FreeWin95
ReactOS is an open source project to develop a quality operating system that is compatible with Windows NT and Windows 2000 applications and drivers.
Note: Currently in the alpha development stage.
Development
Around 1996, a group of open source developers started a project called FreeWin95, the aim of the project was to implement an operating system that would be a clone of Windows 95, the project however was stuck in discussions of the design of the system, and didn't show any progress.
At the end of 1997, the project still had no results, the project members called to revive the project, the project's target was changed to Windows NT, and the project's name was changed to ReactOS.
The ReactOS project began in February 1998, with developing the kernel and basic drivers, and new developers joined the project through out the years.
Functionality
As of 2004, ReactOS kernel is quite stable, many APIs are ready for a higher level of development, and a basic GUI is available.
ReactOS features ReactOS Explorer, which is a basic shell for ReactOS, it is similar to Windows Explorer, the shell is designed to look familiar for those who are used to Windows Explorer.
Version 0.2 of ReactOS is able to run many Win32 applications, including Notepad (a basic text editor), Regedit (the registry editor), Cmd (the commander interpreter), and several other applications and basic games.
Related Projects
ReactOS developers are working together with Wine developers so that the ReactOS project can benefit from Wine's progress in implementing the Win32 API.
These efforts mainly concern Wine's DLLs, most of these DLLs can be shared between ReactOS and Wine, several developers in both the WINE and ReactOS projects work on cross-compatibility issues between the two projects, so that the remaining few DLLs can be used in ReactOS.
Future
In the near Future, ReactOS developers are working on improving the GUI system, adding Java support, and compatibility with DOS and OS/2.
Hardware Requirements
Whether installing ReactOS on real hardware or on an emulator, it is important to know the minimum requirements to install and use ReactOS:
- 32MB RAM
- IDE hard disk
- FAT16/FAT32 boot partition
- VGA-compatible video card
- Standard keyboard
- PS/2 compatible mouse or Microsoft Mouse compatible serial mouse
See Also
External Links
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