Re: [ros-dev] Pale Moon drops ReactOS support

[Ged Murphy]

Yep, I agree with everything David says here. It’s the only sensible way forward, unless
we’re aiming to be the next freedos.

 

A move to NT6 doesn’t mean we have to scrap everything we have that doesn’t fit that
architecture, it’s just means the project is free to start to move towards a more NT6 way
of doing things. It brings more freedom and fun to the project, keeps us relevant and
hopefully makes us more attractive to would-be developers.

 

Ged.

 

From: Ros-dev [mailto:[e-mail]] On Behalf Of David Quintana (gigaherz)
Sent: 14 May 2016 10:27
To: ReactOS Development List <ros-dev(a)reactos.org>
Subject: Re: [ros-dev] Pale Moon drops ReactOS support

 

No, ros isn't a project to revive xp/2003, it has never been. The project decided to
stick to 2003 many years ago, because it was unreasonable to try to keep up, and it was
best to remain on a static target. When XP/2003 got close to EOL, we decided to use the
fact that ReactOS is NT5 as a PR advantage, but I don't even know that this did much
for us. 

The problem we have now, is this target is now so far back that many of us feel that
staying on it may hurt the project more than help it.

Here is how I see it: There's two kinds of potentially large groups of users of
ReactOS:

1.	The users of older hardware or software who require NT5 in order to run specific
devices or applications that aren't compatible with newer systems, or
2.	The Windows users who like the Windows Platform, but want something more flexible,
adaptable, and free of corporate control.

My guess is the number of people who would use ros simply because it implements and old
architecture and they have an irrational dislike of anything newer, is a tiny minority.

If this is right, then we have two separate issues:

1.	We can't really "sell" (convince them to use) reactos to the first group,
simply because it's too unstable an incomplete, so they'd rather stay on the real
thing rather than use ros (with exceptions), and
2.	We can't really "sell" reactos to the second group, unless we can run the
new applications designed for NT6+ that the second group is currently enjoying.

So the project has two possible goals:

1.	Continue doing as it does now, keep the NT5.2 target, stabilize the existing
components, and develop the remaining components, all within the limitations of NT5, or
2.	Start an NT6 effort, maintaining NT5 compatibility through the compatibility systems
(apphelp, sxs, and whatever else may be involved), that are already being developed
regardless, but opening the doors to all the new software that has been developed for
NT6+

And I have a strong feeling that the first group are less likely to contribute to the
project, and less likely to adopt the project in the future, so yes, I would like the
project to move in the other direction, not back to a dynamic target, just choose a new
target to stick to, that isn't so far back, but isn't also being changed
constantly anymore, and right now, that would be NT6.3 (Windows 8.1 -- but we don't
have to implement the Modern UI or remove the start menu, or any of that crap, this is
about structure and APIs).


I may be biased, though: I'm most definitely on the second group. As a developer, I
like ros because I like Windows over other platforms, but I'd love if it was
opensource so I could tweak certain things beyond the options they provide. If ReactOS
would start an effort to add NT6 features, I'd most definitely feel a renewed interest
in the project, which you may have noticed has been already quite low these days.

P.S.: There's no NT7, Microsoft decided to change the NT version to match the client
version, so windows 10 is now NT10, and like apple did with OSX, they plan on making
future versions of windows just 10.x  ;P