ReactOS is a free and open source operating system for x86/x64 computers, which is characterized by being binary compatible with some applications and drivers programmed for Windows. The goal is known: to offer “free Windows” or whatever, “Windows without Microsoft”.

In addition to macOS, Linux or Chrome OS, there are other alternatives to Windows that are less known among the general public, which certainly – for many reasons – cannot be considered a replacement for most users, but are there for those who want to try. and use other things. The most represented among these alternatives are those derived from UNIX, OpenBSD or FreeBSD, which are not unique.

If you don’t know where this system came from, say that it was born as a Windows 95 “clone” with a declared end goal “allows you to remove Windows and install ReactOS without the end user noticing the change.” Complicated since Windows is closed source and also cannot be replicated. However, it partially implemented many Windows APIs, evil languages ​​say that by using the old one Windows Research Core that Microsoft licensed universities. In any case, this is a project that is part of the FOSS ecosystem, reuse and collaborate with other free software projects and especially with Wine to improve running Windows software outside of Windows.

ReactOS, new version

He “Open Source Windows” It is a very long-term project and there are inherent development difficulties with it. At the end of the year, support ability UEFI boot 64-bit versionskey because 32-bit is dying out.

As a follow-up, the developers now announce version 0.4.14, which comes with improvements in GUI mode configuration, graphical user interface making it easier to use compared to the “USETUP” text mode installer it has included since its inception. The interface is quite classic and looks like the one used by Windows 95 itself. But it does its job very well.

It’s clear that ReactOS isn’t ready to be used as a full-fledged Windows replacement (maybe it never will be), but it’s moving forward. If you want to try it out, it’s best to do it in a virtual machine or via a Live CD. Or if you dare more, you can load the image on a CD and boot from it to install it on the PC, as we would do with another Windows or Linux. Its hardware requirements are absolutely minimal and you could install it on any computer released in the last twenty years. Download | Installation Guide.