Linked by Thom Holwerda on Mon 18th Jan 2010 16:06 UTC, submitted by fireball
The ReactOS project aims to be an open source Windows NT-compatible operating system which can run Windows applications and utilise Windows drivers. Obviously, this is quite a daunting task, and as such, progress has been relatively slow. As a result, project coordinator and kernel developer Aleksey Bragin has proposed a rather drastic solution.
Thread beginning with comment 404631
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
RE: So does this run on top of Linux?
by Thom_Holwerda on Mon 18th Jan 2010 16:58
in reply to "So does this run on top of Linux?"
Member since:2005-06-29
RE[2]: So does this run on top of Linux?
by n.l.o on Mon 18th Jan 2010 17:16
in reply to "RE: So does this run on top of Linux?"
Member since:2009-09-14
RE[2]: So does this run on top of Linux?
by joshv on Mon 18th Jan 2010 19:38
in reply to "RE: So does this run on top of Linux?"
RE: So does this run on top of Linux?
by Laurence on Mon 18th Jan 2010 17:27
in reply to "So does this run on top of Linux?"
Member since:2007-03-26
Wine basically converts Win32 into Linux system calls, but I didn't see Linux in the architectural diagram. I am guessing though there has to be a Linux kernel underneath it all.
So what this amounts to is that emulating the internals of the modern Win32 OS is a lost cause. Whereas emulating the Win 32 API on top of another OS (Linux) is a proven approach that supports something like 13k windows apps.
I think you're getting a little confused there.
ReactOS is a complete OS from the ground up. The problem Aleksey Bragin mentioned was specifically with ReactOS's implementation of it's Win32 calls.
So what Aleksey Bragin is suggesting is by using WINEs Win32 code (baring in mind that WINE has a larger and more complete development) in place of the existing ReactOS Win32 so you have WINEs app compatibility.
So it doesn't really matter what kernel is running as this is purely user space tools.
(case in point being the numerous non-Linux kernel systems that WINEs been ported to: from *BSD and Solaris ports to 'Crossover' for the Mac).
The only problem I can see is that you lose driver support. You can't just install your win32 drivers for your hardware in ReactOS and expect it to work.
AFAIK drivers wouldn't use Win32. Win32 isn't generally used that low-level. It's more a graphical toolkit with knobs on.
That said - it's been a while since I've used Win32 so I maybe forgetting some details.
However Aleksey Bragin seems to hint that drivers were a non-issue:
ARWINSS has many advantages, not in the least the fact that it would bring Wine's level of application support to ReactOS: 13495 applications from the Win database, as well as a theoretical number of applications Wine can't run due to hardware issues.
RE[2]: So does this run on top of Linux?
by joshv on Mon 18th Jan 2010 18:21
in reply to "RE: So does this run on top of Linux?"
Member since:2006-03-18
RE: So does this run on top of Linux?
by phoenix on Mon 18th Jan 2010 18:26
in reply to "So does this run on top of Linux?"
Member since:2005-07-11
A simplification that should make things more understandable:
ReactOS is a re-implementation of the Windows NT kernel, and the Windows NT userland, with the hopes of having a Windows-compatible OS, without any Windows code being used.
WINE is a re-implementation of the Windows userland (the win32 APIs) that allows Windows applications to run on non-Windows OSes.
The ReactOS project has decided to use WINE as their userland leading to: Windows applications running on top of WINE running on top of the ReactOS kernel.
RE[2]: So does this run on top of Linux?
by joshv on Mon 18th Jan 2010 19:01
in reply to "RE: So does this run on top of Linux?"
Member since:2006-03-18
I guess my confusion was that I thought ReactOS was basically already doing what this announcement proposes to implement. But I guess they'd started out with their own Win32 user land and hacked in Wine code on an ad hoc basis.
But this brings up the question - why not go further? What's the benefit of having your own custom NT-like kernel if the Wine Win32 API runs just fine on top of the Linux kernel? I guess you couldn't run Windows drivers for your hardware - but if, as the announcement states, all anybody cares about is apps - who cares? And doesn't their windows driver model implementation pretty much suck anyways?
Perhaps this will just allow them to focus on hardware driver support and kernel tweaking, and leave the userland stuff mostly to Wine.
