ReactOS Future cross-compatibility

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milon
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Re: ReactOS Future cross-compatibility

Post by milon »

zed260 wrote:if apple was to ever release version of the mac os that had the same level of compatbilty we have today but could run on any hardware not just apple hardware and costs less then 100 usd it would be able to overtake windows
Wouldn't happen. Lots of people don't use Mac because they don't like it and it has nothing to do with the hardware. All that matters is that the hardware performs roughly the same, and it does. Some people just prefer Windows instead.
jonaspm wrote:You should catch up at least with Windows 7, because if you decide to stay with Windows 2003 then you'll lose fans, donators and followers since people come searching a Compatible OS up-to-date with modern software
Taking this approach would kill the project in a matter of months. ROS needs to be fairly complete and stable before we think about increasing the scope of compatibility. To do otherwise would be to exponentially increase the number of "targets" we need to hit while decreasing the number of active developers (trust me - this would really tick them off).
People looking for "a Compatible OS up-to-date with modern software" will not be interested in ReactOS for a few years yet, and so we're really not losing anything by not attempting to cater to their whims. (And by the way, such people are only looking for a freebie. They're very likely not willing to contribute anything anyway.)
Haos
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Re: ReactOS Future cross-compatibility

Post by Haos »

@milon

Finally, a sound of reason. Thanks!
PurpleGurl
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Re: ReactOS Future cross-compatibility

Post by PurpleGurl »

jonaspm wrote:You should catch up at least with Windows 7, because if you decide to stay with Windows 2003 then you'll lose fans, donators and followers since people come searching a Compatible OS up-to-date with modern software
I don't buy that too much. Many prefer a Classic Windows layout, not the new stuff. Sure, I say go for compatibility under the hood to where the new stuff will work, but make it to where the interface can be set to the same as it is now. But the thing is, we have to get somewhere first. 2003 is a good starting target. We can move targets when we get there.

An idea is to give each finished target a flavor name. While coinciding with Microsoft names might not be good, we could give our target versions names or something to denote its compatibility and features. Like Reactos Classic for the first, etc. So when we complete other targets, folks can still get the previous finished version if they don't like it the next one.

I read how Microsoft deliberately broke classic mode in Windows 8 after folks figured out how to turn it on or patch it back. Why are they so bigoted against customers getting what *they* want? If I cannot get the familiar Windows I am used to, then I don't want what else they have, so I'd rather have Reactos with all its current limitations than have the new stuff foisted onto me.
alexei
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Re: ReactOS Future cross-compatibility

Post by alexei »

Google for "classic start menu" - about 1,610,000 results.
PurpleGurl
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Re: ReactOS Future cross-compatibility

Post by PurpleGurl »

alexei wrote:Google for "classic start menu" - about 1,610,000 results.
But that is not the same thing as providing an OS with that built in. Additional shells often introduce incompatibilities and slowness. Windows 8 is taking it out and deliberately making such programs incompatible from what I've read. Just because you can search for something and find it doesn't mean you can actually use it.

In addition, before Microsoft started do that to 8, the trial versions which could be hacked to support it still didn't give you the EXACT layout and features as before. If there is no API support underneath, then it is harder to do things.
laurflorin
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Re: ReactOS Future cross-compatibility

Post by laurflorin »

jonaspm wrote:You should catch up at least with Windows 7, because if you decide to stay with Windows 2003 then you'll lose fans, donators and followers since people come searching a Compatible OS up-to-date with modern software
I agree with that. ReactOS wouldn't reach its full potential unless compatibility is maintained with the latest operating systems. So, I guess that if all the latest applications out there ran in ReactOS as good as in Microsoft's latest OS, I think that the ultimate goal of this operating system would be achieved.
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Radhad
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Re: ReactOS Future cross-compatibility

Post by Radhad »

The thing is: if ReactOS reahces nearly 100% compatibibility with WIndows 2003 Server, it is a lot easier to implement the gap between Windows Server 2003 and latest Windows OS as long as this target won't be shifted all day when Micorosft releases a new Windows OS. And at one day, ReactOS may be compatible with the latest version of Windows or the version before that and that means it will in long term run all applications which run on Windows.
zZaRDoZz
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Re: ReactOS Future cross-compatibility

Post by zZaRDoZz »

*Eagerly awaits Windows 7 compatibility mode*
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jonaspm
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Re: ReactOS Future cross-compatibility

Post by jonaspm »

I think its a good idea to change target OS not now, but when you reach 0.5.0
Ubuntu
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Re: ReactOS Future cross-compatibility

Post by Ubuntu »

Forget about becoming Vista & 7 & 8 compatible. A steady target is always easier to hit than one that keeps moving. ReactOS can not keep up with Microsoft.

