ReactOS just released version 0.3.0 RC3 of their Windows compatible operating system. Their code audit is now 94.3% complete. You can get it from their download page.
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Member since:2006-04-17
No way would it replace Linux+Samba as a fileserver /
AD server.
Look at the amount of resources being poured into Linux,
and the amount of work required in samba to implement a
compatible server.
No, a reimplemented NT really has no use in the server
space. As a client there should definitely be a niche,
though. Although I'll wager MS will step up efforts to
hamper this kind of thing like they do successfully with
AD/CIFS against samba.
Look at vista, with increasing requirements for HW 3d
acceleration. Now consider that 3d drivers are closed
source, and that both nv and ati completely closed up
sources and specs after getting xbox contracts.
Member since:2006-01-27
Granted at this time it is not suitable to replace anything including a server. However, once we get closer to 1.0 we will be able to run all samba tools. We already can run file and printing client samba tools and will soon (starting in 0.3.1) be including samba-tng command line tools in all our releases.
Member since:2005-12-19
Look at vista, with increasing requirements for HW 3d
acceleration. Now consider that 3d drivers are closed
source, and that both nv and ati completely closed up
sources and specs after getting xbox contracts.
I thought one of the main points of React is binary compatibility with 2000/XP drivers. I don't see nVidia and ATI dropping support for 2000 and XP until LONG after Vista has been out. But it would be nice for stability if the majority of React drivers are open source ports from Linux.
Member since:2006-01-16
There are people out there that would rather spend the 500 euros for Windows Server 2003 before going with Linux as a file server because they don't want to have to learn "another operating system". So just because Linux can do the job doesn't mean people will automatically look at it.
About a reimplementation of NT having no use in the server space, well I disagree. Dave Cutler know what he was doing and NT has everything a good server OS needs, MS has just made some really bad decisions about where to go from the original design. From what I can tell Reactos has all those good features and with some effort somebody could make a really good server distro based on Reactos.
Member since:2006-04-21
You're right, however IBM is not the overbearing, dominating beast it once was. Whilst I would dearly love to see Microsoft disappear forever tomorrow (as long as no actual deaths were involved, of course), I'd consider it a job well done if it were run out of the server market completely and had its desktop marketshare (in markets where its current marketshare is over 90%) reduced to 50%. That is much more doable.
Member since:2005-07-24
Member since:2005-07-18
Nobody is going to liberate us from Microsoft. They are so entrenched there is just no way they are going away.
I hadn't really thought of it in quite those terms. But what a thought!
I'm not so sure that liberation isn't possible. The one thing that GNU/Linux doesn't offer (and definitely doesn't want to offer) is a be a "works just like Windows" replacement for Windows. If ReactOS can ever get to the point where 99% of Windows applications run with no significant hickups, I am sure they will capture a fair percentage of Windows users, even if they offer nothing special extra. (And we know that security will be better, so there is a built-in extra already.)
There are plenty of people that really want to switch to an alternative OS, but are afraid, or think they don't have the time to learn to use it. But if they know they already have all the skills they need, the biggest roadblock to switching is removed.
Member since:2006-07-04
I totally agree with you here.
I am one of those people, i have Ubuntu installed but there are so many things that keep anoying and scaring me about it, from a not so simple file structure (etc, root, usr, local etc etc etc) to little things here and there.
If reactos works, they have a user in me.
Member since:2005-07-06
... People seem to forget that if/once ReactOS runs 99% of all Windows programs without a hiccup, Linux (and BSD) will also be able match this number (Or come very close to it) as both work on the Wine project.
EDIT: Strike that, seems that Wine and ReactOS don't get along too well lately.
Edited 2006-08-23 09:40
Member since:
2006-01-16
Nobody is going to liberate us from Microsoft. They are so entrenched there is just no way they are going away. Look at IBM, it was "The Evil Empire" once, MS pulled some of its teeth but couldn't kill it.
What interests me more is what niche will Reactos use to get into the enterprise? With Linux it was LAMP and similar web server setups. My best guess is file server of some sort.