News
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/18/13 17:45 UTC
"I can't find one person who has been using the Nexus 7 for an extended period of time, and hasn't seen a massive downgrade in performance. Just what kind of downgrade are we talking here? I cannot pick up my Nexus 7 without experiencing problems like a lag of ten seconds, or more, just to rotate the display; touches refusing to acknowledged; stuttering notification panel actions; and unresponsive apps." Fully and utterly agreed. My Nexus 7 was blazing-fast and awesome for a few months, and at some point, it just started sucking. Just like that. I've tried loads of ROMs, and nothing helps.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/18/13 17:32 UTC, submitted by poundsmack
A new release of the hobby operating system MenuetOS! The release notes are a bit non-descript, but you'll have to take what you can get: "updates and improvements (picview, httpc, ehci, ...)".
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/17/13 17:58 UTC
"The Internet is one of the most transformative technologies of our lifetimes. But for 2 out of every 3 people on earth, a fast, affordable Internet connection is still out of reach. And this is far from being a solved problem. There are many terrestrial challenges to Internet connectivity - jungles, archipelagos, mountains. There are also major cost challenges. Right now, for example, in most of the countries in the southern hemisphere, the cost of an Internet connection is more than a month's income. Solving these problems isn't simply a question of time: it requires looking at the problem of access from new angles. So today we're unveiling our latest moonshot from Google[x]: balloon-powered Internet access." Insane.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/17/13 17:52 UTC
"MineAssemble is a tiny bootable Minecraft clone written partly in x86 assembly. I made it first and foremost because a university assignment required me to implement a game in assembly for a computer systems course. Because I had never implemented anything more complex than a 'Hello World' bootloader before, I decided I wanted to learn about writing my own kernel code at the same time. Note that the goal of this project was not to write highly efficient hand-optimized assembly code, but rather to have fun and write code that balances readability and speed. This is primarily accomplished by proper commenting and consistent code structuring." Just cool.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/14/13 21:03 UTC
Jon Rubinstein, former CEO of Palm: "Well, I'm not sure I would have sold the company to HP. That's for sure. Talk about a waste. Not that I had any choice because when you sell a company you don't get to decide that. Obviously, the board and shareholders decide that. If we had known they were just going to shut it down and never really give it a chance to flourish, what would have been the point of selling the company? I think the deal we had with Verizon really hurt us, but who knew that at the time? These things are all hindsight."
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/14/13 20:46 UTC
"And so it is with Dell's Alienware X51 R2, a small form factor gaming PC in console digs. It's shaped similar to Microsoft's Xbox 360 Slim, and though it's slightly larger than either a 360 or PlayStation 3, the X51 R2 would be right at home in a living room setting nestled next to a large screen TV. Indeed, it's adept at running Steam's Big Picture mode, and if your primary objective is to play games in the living room, go ahead and consider the X51 R2 a hybrid game console." This is obviously not the only machine like this - still, these are very valid console alternatives even for those that don't like being hunched over with a cramped WASD-claw. Also, PC gamers among us: could you get away with the $699 model for gaming?
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/14/13 17:32 UTC
From Bloomberg: "Microsoft, the world's largest software company, provides intelligence agencies with information about bugs in its popular software before it publicly releases a fix, according to two people familiar with the process. That information can be used to protect government computers and to access the computers of terrorists or military foes." The lid has officially been blown off.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/14/13 11:39 UTC
"The key takeaway we've reached (after two less than 24 hours playing with the iOS 7 Beta release) is this - every App must consider even basic updates to its UI to survive in a post-iOS 6 world." Great. Telling developers to update their entire application - user interface and behaviour alike - to target a look and behaviour that isn't final yet. Seems like potential for a lot of wasted work here.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/14/13 11:32 UTC
"Overall the app is really basic, and designed for on the go editing. Microsoft says it's not planning to create an iPad version, noting that tablet users can utilize the Office Web Apps instead. We'd like to see some additional options for editing, including more clear options for text formatting and the ability to insert and change images, but it's a solid attempt for something you're only really going to use for editing in emergencies." A resounding meh can be heard from all over the world.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/13/13 19:39 UTC
"Today, most people are using modern browsers that support the majority of the latest web technologies. Better yet, the usage of legacy browsers is declining significantly and newer browsers stay up to date automatically, which means the leading edge has become mainstream. Given these factors we've decided to retire Chrome Frame, and will cease support and updates for the product in January 2014." Eh.More News »
Sponsored Links
Member since:
2006-03-18
Wine basically converts Win32 into Linux system calls, but I didn't see Linux in the architectural diagram. I am guessing though there has to be a Linux kernel underneath it all.
So what this amounts to is that emulating the internals of the modern Win32 OS is a lost cause. Whereas emulating the Win 32 API on top of another OS (Linux) is a proven approach that supports something like 13k windows apps.
The only problem I can see is that you lose driver support. You can't just install your win32 drivers for your hardware in ReactOS and expect it to work.