uses it in production. I know the ability to load Windows drivers has been one of their primary goals over something like WINE, which only addresses userspace (and which ReactOS leverages).

by coltonv 11y ago

pavlov 11y ago

It's a binary-compatible Windows clone. If you don't need to run Win32 binaries, you probably don't want ReactOS.

TazeTSchnitzel 11y ago

It's free, it's open-source, it's Windows-like, and it can run Windows applications. It's very lightweight and has a live CD.

alkonaut 11y ago
Those are all good of course, but how long before it is significantly better (faster, more compatible, easier) than e.g. doing the same with Wine? is it already?
- cookiecaper 11y ago
  It doesn't do the same thing. ReactOS is a full reimplementation, including the Windows kernel. You can boot your system with it. One of the main goals is to provide for the loading of Windows drivers. ReactOS and WINE share code for userspace to the extent possible.
  - alkonaut 11y ago
    I see. Is the reason it wants to use Windows drivers that it hopes to get better performance in comparison to Wine or VMs?
    - userulluipeste 11y ago
      The hardware vendors used to pour more effort into the Windows drivers than into the other ones. (I think it's not about being unfair or against FSF ideology, it was just that the market so far was still heavily in the Windows' courtyard, so they were kind of forced to give in and have the other platforms only on lower priority.)
    - ConceptJunkie 11y ago
      I would think a big reason is that the version of Windows that ReactOS is based on hasn't been supported in about a decade or more, and there are people who could be perfectly-well served by it. Windows' biggest competitor in the past decade or more has always been the previous version of Windows. The early versions of NT were incredibly stable and did a great job while using 1/100th of the memory and disk space of what Windows requires now.
- magpi3 11y ago
  ReactOS uses some of WINE's code: http://www.reactos.org/wiki/WINE http://www.reactos.org/wiki/WINE

cookiecaper 11y ago

ReactOS is an open-source attempt to re-implement Windows. As far as I know, no one uses it in production. I know the ability to load Windows drivers has been one of their primary goals over something like WINE, which only addresses userspace (and which ReactOS leverages).