Slow news day to me.

sometimes i think on the point of this OS. I KNOW that is developed by very few people but man...after 25 years they barely catch up with the year 2000 and its still unstable as shit

ReactOS used to have Windows Server 2003 as a role model.
It now can use Windows 200x drivers. Last time I tried, it was limited to NT 4 drivers (SB16 etc).
ReactOS works together with Wine project. It can run applications that are sorta recent.
It's not being limited to Windows 2000/XP applications.
Themes/styles now work. ReactOS can use various skins.

The main sticking points were lack of robust ntfs, and several issues with how caching worked, last I looked at it, but that was several years ago.

NTFS support always had been non-trivial, it's not ReactOS' fault.
DOS, Linux and Mac OS X used to have read-only support for a long time.
The Fuse drivers are sorta stable, but delayed writing isn't being recommended (data corruption etc).
Fuse drivers for NTFS do exist since for 20 years or so. I've used them on Mac OS X 10.4.11, for example.

NTFS is being planned for 5.0, according to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ReactOS#Release_history

PS: A lot of ordinary Win32 applications do already run fine, I think.
NES/GB Emulators, strategy games, shareware/freeware titles from the 90s.
It's more than a drop-in replacement to Windows NT 4, already.
If ReactOS project had more helping hands in the past, then it would have required half the time to get here, I think.

Thanks for sharing, Jo22! It looks interesting enough to fire it up one of these days.

slivercr wrote on 2025-05-04, 02:07:

Thanks for sharing, Jo22! It looks interesting enough to fire it up one of these days.

I would love for ReactOS to be used as a niche like DOSBox in terms of games that are 16-bit that dont run on 64 bit systems that need something like OTVDM. Seeing as GOG works their magic for games that dont have the source code to port them to newer systems, I figure they would use OTVDM/ReactOS as substititues.

IIRC, ReactOS does not have a VDM.

Wine project DID create a VDM though, and it DOES work on modern windows.
https://github.com/otya128/winevdm

It might work on reactos. it might also not work on reactos.

slivercr wrote on 2025-04-30, 03:18:

Does anyone use React OS and can share insights?

I test it in a VM every now and then when a new version is released, but then I delete it again. I think the project itself is important. It's always good to have an open source alternative to the Windows NT branch. However, it will always be a constant race to catch up because the original Windows NT series is constantly evolving. And unlike Linux, where you can go your own way and have no restrictions other than not breaking the ABI for userspace, this is a much more complex and slower development process. In the end, it might be an OS that can run many old Windows programs, including some old computer games. But one thing it will still not achieve is that it will never be compatible with programs and games that create checksums of the original Windows files to see if they have been modified. This applies in particular to anti-cheat and possibly also copy protection measures that some games and, in relation to the latter, programs use.

A license for Windows XP, on the other hand, doesn't cost much and can be placed in a protected VLAN. You won't get any updates for it anymore, but everything from the old days runs on it and the VLAN set up for it can be secured accordingly and web access to the outside world can be provided with a web proxy or, even better, via a thin client VNC solution for accessing the WWW. This way you can also use Windows XP safely to run your old games and programs.

Exploit wrote on 2025-05-05, 10:19:

A license for Windows XP, on the other hand, doesn't cost much and can be placed in a protected VLAN. [..] This way you can also use Windows XP safely to run your old games and programs.

That's the typical home user mentality, I think. :)
Let's keep using our warez, pirated Windows and our cracked WinRAR, too. ;)
And yes, it's a solution. To the home user. I love using VMs with old OSes, too!

Where I think ReactOS shines is as a legal, free replacement to Windows NT.
Which means in can be publicly used in same situations as Linux, Haiku or BSD.
(FreeDOS had been pre-installed by Dell and HP, too. Also for legal reasons.)

It could be used in schools that receive no foundings for IT stuff, but must stay legal same time.
Here, the IT teacher can install ReactOS on old PCs without getting in trouble. No contracts are violated, after all.
Or in could be used in offices in city administration, where Linux had failed (LiMux).

Or it can be used in situations where VB6 and Delphi 7 programs must be run or wished to be run.
(Both are IDEs excellent for prototyping, still, no matter their age or the PC platform they were made for.)

Or ReactOS could be installed in special, embedded applications..

For example, UI-View32, a popular standard APRS program in amateur radio.
It's author has passed, but the application (freeware) is still popular and supports plug-ins. It also connects to a weather station.

