1- GUI is not the last part of the OS being improved. Actually, there are few developers working on it right now. -I read that in the FAQs that GUI will be enhanced after core. Any how it is still very good.
2- current explorer.exe will be replaced by explorer-new.exe (you can find it in ReactOS CD's too) -Oh OK...
3- please don't use $ for talking about MS ... i m not in the same side as MS, but most devs dont like to use that term :) its just an advice Sorry -ok I will not use that term in future...
Kind Regards, Babar Shafiq Nazmi