5 ms·

I don't think you're looking at the project the right way. Think about it like FreeDOS. FreeDOS facilitates running DOS software on modern hardware, and by its

by Legion 13y ago

I don't think you're looking at the project the right way. Think about it like FreeDOS. FreeDOS facilitates running DOS software on modern hardware, and by its open nature, it can continue to evolve and make DOS software runnable on the next generation of hardware. Think about 10, 15, 20 years from now, and all that software written for XP. That is where ReactOS comes in. A sustainable, maintainable platform for running XP-era software on hardware systems yet to come. At least, that's how I see the project, as someone who is neither involved nor a close follower of it.

nnq 13y ago
If you'll need XP-era software in the future, you'll just run it inside a Win XP VM. Same for DOS software. Same for any software who will outlive its initial host (open-source or not) and will not be very simple to tweak and recompile (even if you could tweak and recompile it, you might choose to just run a damn VM anyway out of pure laziness or for cost/time savings...)
- Drakim 13y ago
  I think a Win XP VM could solve most people's needs, but personally I think it's fantastic that we will have several different solutions such as ReactOS, Wine, and VMs. Eventually you will run into something that won't work on your preferred solution. It's also nice that they work on different levels. Wine let you run an legacy app on your regular OS, while a VM would give you the entire operating system to fiddle with.
- straight_talk_2 13y ago
  Most people won't be able to legally run XP VMs once the XP activation servers go down.
- EvanAnderson 13y ago
  That's where something like ReactOS fits in. Right now you can legally use a DOS VM running, say, FreeDOS (or an emulator, like DOSBox). There's no freely-available Windows XP equivalent. Sure, sure-- you can run Windows XP illegally w/ a volume license product key (to skirt product activation w/o modifying the product) but that's not a solution that "works" in many cases. It's technically very easy to run a Windows XP VM-- it's very challenging, legally.
  - TomJoad 13y ago
    If you are running Windows 7, you can run XP legally for free: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/958559 http://support.microsoft.com/kb/958559
superuser2 13y ago
Why is that a good thing for the world? Serious question. Why should we enable businesses that don't want to develop modern software? Doesn't this hold back the world in terms of productivity and software quality?
- bussiere 13y ago
  just for gaming history it's worth it. Freedos allow me to play some of my old games. And there was a lot of good games on windows xp, so i hope that people could still play them.
- sigstoat 13y ago
  as an example: scientific instrumentation manufacturers are rather bad about keeping their software up to date, and some of them are good about making instruments that will run for decades. it is hardly anything-friendly to toss a working, expensive instrument because you can't buy a computer that will run ancient-OS-whatever anymore, or they EOL'd the OS and you can't get patches, etc. there isn't enough diversity/competition/whatever in the market to shop for instruments on the basis of software quality. sadly.
  - raverbashing 13y ago
    Yes This is a huge pet peeve of mine. Most equipment is "Windows based" today It is "ok" if it's fully built-in, still vulnerable to network/USB exploits, though. The main issue is when it's a USB/PCI device, and then you have to provide the computer to run it, and of course, there's probably not going to be support for the next versions. This is usually equipment costing 5 to 6 digits
- mixmastamyk 13y ago
  It's just as likely a can't rather than want. I can see some value allowing old software to continue to be useful, even for just data export purposes. There's little other creative or "intellectual property" that becomes non-functional after only ten years. Compared to, say, movies or photography.
- wvenable 13y ago
Eleanor_Erwin 13y ago
my neighbor's sister-in-law makes $81/hr on the laptop. She has been out of a job for 5 months but last month her payment was $19483 just working on the laptop for a few hours. Get the facts..... http://7.ly/6gn http://7.ly/6gn
cookiecaper 13y ago
The thing is that the WINE project currently does and will continue to provide the userspace logic to allow this. ReactOS is a heavy user of WINE, and differentiates itself in that they are recreating the most basic components of Windows, including the kernel in hopes of getting a binary-compatible driver layer. Long-term compatibility will be provided by the WINE project. ReactOS is only necessary if you need to run Windows-specific drivers, and I don't see that being useful in 10, 15, or 20 years. We have other systems that can provide kernels, driver, and other low-level interfaces (like a basic shell) and depend on WINE in userspace to preserve compatibility.
- tracker1 13y ago
  I believe that ReactOS relies on large portions of WINE for support, and simply provide the base platform and windows desktop bits.
  - M2Ys4U 13y ago
    I believe that code (and ideas) flow both ways between the WINE project and ReactOS
hrktb 13y ago
It wouldn't be as efficient, but wouldn't virtualization solve this problem in a cleaner and more maintainable way ?
- archangel_one 13y ago
  No. It allows you to run Windows-in-Linux, but you're still relying on non-Free software.
  - hrktb 13y ago
    Isn't virtualbox GPL ? For the non Free part of running windows, if your goal is to run windows only legacy software, chances are it's not Free as well.
    - Piskvorrr 13y ago
      Good point - but seems better to me to run a single specific, non-free app (which may or may not depend on the manufacturer's servers to function), than to add another non-free dependency to it (i.e. XP), which definitely _does_ require manufacturer's permission (i.e. activation servers) to function normally.
    - archangel_one 13y ago
      Yes, but you'd have to install Windows onto that, and it's not.
pippy 13y ago
I could see a huge market for Amazon or Google to step in and provide cloud based Legacy systems for large corporate clients. ReactOS could provide a nice foundation for that.

by Legion 13y ago

nnq 13y ago

If you'll need XP-era software in the future, you'll just run it inside a Win XP VM. Same for DOS software. Same for any software who will outlive its initial host (open-source or not) and will not be very simple to tweak and recompile (even if you could tweak and recompile it, you might choose to just run a damn VM anyway out of pure laziness or for cost/time savings...)