You can install it on an x86 single-board computer in the mountains or on a skyscrapper, as basis for an APRS repeater.
If you're using ReactOS as a runtime to the application, the project is near completely open source/open hardware.

Edit: Here's an example of such a thing, but using a vintage TNC flashed with APRS firmware instead. Which is fine.
The fully grown UI-View32 has more features, though, and supports things like beacon compression.

Likewise, ReactOS could be used for model railroad trains.
It could run the control software on one or more PCs.

It also could be used to play back PowerPoint presentations in an end-less loop.
Say, in a store. The PowerPoint Viewer is freeware, after all. :)

Or as the basis for an gumball machine, a ticket machine.
Edit: Or as a lightweight host OS for running MESS/MAME in an arcade cab.
Here, good ol' DOS used to be the main alternative to a bloated Linux installation. ReactOS can help being another alternative to Linux.

What makes ReactOS so great is that it belongs the users, rather than a single company. It's not software-as-a-service.
The source code is available, the inner working of the OS can be understood.
It's appearance can be highly customized, too. Users aren’t forced to adopt an interface they don't like.

Thus, ReactOS is a much better alternative on a future moon base or on a space vehicle.
Sure, ReactOS is still unstable - but in a predictable way, at least. ;)

PS: ArcaOS in tandem with ODIN project can run Win32 applications, too.
In so far, it's an alternative to Windows and Linux+WINE, too.
The difference to ReactOS that AracaOS isn't exactly "open" yet.

PS/2: Or let's take it this way. Not all users are feeling comfortable at using Linux.
Some grew up with Windows or had been Windows admins for years.

Others may grew up with Z80 computers or home computers and used to love the DOS-sy way of doing things.
Such as tinkering with hardware directly (say as toggling certain COM port pins).

To those people, an Windows NT replica might be a relief.
It's a real drop-in Windows alternative, not Linux+WINE which equals Tofu.

Don't get me wrong, I find Unix systems to be fascinating and I like lesser known OSes such as BeOS and AmigaOS, too.
But sometimes it's simply refreshing and relaxing not to use Linux, not having to deal with case-sensitivity, mounting points and permissions. :)

Jo22 wrote on 2025-05-05, 18:00:

Exploit wrote on 2025-05-05, 10:19:

A license for Windows XP, on the other hand, doesn't cost much and can be placed in a protected VLAN. [..] This way you can also use Windows XP safely to run your old games and programs.

That's the typical home user mentality, I think. 😀
Let's keep using our warez, pirated Windows and our cracked WinRAR, too. 😉

I was talking about a legal license. This is also clearly evident from my comment, where I point out a low price. It's a fact that you can buy used Windows XP licenses very cheaply these days. And even back then, a Windows XP license didn't cost a fortune. Considering the OS was supported for 13 years, that was a bargain price.

You shouldn't judge others based on yourself. Only you talk about warez and illegal copies, that seems to be your mentality that you want to impose on others.

It could be used in schools that receive no foundings for IT stuff, but must stay legal same time.

Schools can use modern operating systems such as Linux, and in most countries, Windows licenses are purchased cheaply for schools and financed with taxpayers' money.

And the rest of your comment is completely off-topic. Aside from your misconception, you also seem to simply have a problem with other people's opinions. Very poor discussion style!

Exploit wrote on 2025-05-05, 19:45:

I was talking about a legal license. This is also clearly evident from my comment, where I point out a low price. It's a fact th […]
Show full quote

Jo22 wrote on 2025-05-05, 18:00:

Exploit wrote on 2025-05-05, 10:19:

A license for Windows XP, on the other hand, doesn't cost much and can be placed in a protected VLAN. [..] This way you can also use Windows XP safely to run your old games and programs.

That's the typical home user mentality, I think. 😀
Let's keep using our warez, pirated Windows and our cracked WinRAR, too. 😉

I was talking about a legal license. This is also clearly evident from my comment, where I point out a low price. It's a fact that you can buy used Windows XP licenses very cheaply these days. And even back then, a Windows XP license didn't cost a fortune. Considering the OS was supported for 13 years, that was a bargain price.

You shouldn't judge others based on yourself. Only you talk about warez and illegal copies, that seems to be your mentality that you want to impose on others.

It could be used in schools that receive no foundings for IT stuff, but must stay legal same time.