If 11 years of XP isn't enough to let ReactOS catch up, then how in the world are they supposed to catch Windows 7?
PurpleGurl
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Re: ReactOS Future cross-compatibility

Post by PurpleGurl »

Ubuntu wrote:Forget about becoming Vista & 7 & 8 compatible. A steady target is always easier to hit than one that keeps moving. ReactOS can not keep up with Microsoft.

If 11 years of XP isn't enough to let ReactOS catch up, then how in the world are they supposed to catch Windows 7?
Actually, 2003 is the goal for now. As for 7, as long as we get functional compatibility, look and feel is the least of the concerns. I prefer classic look at feel, but we already covered that discussion. I'd skip over Vista except for what is included in 7. There were a lot of under the hood changes in Vista that should add to performance over XP. Most who hated it just didn't like the interface and look and feel. The things it improved were not sexy nor glamorous, and most didn't notice that part.

(Windows 7 gets some memory hog complaints, but mainly, that is because it is better at utilizing RAM. With the 64-bit systems, people put insane amounts of memory in those, so you might as well use it. You cannot go wrong with 8 GB of memory, but 16 is nice just in case. I mainly went to 16 just to use the quad channel capability of the CPU and board. That gave me one more WEI point (to 7.9). That might not sound like much, but there are 2 things to keep in mind. That index is logarithmic, and 7.9 is the tops so there is no limit on how much faster that is than 7.8.)

It is true, we cannot keep up with Microsoft, and we are not Microsoft.
laurflorin
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Re: ReactOS Future cross-compatibility

Post by laurflorin »

PurpleGurl wrote:
Ubuntu wrote:Forget about becoming Vista & 7 & 8 compatible. A steady target is always easier to hit than one that keeps moving. ReactOS can not keep up with Microsoft.

It is true, we cannot keep up with Microsoft, and we are not Microsoft.
The fans (including me) never expected this from ReactOS staff - indeed, keeping up with Microsoft is no easy business. But, for the OS to be functional and useful, it must maintain compatibility with (at least) the oldest Supported Operating System (XP for now). And after XP support ends, with Vista/7 and so on.

My point is that ReactOS must focus on always competing with a "still living" Microsoft product, in order to support all the latest applications and drivers out there :) It's not easy, I know, but unfortunately it's necessarry for the future success of this project.
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PurpleGurl
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Re: ReactOS Future cross-compatibility

Post by PurpleGurl »

laurflorin wrote:The fans (including me) never expected this from ReactOS staff - indeed, keeping up with Microsoft is no easy business. But, for the OS to be functional and useful, it must maintain compatibility with (at least) the oldest Supported Operating System (XP for now). And after XP support ends, with Vista/7 and so on.

My point is that ReactOS must focus on always competing with a "still living" Microsoft product, in order to support all the latest applications and drivers out there :) It's not easy, I know, but unfortunately it's necessarry for the future success of this project.
It doesn't have to compete, only run what is out there. If we were out to compete, there would be no point in existing. If Windows was so good, why reinvent it? Software for 2K and XP doesn't spoil or go bad. New is not always good. Just look at Vista and Windows 8. Others might like them, but...

Oh, and keep in mind that my posts are my opinions and that I don't speak for Reactos in any official capacity.
laurflorin
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Re: ReactOS Future cross-compatibility

Post by laurflorin »

It's not a problem - this is a debate subject which I opened in order to hear other people's opinion :) My view is that a balance can be maintained in terms of cross-compatibility because 3rd party program updates include bug fixes and security fixes. So, if ReactOS doesn't provide the framework for the installation of today's various 3rd party program, this might open security holes which vendors could fix in a future version of that program, for example. And personally, I do check to always have the latest versions to my key programs (such as antivirus and other). Not to mention the features that would be missing if one were constrained to use an old version of a program.

The point here is like this: if someone found a cool/useful/critical etc app on the internet, he could be able to install it in reactos without problems (as if he were running, say ,win xp :) ). Of course, older versions of the same apps are still ok to many of us, but again, I think that the potential inability for reactos to support the transparent usage of the latest apps on the market would be a minus on the long run.

Nobody said that this progress has to be done instantly (not even quick), but it is a milestone that reactos would eventually have to reach.
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Dave3434
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Re: ReactOS Future cross-compatibility

Post by Dave3434 »

i'm one of the few that like's the windows 95 look but i do think reactos should target windows 2000 instead of 2003. it would be easy to walk up stars instead of jumping stips, just my opinion anyway you guys are doing great :)
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