ReactOS has just released version 0.3.0 RC2 of their open source Microsoft Windows-compatible operating system. They are also now 94% finished with the code audit.
ReactOS v0.3.0 RC2 Released
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Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
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Finally, a FOSS operating system for everyone!
Well, we already have that! But I, too, want ReactOS to do well, and I’m eager to try out v0.3.0. (I think I’ll skip the RCs).
I will say.. ReactOS is really doing a fantastic job.. They’re working really hard. I haven’t tried it yet.. But like kenJackson said, I will wait for 0.3.0. And hopefully it will one day be as good as or better than windows 2000
See how it stacks up against the “real thing”
I’m following this project closely and am excited about the new release. Of course, it’s nowhere near ready for everyday use, which is why it’s great they’re providing WMware images for testing purposes.
If I would be able to wirte C++ and other programming languages, this would be the first project I wanted to help. But unfortunatly I can’t. So I hope this project will be the future for very very much PC Users.
They probably need people to write documentation, do testing. Write and offer. You never know. Agreed about its being worthwhile. It could really make a difference.
I agree with your statement that there is a job for everyone when it come to FOSS.
web site maintenance, documentation, support are three ways every user can contribute back.
Some of the jobs that come to mind are, spell checking and use of proper English.. there are a large number of hackers from non English speaking countries tho most projects use English as there primary language.
You can join a discussion list and see what the most FAQ’s are.. and then write a new or keep there FAQ up to date. do spelling and grammar checks on technical documentation.
There is always a need for more people to help with support on IRC or discussion list. If you know something and some one else doesn’t then you can indeed help…
-Tom
“If I would be able to wirte C++ and other programming languages, this would be the first project I wanted to help. But unfortunatly I can’t. So I hope this project will be the future for very very much PC Users.”
As they say, no matter whether you thing you can or you think you can’t, you’re right. You don’t need any fancy education to learn to program. If you buy a few used texts on Amazon and fill in the rest with Google, you can teach yourself anything for less than $100.
Hoping and wishing is for suckers. I’ve always found that _doing_ is the only way to (reliably) affect the future.
Really looking forward to trying the final 0.3.0– I just hope Microsoft doesn’t swoop in with lawyers citing patents and shut the project down ;(
Or start altering Windows so that it’s incompatible with this. A lot of people felt that the Win32s (32bit extensions for old 16 bit Windows) implimentation was changed simply so that it wouldn’t work under OS/2 anymore.
Did you miss an emoticon, or did you mean to suggest something so blatantly absurd?
If I understand it, you are suggesting that Microsoft – with an installed base of a gazillion corporate customers largely demanding backwards compatibility – would see this amateur effort as a threat and react by breaking the compatibility their customers demand?
Jeez.
I wish these guys well, but it has to be seen as ‘because they can’. Or at least ‘because they can try’.
Will anyone ever use it to run SQLServer or Exchange? Will it ever be supported to run the JVM or .net CLR? Will it ever run the latest games?
I don’t think so. Microsoft will, surely, evolve Windows and continue to pile on more and more bloat, but that’s not driven by a need to differentiate from Reactos.
What it *is* driven by is hard to tell. Remember when Windows was a treadmill of frequent service packs and the customers said ‘slow down’? Now we have extended periods of moribund stability and the press are howling because Vista isn’t out. I’m not sure corporate IT departments have quite the same agenda, though.
James
Did you miss an emoticon, or did you mean to suggest something so blatantly absurd?
If I understand it, you are suggesting that Microsoft – with an installed base of a gazillion corporate customers largely demanding backwards compatibility – would see this amateur effort as a threat and react by breaking the compatibility their customers demand?
Jeez.
Not like they haven’t done it before. Here’s how it works :
– MS implements new undocumented API.
– roll out in a fix or service pack
– older parts of API start making calls to new part in some obscure cases causing strange unpredictable errors in emulation software.
– emulation layers are deemed “unpredictable” and “faulty”
Result : competitors are hindered and everything still works on Windows.
I have an old Gateway laptop, 500Mhz, 96Meg RAM, and I want to set it up for my son (3) to play some games on — how well would this do for that? Since most of the games are older I’d assume it’d be ok. Once he’s a little older (4) I’m buying him an older iMac (500-600Mhz) like I did for his sister (6), that’s one hell of a bang for your buck machine.
Anyway, I’ve run React within VMware before and was amazed at it, now with this old laptop I assume React would be *more secure* than running Win98/ME on it, which I assume would be the best, speed wise on that ‘top.
Advice?
I’d be kind of surprised if it can run those types of games, but if you already have them, why not try them your VMWare setup? If they do, I’m sure they’d like the feedback of what other programs work.
You can see, and submit, programs that are known to work via this link:
http://www.reactos.org/support/