Schools can use modern operating systems such as Linux, and in most countries, Windows licenses are purchased cheaply for schools and financed with taxpayers' money.

And the rest of your comment is completely off-topic. Aside from your misconception, you also seem to simply have a problem with other people's opinions. Very poor discussion style!

I know gog sells games that no longer work on modern systems...
for example Bad Mojo Redux, its latest OS is Windows 8

https://www.gog.com/en/game/bad_mojo_redux

with the use of ReactOS (or maybe something like XP mode from the old days) we could use the api/abis to emulate the conditions of the time on modern systems

Exploit wrote on 2025-05-05, 19:45:

I was talking about a legal license. This is also clearly evident from my comment, where I point out a low price. It's a fact that you can buy used Windows XP licenses very cheaply these days. And even back then, a Windows XP license didn't cost a fortune. Considering the OS was supported for 13 years, that was a bargain price.

Exploit wrote on 2025-05-05, 19:45:

You shouldn't judge others based on yourself.
Only you talk about warez and illegal copies, that seems to be your mentality that you want to impose on others.

Pardon. I meant the "typical home user mentality" here, which I think is right.
Who in the world hasn't historically used, err, backup copies?
All the C64 and Amiga kids used to copy software way back in the 80s before I was even born.
It's nothing new, thus, I think.

There had been statements such as "don't copy that floppy"
or "why should I by an expensive game cartridge when a pack of floppies for my homecomputer cost so little?"

Back in the 90s, a few of my friends had game copier stations for their Super NES.
They rented games, then made a copy on an 1,44 MB disk.
Total normal behavior at the time.

Anyway, when I'm replying, I think of the statement rather than the user.
My reply wasn't dirrcted torwards you, but solely the statement I quoted.

So please forgive me for comming off as rude here, I didn't mean to accuse you of anything.

Also, by "you" I mean everyone most of the time. As in, everyone, we.
But maybe that's not correct in English language, I don’t for sure.

In my language, the sentence "Man kann das doch nicht tun!" becomes "You can't do that!" by Google Translator.
The literal translation would be "Someone can't do that!", I guess, but the online translators never mention this variant.

Schools can use modern operating systems such as Linux, and in most countries, Windows licenses are purchased cheaply for schools and financed with taxpayers' money.

Hi. I don’t know. I remember my old school days being differently, simply.

Our old computer room had Windows 95 PCs in 2002 or so.
These were Pentium machines, yellowed and worn.

A few years later, the "new" computer room got Windows 2000 in 2005 or so.
Windows XP was installed in 2008 or later, I think.

The equipment was always being behind by about half a decade.
Also: network boot. Booting Windows from LAN takes ages. ReactOS would have been smaller, maybe.

And foundings?
To quote our physics teacher, "our school is as poor as a church mouse".

Seriously, our school wasn't in best condition at the time. 🙁

We always had repairs that had been delayed.

Our wooden chairs and tables were worn, the heathing in class room didn't work properly .

We didn't have enough PCs, even. We had to work on pairs of two on one PC.

The rest of the class had to work in old computer room and use Wordpad/RTF format.
Because there was no Interoperability between the office programs used in old vs new computer room.

I don’t know how things are in your location, but in my city/country the money for schools always had been a problem.

That's because the city/municipality does decide who gets money that the goverment provides for education sector.

It's a highly political and bureaucratic problem, even if enough money is technically available in the pool.

That's why free software with simple licensing terms would be a solution,
it doesn't undermine existing contracts with local contractual partners.

Even a "cheap" Windows licenses might be a hurdle, still.

To get around this, the IT teacher would have pay them from his/her own money, because the school can't spend it without a legal justification.

Even if it's just 100€ total. The school could be accused of embezzling funds.

And about Linux vs Windows. Windows is industry standard (and MS Office).
And schools think they must teach what's common in business world.
macOS is next to Windows, maybe. But even macOS is a bit controversial, I assume.

PS: Another point is that national law is different around the globe.
In some countries, it's not legal to re-use OEM stickers of Windows.
Here, a Dell license can't be used on an HP machine, for example.

So the people in these countries can't buy and use cheap OEM copies of Windows.
They rather need to hunt down the retail version to be on safe side.

And retail (boxed) versions aren’t exactly cheap. Not even the old ones.

