Samuel Johnson

SRM University

What is React OS?

The idea is simple: Linux isnt always the best non-Windows operating
system. Windows is excellent and unbeatable for quite a few people
and tasks. ut neither is perfect. !lmost exactly "# years ago$ a team
began to search for a fix. %n "&&'$ Linux was unusable for anyone but
the most technologically (gifted and Windows &) wasnt anywhere
near as complex as Windows today.

*eact+, -*eact +perating ,ystem. is an open source computer

operating system intended to be binary compatible with application
software and de/ice dri/ers made for 0icrosoft Windows 1T /ersions
).x and up -Windows 2### and its successors.. ! spin-off of a pre/ious
attempt to clone Windows &)$ de/elopment started in early "&&3$ and
has continued with the incremental addition of features already found
in Windows.

Development
From FreeWin95 to ReactOS
!round "&&' a group of free and open source software de/elopers
started a pro4ect called 5reeWin&)$ to implement a clone of Windows &).
The pro4ect stalled in discussions of the design of the system.
!t the end of "&&6 the pro4ect had yet to release any software. The
pro4ect members$ led by coordinator 7ason 5ilby$ got together to re/i/e
the pro4ect. The pro4ect8s target was changed to Windows 1T and the
pro4ect8s name was changed to *eact+,. The *eact+, pro4ect began in
5ebruary "&&3$ started by de/eloping the kernel and basic dri/ers.

The Kernel

!t heart$ any operating system is no more powerful or useful than its

kernel allows it to be. The *eact+, kernel is the most integral part of
the entire pro4ect$ and it is a testimony to years of dedicated clean
room design$ with years of re/erse engineering and code-from-
scratch going to work.

The (goal for *eact+, final kernel is to be the Windows kernel$ but
with new source. This at once poses a great challenge and with it
though a rather large inhibition. When a kernel for any +, is designed$
generally the entire thing is completed to a limited extent$ then one
bit at a time$ the code is perfected and the features are finished. ut
when you set off with a goal to mimic the features of an existing
kernel and pro/ide complete cross-compatibility$ you ha/e a problem.

*eact+, biggest goal$ the ability to run any nati/e Windows

application on a *eact+, kernel without any loss of functionality or
experience$ is solely dependant on 4ust how much of the respecti/e
kernel code has been completed. !s such$ *eact+, isnt designed
according to traditional means.

The Kernel (Continued...)

!t the moment$ *eact+, de/elopment seems to in/ol/e coding the

kernel section-by-section$ one stack at a time. 9ntil a (section of the
kernel is practically feature-complete : fully compatible$ the rest of
the kernel will$ in a word$ suffer. +b/iously there are different teams
focus on the /arious components of the *+, kernel$ but ne/ertheless$
it poses a serious problem for the +, as a whole until all sections are
complete. What this means for users is that a program that uses 4ust
the supported sections of code -hea/ily or lightly. may work great$
but the rest of the +perating ,ystem will lack quite a lot of
functionality$ and often crashes when trying to do something that
hasnt been fully coded.

5ollowing the Windows model$ *eact+, uses a monolithic kernel

-technically its a (hybrid kernel but thats marketing ,. ! hybrid
kernel is either a microkernel or monolithic kernel under a different
name.. There is no need to get into yet another ;kernel /s. monolithic
kernel debate here$ it will suffice to say that e/en with its monolithic
kernel$ the *+, core is the fastest we ha/e seen to date$ compared
to Linux$ Windows$ and far out-performs 0acintoshs -<hybrid=.
microkernel architecture.

Interface

*eact+, looks a lot like Windows 2###. %t has -more or less. the same
theme$ but with better looking icons and cursors taken from Linux. ut
ob/iously thats not all what goes into a user interface. !s far as the
core 9% model goes$ *eact+, attempts to mimic all the finer points of
the Windows 9%$ doing a fairly good 4ob for the most part.

!s already mentioned$ it looks reminiscent of Windows 2###$ but it

beha/es a lot like it too. +n boot it starts up with *+, desktop which
shares the exact same functionality. %t has a start menu and context
menus exactly the same way Windows does > no surprises there.

We hinted earlier that *eact+, wouldnt be graded according to our

normal +perating ,ystem re/iew scale$ instead *eact+, is being
scored based on the rubric it pro/ided. %n particular$ *eact+, goal is
to look and act 4ust like Windows$ and as far as that is concerned it
has done a good 4ob. *eact+, has context menus exactly where you
would expect them to be$ with the same exact options as those on
Windows > 4ust not all of them ha/e anything on them yet.

Interface (Continued...)

!t most$ the *eact+, scheme : layout is a hea/ily simplified and

skinned /ersion of Windows 2###s superb layout -which was unduly
bloated in Windows ?@$ then mutilated and buried with Aista.. %t
pro/ides a familiar ha/en for Windows users$ and perfectly copies
both the layout and design of Windows.

The *eact+, interface does ha/e some differences from the standard
Windows 2### look > and theyre good signs that ha/e implications
that run quite deep. %n se/eral places the *eact+, de/elopers ha/e
elected to make minor changes to the 9%$ such as changing the
default font from a serif to sans-serif font$ adding a button to do a
function here and there$ and o/er-all cleaning up the display.

What this means is that the *+, de/elopers refuse to be entirely

limited by whats already there in Windows$ and are willing to -e/en if
to a /ery minor extent. impro/ise and inno/ate on their own. %t
means that *eact+, could /ery possibly be more than 4ust a
Windows-clone > it could actually be a "##B Windows-Compatible
operating system with quite a bit more on the side to offer. %ts to
early to tell now$ but the user interface does seem to be heading in
the right direction.

System Requirements

x3'-compatible processor$ @entium or later

2D 0 *!0 -optimal "230.

%EF hard dri/e of at least ")# 0

5!T"'G5!TH2 oot partition

2 0 AI! graphics adapter

CE-*+0 dri/e

,tandard keyboard

@,G2 Compatible mouse or 0icrosoft 0ouse-compatible serial

mouse

The Desktop

Explorer

Start Menu

Command Prompt

Desktop Properties

Software Downloader

Software Installation (Firefox)

Application (Firefox)

Task Manager

Conclusion

%n a sense$ *eact+, isnt an alternate operating system$ its Windows

under another name and brand new source code to match$ but at
the end of the day$ *eact+, is big proof that Linux and Windows
arent the only choices for desktop @Cs$ and that there is always
room for more inno/ation. !ll it takes is a bit of effort.

!t the moment$ *eact+, is not to be considered an operating system

in its own right. !s explained$ the de/elopment cycle of *eact+,
doesnt allow for it to be used properly until all de/elopment is more-
or-less complete. !s such$ its hard for anyone to use it as a real
alternati/e operating system 4ust yet$ making it e/en difficult to re/iew
it under the same circumstances and conditions as any other
operating system would be re/iewedJ but where de/elopment is
strong *eact+, is doing great.

Windows ?@ may not ha/e been that operating system$ but *eact+, is
poised to steal that light if it can get its compatibility layer fixed and
its de/elopment times cut down enough so that it isnt released along
with Euke 1ukem 5ore/er. We wish the *eact+, team would look
forward to new features and greater compatibility in releases to
come.