I though ReactOS was supposed to be a Windows-like environment; having said that I think that there should be an option obviously a home user would like those flashy things included, whether they choose to turn them on or off is their choice. Now a developer's machine is about the programming aspects, and cpu cycles would be better spent on code, services, and performance. The way I see it is Windows XP implemented a great feature in letting the user choose using the Advanced Performance Options. Also, let me say, that if a developer chooses to use a lot of services, such as high-end databases used on an e-commerce site the process host should be allocated more memory than say the GUI. Optimization of services is an important factor in choosing a server environment.
I think BeOS also touched on a key feature in isolating each background service. If ReactOS has a bug or a server or service crashed the system should not BSOD instead there should be an auto-restart option that will effect/affect only that process or service. This will allow little downtime especially in a mission critical environment.