A Windows 11 Pro as a retail version may cost 120€, rather than 10€ for an OEM version.
For Windows 7 retail, I had paid 270€ when it was still new.
And it was fair price, I think, considering how long I had used it, day by day.

Edit: Speaking of Windows XP, it was the first Windows to need activation .
Unless a patch or volume license was being used.
Online activation still works via telephone and voice computer, I think.
But for how long, no one knows for sure. 🙁
Re-activation is needed once enough hardware components have changed.
ReactOS wouldn't require this, by contrast. The hardware can be changed without worrying.

And the rest of your comment is completely off-topic.

Valid point, I have to agree. I tend to talk too much..
It's perhaps because there aren’t much people IRL I can talk to.

Aside from your misconception, you also seem to simply have a problem with other people's opinions. Very poor discussion style!

My bad. I think I really have to work on myself here.
Especially when getting older, it's getting harder and harder to stay objective.
It's quite some work to fight yourself here.

twiz11 wrote on 2025-05-05, 19:53:

I know gog sells games that no longer work on modern systems... for example Bad Mojo Redux, its latest OS is Windows 8 […]
Show full quote

I know gog sells games that no longer work on modern systems...
for example Bad Mojo Redux, its latest OS is Windows 8

https://www.gog.com/en/game/bad_mojo_redux

with the use of ReactOS (or maybe something like XP mode from the old days) we could use the api/abis to emulate the conditions of the time on modern systems

You can use wine:
https://github.com/otya128/winevdm
https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk

Jo22 wrote on 2025-05-05, 21:10:

Pardon. I meant the "typical home user mentality" here, which I think is right.

The typical home user get's a legal copy of windows by buying a new PC.
Most will have a legal license of Windows XP or Vista or Windows 7 because they have purchased at least one new PC during this period.

Who in the world hasn't historically used, err, backup copies?
All the C64 and Amiga kids used to copy software way back in the 80s before I was even born.
It's nothing new, thus, I think.

I bought my DOS games. I still have most of them with the packaging, manual and floppy disks.
Your world doesn't seem to be mine.

And I'm not talking about GOG or Steam, but about the 90s.

There had been statements such as "don't copy that floppy" or "why should I by an expensive game cartridge when a pack of floppi […]
Show full quote

There had been statements such as "don't copy that floppy"
or "why should I by an expensive game cartridge when a pack of floppies for my homecomputer cost so little?"

Back in the 90s, a few of my friends had game copier stations for their Super NES.
They rented games, then made a copy on an 1,44 MB disk.
Total normal behavior at the time.

And why do you think ReactOS would matter to such people? These are the same people who have Photoshop and Adobe Premiere illegally installed on their modern computers today. They wouldn't even think about purchasing a used Windows XP license. And that despite the fact that it can be bought everywhere for ridiculously cheap.

Open source and ReactOS are usually only of interest to people who want their software legal. But for them, an old Windows XP license doesn't cost a fortune either so it's a common and popular option to just buy one. It's especially one, that works now, while ReactOS is still in early development. And they probably don't even need to buy one, because they already have one from back then.

Anyway, when I'm replying, I think of the statement rather than the user.
My reply wasn't dirrcted torwards you, but solely the statement I quoted.

So please forgive me for comming off as rude here, I didn't mean to accuse you of anything.

Okay, apology accepted.

Hi. I don’t know. I remember my old school days being differently, simply. […]
Show full quote

Schools can use modern operating systems such as Linux, and in most countries, Windows licenses are purchased cheaply for schools and financed with taxpayers' money.

Hi. I don’t know. I remember my old school days being differently, simply.

Our old computer room had Windows 95 PCs in 2002 or so.
These were Pentium machines, yellowed and worn.

And they were sufficient to teach students how to use word processors and spreadsheets, such as MS Office 97. In schools, the typical usage time is also somewhat longer. After approximately 7-10 years, the computers are replaced with new ones and new software. The computers were probably purchased in 1995, making them seven years old in 2002. They were probably replaced shortly after your time. This is common practice. Only gamers had a problem with this, because a game from 2002 obviously no longer runs on a computer from 1995. But school isn't about playing the games you know from home. It's about learning the basics of computer use and common types of applications.

A few years later, the "new" computer room got Windows 2000 in 2005 or so.
Windows XP was installed in 2008 or later, I think.

