| https://reactos.org | |
| Category | Operating System |
| Platform(s) | IA-32, x64-64, Xbox, ARM |
| Developer(s) | ReactOS Foundation |
| Source Model | Open Source |
| License | GNU Lesser General Public License |
| Status | Alpha |
| Latest Unstable Version | 0.4.15 |
History[]
Some time in 1996, a group called FreeWin95 was formed with the goal to implement an operating system that would be a free, Open Source clone of Windows 95. Unfortunately, like many such Open Source projects, stylistic differences inhibited FreeWin95's progress and it never accomplished its goal. By the end of 1997, when Windows 98 was released, FreeWin95 had burnt out.
It was around this time that Jason Filby became project coordinator and called on everyone still subscribed to the mailing list to revive the project. It was decided that the new target should be Windows NT, and that there would be an emphasis on results - on written code, rather than endless talk. The project was renamed ReactOS, since the roots of this new OS grew out of a dissatisfaction with Microsoft Corporation's monopoly over the operating system market. In February 1998, ReactOS officially began.
The first few years of ReactOS were painfully slow, despite the large amount of code that was being written. Only a few of the developers knew how to write kernel code. It was a time of only a few people writing the difficult kernel beginnings. Later, as the kernel became more complete and stable, and as basic drivers such as the IDE and Keyboard drivers were written, more people were able to get involved in the development.
ReactOS is written primarily in C, with some parts, such as the File Explorer, in C++ and some minor bits of assembly.
Development Goal[]
The main goal of the ReactOS project is to provide an operating system which is binary compatible with Windows.[1]
Current Status of ReactOS[]
The current version being worked on is 0.4.15. This version is still being developed. Current list of changes include major changes to the Memory Manager and Cache Controller to behave more like Windows, major work to x64, which is now able to boot to desktop, major work to USB and storage stack to allow USB booting and USB devices to work, and various other bugs fixed throughout the operating system.
System Requirements[]
Filesystem Support[]
ReactOS currently supports full read, write, and boot for Fat32, a.k.a FastFat, and WinBTRFS. Read and mount support exist for Ext2/3/4 and ReiserFS. NTFS currently has read, mount, and only partial write support.
ReactOS Ports[]
Various ports of ReactOS exist, that can run on different arcitectures. Listed are the ports currently known.