As a ReactOS-User I thoght sometimes, which is better: ReactOS or Linux with WINE.
WINE is much more mature and can also run Windows 3.11 programs. But ReactOS - on the other side - is more Windows-like. It is a complete Operating System like Windows. And the applications for ReactOS can also be running in binary form on Windows and are not Linux-/Unix-native applications which are additional compiled against a winelib.dll.
On the ReactOS-side stand the everyone known text "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."
That is one of the differences to WINE: Being also driver-compatibe to XP. But thats also a point, where I ask myself, how much sense this make. Windows NT could run a lot of Windows 95/98 programs. Windows XP could run most Windows NT, Windows 9x and Windows 3.x programs. Windows Vista runs not all but some of the Windows XP and Windows NT programs. But on the driver side, Windows XP could only some Windows NT driver (like printer-driver). As I read for some time, for Windows Vista existing lesser driver then for Linux. So, it seems not, that Vista could use some of the plenty of Windows XP driver. Also Vista existing as 32bit and 64bit. And the 64bit system can not use 32bit driver. Follower of Vista (for example Windows 7) will only be existing as 64bit system.
So, you want to be driver-compatibe to Windows. But Windows will itself not be drivercompatibe to older or newer versions.
I have read anywhere in the Internet, that it is planned, that in newer Windows-versions only driver can be used and installed, which are trustable. And only Microsoft dicide, which drivers are trustable and which not. And driver-creator have ro pay on Microsoft that they make the drivers authorized/trustable.
This makes it also more senseless to be driver-compatibe to Windows.
But ReactOS have the advantage, that it looks and feels in all areas like Windows. And you can run Windows-programs on it. That is really an advantage of ReactOS.
Possible ReactOS would be anytime cooperate with DeviceVM ( the company behind SplashTop http://www.splashtop.com/index.php ) . Because it is possible, that there are people who would prefer an Windows/ReactOS system which starts fast on an RAM instead of an Linux-System.
In the new Newsletter (#41) of ReactOS stands, that Steven Edwards comes back to interact again between ReactOS and WINE. Thats a very good news. Hopefully all the WINE-developers see ReactOS in some time as legal and use again ReactOS-code for WINE, so that ReactOS and WINE could again more cooperate. There are still some developer (like GvG and others) who have left ReactOS and thought, that ReactOS isn't legal in USA-laws. I still think, that it is a big problem, that there are some ex-developer of ReactOS and some WINE-developer, who beliefs, that ReactOS is illegal. A more intensive dialog with this people is needed I think.
Greatings theuserbl
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Thanks for good words, I just wanted to provide some brief answers to the points you suggested.
1. Drivers compatibility - yes, Native API is unlike WinAPI and is subject to change and improvement. But it's lots easier to adapt our ReactOS Native API to Vista's than to develop drivers for everything from scratch (Linux-way). Still, majority (how many? 98% or 95%? there are many different studies/researchs showing different figures) of PCs nowadays run some kind of a Windows operating system. So hardware vendors will rather produce Windows drivers for their devices. Also, having in mind that XP is not going to disappear from the market anytime soon (a few years for sure), thus hardware vendors are going to still produce drivers for it.
There are numerous articles saying Linux's drivers are usually of a lower quality than OEM's drivers.
2. Legality questions. This is a question which lawyers decide, not individuals. There were so many false claims and attempts to sabotage ReactOS development (aka slowing down the development process by migrating to the new, empty repo and starting from scratch, locking the old repository, then audit, then kicking us out of google summer of code for two years in a row) that I don't have a slightest will to even touch this topic. "Don't judge, and you won't be judged". There are enough of facts, but the best way to answer is to develop ROS faster, what is being done now.
If there is anything else you would want to know, don't hesitate to ask.
WBR, Aleksey Bragin.
On May 17, 2008, at 8:27 PM, theUser BL wrote:
As a ReactOS-User I thoght sometimes, which is better: ReactOS or Linux with WINE.