Schools often purchase refurbished PCs from companies because this provides a consistent set of equipment and the PCs are affordable. The operating system is then sufficient for the tasks; it only needs updates. Support for Windows 2000 was discontinued in 2010, and for Windows XP in 2013. These operating systems were therefore completely sufficient.

The equipment was always being behind by about half a decade.
Also: network boot. Booting Windows from LAN takes ages. ReactOS would have been smaller, maybe.

Schools don't even use Libre Office because parents complain that students don't use Word and Excel, which are used in the workplace. Especially during this time period. Things may look better today, but it shows that they wouldn't have used ReactOS if it had been ready back then.

But I don't know why you're talking about it anyway, because I've already covered it all with the following two sentences in my first comment. Apparently, you missed them:

Exploit wrote on 2025-05-05, 10:19:

I think the project itself is important. It's always good to have an open source alternative to the Windows NT branch.

Next point:

Jo22 wrote on 2025-05-05, 21:10:

I don’t know how things are in your location, but in my city/country the money for schools always had been a problem.

My country is Germany, and the federal state is Baden-Württemberg. Although the computers weren't high-end gaming PCs, they were all sufficient for the tasks at hand.
In 1992/93, it was DOS with some version of Windows 3.x on a 286 or 386 (presumably SX and definitely without a 80387 FPU), and the applications were Word and Excel for Windows.
In 1996, it was Pentium processors with Windows 95, with Word, Excel and PowerPoint. As well as Turbo Pascal 6.0 for the computer course. The computers were perfectly adequate. Turbo Pascal, while no longer up-to-date, was perfectly adequate for introducing students to programming concepts. And C would have been too much for many students anyway.
The computers were not connected to the Internet.

And about Linux vs Windows. Windows is industry standard (and MS Office).
And schools think they must teach what's common in business world.

And that's why ReactOS wouldn't be sufficient according to these criteria, precisely because it's not Windows. It merely emulates Windows. We didn't have DR-DOS either, but MS-DOS.

A Windows 11 Pro as a retail version may cost 120€, rather than 10€ for an OEM version.
For Windows 7 retail, I had paid 270€ when it was still new.
And it was fair price, I think, considering how long I had used it, day by day.

120 € for Windows 11 Pro is a reasonable price; Windows NT would have cost 700 DM back then.
Your Windows 7 version was probably the Ultimate Edition. And there are special volume licensing options for schools anyway. These are offered to schools together with an Office package at such a low price that the schools do not resort to Linux.

Exploit wrote on 2025-05-05, 22:21:

Jo22 wrote on 2025-05-05, 21:10:

Pardon. I meant the "typical home user mentality" here, which I think is right.

The typical home user get's a legal copy of windows by buying a new PC.
Most will have a legal license of Windows XP or Vista or Windows 7 because they have purchased at least one new PC during this period.

Hi, but but on other hand, I thought every gamer who gets a new PC does re-install Windows as step #1, in order to get rid of all the bloatware? 🤷‍♂️

Personally, when I got a new/used PC I had no use for the supplied Windows license (if there was any).
Simply because I prefered to use the normal, the professional edition of Windows.

With exception to Windows 98SE, which was okay.
It had Personal Webserver and some professional users had it on some of their PCs.

In the days of Windows 3.1, we had used the normal retail version at home (5,25" floppies).
Without the COA and serial number (that came with WfW 3.11).
We had Windows 95 as a normal, boxed version (upgrade) too.

I bought my DOS games. I still have most of them with the packaging, manual and floppy disks.

Hi! I had bought shareware CDs from my pocket money, rather.
Sometimes I also got free advertisement games on 3,5" floppy.

Bigbox games weren't my world, except for those bigger bundles.
A box of 10 CDs of shareware, with a few full versions per CD-ROM (Mig-29, Humans, etc).

When it came to commercial games, I was more of an NES/SNES person.
I had a few games, such as F-Zero, SMW, Mario 1/2/3, Rad Racer, Yoshi's Island. And Super Gameboy, too.

On PC, I rather enjoyed playing desktop games written for Windows 3.1x!
Such as Lander 3, Space Exploration Mission Alpha, Warpath!, WinTrek, WormWorld..

Some games were even ported to Win32/NT, which was brand new! 😃
I remember that HyperRoid had a 32-Bit version (HyperRoid32).

WinTrek/Warpath!/EmPipe also were available in 32-Bit!
I played them on a 386DX-40 running Win95, I think..

