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April 27, 2009
ReactOS, a group that is developing an open source operating system that mimicks Windows' Server 2003
has released version 0.3.9.
The ReactOS project aims to create an operating system that's 100 percent compatible with the Windows
Server 2003 kernel and even the Vista Win32 OS.
This new release is only available in beta, but it still brings a whole new range of improvements over
its predecessor.
Some of the most critical changes are summed up in ReactOS' release announcement, but some bulleted
information can be found here:
Reduced minimum memory requirement to 32 Mb. ReactOS can now be installed with 24Mb and run with
only 20Mb.
A faster Hyperspace Mapping Interface has been implemented in the new kernel resulting in a speed
improvement of over 300 percent.
Security check improvements to the Object Manager in the kernel improves performance by about 500 percent,
mostly noticeable during large file/registry operations.
Various NDIS and AFD problems have been solved which increase compatibility with 3rd party NIC drivers
and hardening of the network stack.
Preliminary support for sound via the new Kernel Streaming service. It's now possible to use the ac97
driver via our new Port Class library to play sound bytes using winamp.
The command prompt is now more compatible with previous versions. It's now able to run very complex
scripts, including ReactOS' own Build Environment.
Some bugfixes have been made to the kernel mode portion of the GDI resulting in an improved drawing
engine across all bit depths.
Synchronization of most of the Wine usermode DLLs.
It will be interesting to see how this project develops itself over the course of time. It certainly
has a good chance of appealing to some communities.
Although Linux is the defacto standard open source
operating system, the ReactOS team is on a roll and we will certainly continue to watch their moves very
closely.
Most of Microsoft's applications simply won't work on an operating system that isn't run by the Windows
kernel and this is where the ReactOS team comes in.
Source: ReactOS.
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