ReactOS Lands Its New Explorer Shell

[mmstick]

People keep saying this as if these magical 'newer toolkits' somehow run on top on pixie dust and unicorn farts instead of WIN32 API.

Last time I checked, I don't have any win32 API calls on any of my Qt or GTK programs. Then again, I've been using Linux exclusively for two years. You'd have to be dumb to keep using the win32 API directly rather than using a modern cross-platform toolkit. There's no excuse for being hellbent on remaining Windows-only.

[Nille]

The other issue, too, is that ReactOS seems focused on reimplementing Windows 2000 or XP, which are obsolete and the state of Windows and device drivers have advanced far beyond that.

They currently focusing on NT5.2 aka Windows Server 2003 and NT5 is a step to NT6. They need a running System and change the focus each Windows Releases didn't help. BTW the also accept patches with newer APIs.

[Luke_Wolf]

People keep saying this as if these magical 'newer toolkits' somehow run on top on pixie dust and unicorn farts instead of WIN32 API.

Windows Presentation Foundation is based on DirectX as opposed to Win32, and where are you getting the idea that WinRT is built on Win32? I've seen nothing to support that, and it doesn't even make any sense given the Asynchronous focus of WinRT.

[Remdul]

ReactOS is welcome here!

There's nothing inherently wrong with Win32 (well except for some weird details that can be fixed in this project). The problem with Windows always has been more related to Microsofts behavior as company, rather than technical product issues (exception: security). I'm talking of the pre-Vista period of course (Win3.11 to XP). Thereafter, everything coming from MS went to hell and is effectively irrelevant IMO (although the GUI consistency decline started earlier with Win2k; 98SE was arguably the cleanest Windows UI experience).

Look at that screenshot, Explorer as I remember it. No anti-intuitive ribbon bars. Clean, organized, standardized menus. Compact toolbars. No unnecessary whitespace. No eyecandy that drains the system resources (and batteries!) or requires a GPU. Purely functional!

If you ignore the well documented anti-competitive corporate abuses, this is the main reason of Microsoft successes: Win32. Consistent GUI for *every* little thing. Linux needs something like this if we ever want it to rule the desktop.

[gigaplex]

Windows Presentation Foundation is based on DirectX as opposed to Win32, and where are you getting the idea that WinRT is built on Win32? I've seen nothing to support that, and it doesn't even make any sense given the Asynchronous focus of WinRT.

DirectX, being COM based, (indirectly) builds on top of Win32. WinRT also builds on top of Win32. They alluded to that on the Building Windows 8 blog.

[Slartifartblast]

.Net vs COM

It's an old article by Peter Bright over at Ars Tech but still pretty good:

http://arstechnica.com/features/2012/10/windows-8-and-winrt-everything-old-is-new-again/1/

Phoronix: ReactOS Lands Its New Explorer Shell

ReactOS, the open-source OS that's long been striving for binary compatibility with Windows applications and drivers, has landed its new explorer shell as a Thanksgiving present...

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=MTg0OTA

[pal666]

And the Millions of Win32 Apps are converted magical to new stuff?

no, but they continue to work on your old windows, so no point in reactos

[pal666]

People keep saying this as if these magical 'newer toolkits' somehow run on top on pixie dust and unicorn farts instead of WIN32 API.

you must have missed opensourcing of portable to non-win32 .net

[ruthan]

You would believe in everything, lost cause..

ReactOS is joke, im trying it every year and functionality is pretty limited, progress is very slow, even main developer said is that mainly good for teaching how OS working.. nothing else.

I think that conversion old games for new platforms (for Gog, Steam) or event wine petty progress or virtualisation with its tragical 3D support is still better way how to run old apps.