PS: Here are some lenghty posts, if you're interested in lots of weirdness. 😅
Have fun. 🙂

Re: Moments in computing history when you felt that the future had arrived
Re: Choosing between two cards för Win98 build

Your world doesn't seem to be mine.

Yes! Exactly! I was thinking exactly same thing. 😅
I wonder if it's a generational thing and/or me being worse at being German.
If I had to guess then I probably had grown up between the generations, somewhere between X/Y.
With an inner "lass mal fünfe g'rade sein" or "och gottele" mentality. "Ey."
Just play "Bi-Fi Roll - Action in Hollywood", I can identify with some of it. 😉

I've also used to be a fan of "Raumschiff Enterprise" (ST TOS).
Maybe that says a lot about my personality, too. 😉

PS: Do you remember the Sharebert series of pocket books, by any chance?
I liked them. They had featured interesting DOS/Win3.1 shareware/freeware titles on a floppy!

Or how about montly shareware CD-ROMs by CDV and ARI? 😀
Bestseller Games magazines/Gold Games? All the weird stuff sold by Pearl Agency?

And why do you think ReactOS would matter to such people? These are the same people who have Photoshop and Adobe Premiere illega […]
Show full quote

And why do you think ReactOS would matter to such people?
These are the same people who have Photoshop and Adobe Premiere illegally installed on their modern computers today.
They wouldn't even think about purchasing a used Windows XP license.
And that despite the fact that it can be bought everywhere for ridiculously cheap.

Um, I didn't meant to say that. 😟 I was trying to express that I think that home users would due to their mentality have an interest in pirated Windows, warez and (jokingly) a cracked WinRAR.
WinRAR.. Because, WinRAR is being known for being copied. Even the company jokes about it link. And they must know the numbers, I guess.

Open source and ReactOS are usually only of interest to people who want their software legal. But for them, an old Windows XP li […]
Show full quote

Open source and ReactOS are usually only of interest to people who want their software legal.
But for them, an old Windows XP license doesn't cost a fortune either so it's a common and popular option to just buy one.
It's especially one, that works now, while ReactOS is still in early development.
And they probably don't even need to buy one, because they already have one from back then.

Hi! I, um, was more thinking of tinkerers, hobbyists, retro enthusiasts, also radio amateurs (amateurfunker), philosophers and so on. 😟

Anyway, when I'm replying, I think of the statement rather than the user.
My reply wasn't dirrcted torwards you, but solely the statement I quoted.

So please forgive me for comming off as rude here, I didn't mean to accuse you of anything.

Okay, apology accepted.

Thank you. 🙂

Schools can use modern operating systems such as Linux, and in most countries, Windows licenses are purchased cheaply for schools and financed with taxpayers' money.

Hi. I don’t know. I remember my old school days being differently, simply. […]
Show full quote

Hi. I don’t know. I remember my old school days being differently, simply.

Our old computer room had Windows 95 PCs in 2002 or so.
These were Pentium machines, yellowed and worn.

And they were sufficient to teach students how to use word processors and spreadsheets, such as MS Office 97.

Hi. Ours were a torture to be used, all the time. 😢

When typing, on the new PCs (new old stock?), the letters were being drawn on screen about 2 seconds after hitting keyboard keys.
Booting Windows 2000 took 10 minutes. We all had to wait, staring out of window.

The only "fast" PC was the dedicated teacher's PC in the front. It must have had its own hard disk, I suppose. Yay! 😃

The Windows 9x PCs in the old computer room didn't have MS Office installed, I think. Not sure about MS Works, though.
That's why some of us had to use WordPad. Rich Text could store formatting, at least.

There was no network connection between old and new PC room, unfortunately.
Pupils had to use floppy disks and wander around.

Some pupils didn't even have had access to floppy disks, so teachers had to organize/buy them.
The school had no floppy disks in storage, obviously.

Schools often purchase refurbished PCs from companies because this provides a consistent set of equipment and the PCs are affordable. [..]

Hi. I meant to say we got a new computer room with outdated hardware. 😟
It wasn't being used until being outdated, it was outdated when being freshly opened to pupils.. Outdated by ~5 years.