WINE is much more mature and can also run Windows 3.11 programs. But ReactOS - on the other side - is more Windows-like. It is a complete Operating System like Windows. And the applications for ReactOS can also be running in binary form on Windows and are not Linux-/Unix-native applications which are additional compiled against a winelib.dll.
On the ReactOS-side stand the everyone known text "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."
That is one of the differences to WINE: Being also driver-compatibe to XP. But thats also a point, where I ask myself, how much sense this make. Windows NT could run a lot of Windows 95/98 programs. Windows XP could run most Windows NT, Windows 9x and Windows 3.x programs. Windows Vista runs not all but some of the Windows XP and Windows NT programs. But on the driver side, Windows XP could only some Windows NT driver (like printer-driver). As I read for some time, for Windows Vista existing lesser driver then for Linux. So, it seems not, that Vista could use some of the plenty of Windows XP driver. Also Vista existing as 32bit and 64bit. And the 64bit system can not use 32bit driver. Follower of Vista (for example Windows 7) will only be existing as 64bit system.
So, you want to be driver-compatibe to Windows. But Windows will itself not be drivercompatibe to older or newer versions.
I have read anywhere in the Internet, that it is planned, that in newer Windows-versions only driver can be used and installed, which are trustable. And only Microsoft dicide, which drivers are trustable and which not. And driver-creator have ro pay on Microsoft that they make the drivers authorized/trustable.
This makes it also more senseless to be driver-compatibe to Windows.
But ReactOS have the advantage, that it looks and feels in all areas like Windows. And you can run Windows-programs on it. That is really an advantage of ReactOS.
Possible ReactOS would be anytime cooperate with DeviceVM ( the company behind SplashTop http://www.splashtop.com/index.php ) . Because it is possible, that there are people who would prefer an Windows/ReactOS system which starts fast on an RAM instead of an Linux-System.
In the new Newsletter (#41) of ReactOS stands, that Steven Edwards comes back to interact again between ReactOS and WINE. Thats a very good news. Hopefully all the WINE-developers see ReactOS in some time as legal and use again ReactOS-code for WINE, so that ReactOS and WINE could again more cooperate. There are still some developer (like GvG and others) who have left ReactOS and thought, that ReactOS isn't legal in USA-laws. I still think, that it is a big problem, that there are some ex-developer of ReactOS and some WINE-developer, who beliefs, that ReactOS is illegal. A more intensive dialog with this people is needed I think.
Greatings theuserbl
Hi, I think someone may have told me this but since I work long hours I might of been half a sleep. So they did kick us?!?,,,, THOSE BASTARDZZZzzssss!
On Sat, May 17, 2008 at 12:29 PM, Aleksey Bragin aleksey@reactos.org wrote:
then kicking us out of google summer of code for two years in a row WBR, Aleksey Bragin.
Thanks, James
On Saturday 17 May 2008 10:16:22 pm James Tabor wrote:
Hi, I think someone may have told me this but since I work long hours I might of been half a sleep. So they did kick us?!?,,,, THOSE BASTARDZZZzzssss!
On Sat, May 17, 2008 at 12:29 PM, Aleksey Bragin aleksey@reactos.org
wrote:
then kicking us out of google summer of code for two years in a row WBR, Aleksey Bragin.
As far as it goes, the only potential legal problems that I can see are all in regards to the reverse engineering process. Otherwise, ReactOS is exactly as legal as WINE - because it's providing an independent implementation of an API. (I'm not sure about some things, like what patents MS may have on certain things - like the FAT32 filesystem, but AFAICT, the law is clear that an interface - like that provided by an API - cannot be copyright.)
That ReactOS has been having all of these problems is both good and bad in my book. It's bad in that it's really held up development but it's good in that it means there are people taking notice. If ReactOS succeeds in providing a F/OSS alternative to Windows that fully supports Windows then there is a good chance that many more people will move away from Windows.
DRH
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Aleksey Bragin -
Daniel Hazelton -
James Tabor -
theUser BL