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01/23/2006: And I wonder how long Bill Gates will let this go on?
ReactOS: a from-the-ground-up, Free/Open Source Software (FOSS) implementation of a Microsoft Windows XP workalike operating system (the goal is to make it completely compatible with all Microsoft Windows XP software that's out there).
I have to admit, my first reaction to hearing about this was, "WTF?". But the ReactOS team makes a decent case for the project:
The ReactOS® project is dedicated to making Free Software available to everyone by providing a ground-up implementation of a Microsoft Windows® XP compatible operating system. ReactOS aims to achieve complete binary compatibility with both applications and device drivers meant for NT and XP operating systems, by using a similar architecture and providing a complete and equivalent public interface.Sounds like an interesting project to watch, but right now it's nowhere near as sophisticated as Linux is now (ReactOS is in version 0.2.9 right now). If you want to try it out, pay heed to the ReactOS team's warning: Please bear in mind that ReactOS is still in alpha stage and is not recommended for everyday use.
Although Free Software advocates agree that free software operating systems improve the state of the art by fostering competition, ReactOS has practical benefit for others, too; ReactOS is the most complete working model of a Windows® like operating system available. Consequently, working programmers will learn a great deal by studying ReactOS source code and even participating in ReactOS development.
Len on 01.23.06 @ 09:29 PM CST
