ReactOS 0.4.7-RC1 Is The Latest As "Open-Source Windows"

[Luke_Wolf]

Please do, ReactOS is a very quickly developing project, it's been worked on for only 19 years.

We'd like to know the answer.

The Answer to What?

The Ultimate answer.

The Answer to Life... The Universe... And Everything?

Yes, who will win the race to v1.0?.... Will it Be ReactOS or will it be Haiku?

*7 and a Half... million... years later*

Have you come to an answer?

You're not going to like it, you're really not going to like it.

Tell us!

The Ultimate answer.... to Life... The Universe... and everything is...

go on

is...

come on tell us.

Neither, the Earth is destroyed to make way for a hyperspace bypass and neither project ever reaches stable.

[Mike Frett]

In the early days, when I still used Windows, I was so cheering on this effort. Now that I've switched to exclusively using Linux, I just don't see any real need for this other than as a hobby; which is totally cool. I'm guessing even if someone injected 10 or 20 Million into this, Microsoft would probably get jumpy and stomp it down. It's ultra-slow development time-line is probably the only thing keeping it safe.

In no way am I pushing to stop the project, I still think it's interesting and hope something comes of it. If one really wants to get away from Windows, Linux is more than ready. If I tried to use any recent version of Windows at this point, it would be totally foreign to me.

[gnarlin]

The biggest next step this project can make is driver support, especially usb and 3d driver support. When you can just download ms drivers and install them in ReactOS it might start to become useful to someone.

[nomadewolf]

Looks like a lot of good work is being put into it. Think it's stable enough where I can install it on a friend's computer or not quite yet?

Aboslutely not!
This is an Alpha quality build.
It should not be used in a production environment...

[nomadewolf]

In the early days, when I still used Windows, I was so cheering on this effort. Now that I've switched to exclusively using Linux, I just don't see any real need for this other than as a hobby; which is totally cool. I'm guessing even if someone injected 10 or 20 Million into this, Microsoft would probably get jumpy and stomp it down. It's ultra-slow development time-line is probably the only thing keeping it safe.

In no way am I pushing to stop the project, I still think it's interesting and hope something comes of it. If one really wants to get away from Windows, Linux is more than ready. If I tried to use any recent version of Windows at this point, it would be totally foreign to me.

For better or for worse, Windows still holds 90% + market share...
There are a lot of people/businesses that depend on software that works only in Windows.
Meanwhile, M$ keeps pushing against our privacy and consistently increasing the data that they collect on us users.
Now imagine a fully working alternative that does not spy on you and is faster because it doesn't have all the crap that Windows has...

[Vistaus]

There are a lot of people/businesses that depend on software that works only in Windows.

It's also what they make of it. For example, one chain of clothing store here in my country is still using Windows 98 SE to run their software, which it's not compatible with XP+. So should they upgrade to, say, Windows 10, they'd have to rewrite their software. But they could also jump ship to, say, Linux if they're gonna have to rewrite their software anyway...

[starshipeleven]

I can't imagine seeing ReactOS in any productive environment during our lifetimes ... during the lifespan of Microsoft, the earth, the universe.

*combined

[starshipeleven]

It's also what they make of it. For example, one chain of clothing store here in my country is still using Windows 98 SE to run their software, which it's not compatible with XP+. So should they upgrade to, say, Windows 10, they'd have to rewrite their software. But they could also jump ship to, say, Linux if they're gonna have to rewrite their software anyway...

True, but there is an easy and safe "solution", that is what many do: run the old crap as a VM on a newer system. It also helps when you need to run java crapplications that for some reason can't run without a specific (old) version of the Java runtime. Or stuff requiring .Net frameworks at a specific version, or whatever other similar issue. I've seen some shit...

Performance impact of virtualization is usually irrelevant as the hardware being replaced is so obsolete that the VM is actually (much) faster.

[illwieckz]

Now imagine a fully working alternative that does not spy on you and is faster because it doesn't have all the crap that Windows has...

To be fully working an alternative must have all the crap Windows has.

But I agree for the spying thing, well only for the moment, things are moving so quickly that I would not surprised if some apps would be useless without the spying thing, soon or already.

[aht0]

I can't imagine seeing ReactOS in any productive environment during our lifetimes ... during the lifespan of Microsoft, the earth, the universe.

..as long as ReactOS is trying to chase down something faster than itself..