At home and at workplace, Windows 2000 already was a relic by the time?
Persomally, it's being beyond me what educational purpose it has to teach with obsolete hard/software. 🤔

In addition, Windows 2000 never was an OS for home/workplace use (ie, not being mainstream, just like NT4).
Windows 2000 Workstation was meant for.. workstations.
Wouldn't ReactOS have been just as much/as less of a niche here? 😟

Schools don't even use Libre Office because parents complain that students don't use Word and Excel, which are used in the workplace.

Hi, I'm not sure about this. We had an outdated Office 2000, but it was sluggish on the hardware.
Not sure what would have had caused more complaints, thus.
Something like StarOffice might have been a nice alternative, I suppose? 🤷‍♂️

But I don't know why you're talking about it anyway, because I've already covered it all with the following two sentences in my first comment. Apparently, you missed them:

Exploit wrote on 2025-05-05, 10:19:

I think the project itself is important. It's always good to have an open source alternative to the Windows NT branch.

Sorry, my bad. 😟 At time of writing, I simply thought it is interesting to talk about use cases of ReactOS, I guess. 🤷‍♂️
I certainly didn’t mean to get on anyones nerves. 😟

And about Linux vs Windows. Windows is industry standard (and MS Office).
And schools think they must teach what's common in business world.

And that's why ReactOS wouldn't be sufficient according to these criteria, precisely because it's not Windows. It merely emulates Windows. We didn't have DR-DOS either, but MS-DOS.

Oh, okay. But wasn't DR-DOS actually being better/of higher quality? I've heard nothing but praise for DR-DOS. 🙂
Novell DOS 7 had been very popular, too, especially in Germany. I saw the ads in PC magazines.

Edit:

In 1996, it was Pentium processors with Windows 95, with Word, Excel and PowerPoint. As well as Turbo Pascal 6.0 for the compute […]
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In 1996, it was Pentium processors with Windows 95, with Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
As well as Turbo Pascal 6.0 for the computer course.
The computers were perfectly adequate.
Turbo Pascal, while no longer up-to-date, was perfectly adequate for introducing students to programming concepts.
And C would have been too much for many students anyway.
The computers were not connected to the Internet.

Hi, from my point of view, I think that might have been true for TP6 ('90),
but perhaps not for Borland Pascal 7 (professional version of TP7, last update '93) or Pascal in general.
Here in, my world, Turbo Pascal was being popular throughout the whole 90s.
Borland Pascal 7 had a Windows compiler, too, which was an advanced version of Turbo Pascal for Windows.
The book series "Delphi for kids" and "Turbo Pascal for kids" covered Pascal language. 😀

Win32 applications compiled with Delphi 2, 3 or 7 run on ReactOS, too.
I tried this out way back in the 2010s, when tinkering with ReactOS.
The nice thing about Delphi programs is that they don't have dependencies.
A standard Windows installation is enough. VB6 applications need MSVBVM60.DLL, which ships with Windows 98 to 11.

Tipp: You maybe don't know this as a former TP6 user, but TP7 or BP7 offered Turbo Vision environment to developers.
So you could write your own applications using Turbo Vision.
Maybe that's interesting to you, it's never too late to learn something new.
That's why I like Vogons so much, this place always surprises me. 😀

Hi. Quick update. Found my old ReactOS screenshots from 2012..

Jo22 wrote on 2025-05-03, 20:40:

NTFS support always had been non-trivial, it's not ReactOS' fault. DOS, Linux and Mac OS X used to have read-only support for a […]
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NTFS support always had been non-trivial, it's not ReactOS' fault.
DOS, Linux and Mac OS X used to have read-only support for a long time.
The Fuse drivers are sorta stable, but delayed writing isn't being recommended (data corruption etc).
Fuse drivers for NTFS do exist since for 20 years or so. I've used them on Mac OS X 10.4.11, for example.

NTFS is being planned for 5.0, according to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ReactOS#Release_history

5 years ago, Paragon open-sourced their formerly commercial NTFS driver and submitted it for adoption in the mainline Linux kernel. It is a mature NTFS implementation that has full read/write support and offers a number of advantages over both the older read-only kernel-mode NTFS driver and the FUSE-based NTFS-3G driver.

I don't understand why the ReactOS developers haven't embraced the Paragon driver sources and used those to implement NTFS support in their OS. I can't even find any references to the Paragon NTFS sources when I search for those on the ReactOS Jira dashboard. Hasn't anybody even brought this option up there?

Iirc, it was license incompatibility.