Drakim 13y ago
I think a Win XP VM could solve most people's needs, but personally I think it's fantastic that we will have several different solutions such as ReactOS, Wine, and VMs. Eventually you will run into something that won't work on your preferred solution. It's also nice that they work on different levels. Wine let you run an legacy app on your regular OS, while a VM would give you the entire operating system to fiddle with.
straight_talk_2 13y ago
Most people won't be able to legally run XP VMs once the XP activation servers go down.
EvanAnderson 13y ago
That's where something like ReactOS fits in. Right now you can legally use a DOS VM running, say, FreeDOS (or an emulator, like DOSBox). There's no freely-available Windows XP equivalent. Sure, sure-- you can run Windows XP illegally w/ a volume license product key (to skirt product activation w/o modifying the product) but that's not a solution that "works" in many cases. It's technically very easy to run a Windows XP VM-- it's very challenging, legally.
- TomJoad 13y ago
  If you are running Windows 7, you can run XP legally for free: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/958559 http://support.microsoft.com/kb/958559

superuser2 13y ago

Why is that a good thing for the world? Serious question. Why should we enable businesses that don't want to develop modern software? Doesn't this hold back the world in terms of productivity and software quality?

bussiere 13y ago
just for gaming history it's worth it. Freedos allow me to play some of my old games. And there was a lot of good games on windows xp, so i hope that people could still play them.
sigstoat 13y ago
as an example: scientific instrumentation manufacturers are rather bad about keeping their software up to date, and some of them are good about making instruments that will run for decades. it is hardly anything-friendly to toss a working, expensive instrument because you can't buy a computer that will run ancient-OS-whatever anymore, or they EOL'd the OS and you can't get patches, etc. there isn't enough diversity/competition/whatever in the market to shop for instruments on the basis of software quality. sadly.
- raverbashing 13y ago
  Yes This is a huge pet peeve of mine. Most equipment is "Windows based" today It is "ok" if it's fully built-in, still vulnerable to network/USB exploits, though. The main issue is when it's a USB/PCI device, and then you have to provide the computer to run it, and of course, there's probably not going to be support for the next versions. This is usually equipment costing 5 to 6 digits
mixmastamyk 13y ago
It's just as likely a can't rather than want. I can see some value allowing old software to continue to be useful, even for just data export purposes. There's little other creative or "intellectual property" that becomes non-functional after only ten years. Compared to, say, movies or photography.
wvenable 13y ago

Eleanor_Erwin 13y ago

my neighbor's sister-in-law makes $81/hr on the laptop. She has been out of a job for 5 months but last month her payment was $19483 just working on the laptop for a few hours. Get the facts..... http://7.ly/6gn http://7.ly/6gn

cookiecaper 13y ago

The thing is that the WINE project currently does and will continue to provide the userspace logic to allow this. ReactOS is a heavy user of WINE, and differentiates itself in that they are recreating the most basic components of Windows, including the kernel in hopes of getting a binary-compatible driver layer. Long-term compatibility will be provided by the WINE project. ReactOS is only necessary if you need to run Windows-specific drivers, and I don't see that being useful in 10, 15, or 20 years. We have other systems that can provide kernels, driver, and other low-level interfaces (like a basic shell) and depend on WINE in userspace to preserve compatibility.

tracker1 13y ago
I believe that ReactOS relies on large portions of WINE for support, and simply provide the base platform and windows desktop bits.
- M2Ys4U 13y ago
  I believe that code (and ideas) flow both ways between the WINE project and ReactOS

hrktb 13y ago

It wouldn't be as efficient, but wouldn't virtualization solve this problem in a cleaner and more maintainable way ?

archangel_one 13y ago
No. It allows you to run Windows-in-Linux, but you're still relying on non-Free software.
- hrktb 13y ago
  Isn't virtualbox GPL ? For the non Free part of running windows, if your goal is to run windows only legacy software, chances are it's not Free as well.
  - Piskvorrr 13y ago
    Good point - but seems better to me to run a single specific, non-free app (which may or may not depend on the manufacturer's servers to function), than to add another non-free dependency to it (i.e. XP), which definitely _does_ require manufacturer's permission (i.e. activation servers) to function normally.
  - archangel_one 13y ago
    Yes, but you'd have to install Windows onto that, and it's not.

pippy 13y ago

I could see a huge market for Amazon or Google to step in and provide cloud based Legacy systems for large corporate clients. ReactOS could provide a nice foundation for that.