Article about ReactOS at PCMagazine

[fred02]

Have you got an idea how is it done?

Not out of my head, but it should be documented on the said CDs. The trickiest part is how to write the NTFS. I have a vague memory that when there were no proper read/write drivers the new password had to be the same length that the old to occupy the same space, and tricks like that. Guess it's not needed any more.

As a side note, am I the only one to think that the current discussion is way off topic for the "Post subject: Article about ReactOS at PCMagazine" and it should be split, or even better, killed?

[reub2000]

If you're trying to get rid of the registry, then duplicating windows isn't the greatest of ideas.

[cppm]

If you're trying to get rid of the registry, then duplicating windows isn't the greatest of ideas.

[oiaohm]

Few Minor points Stable Read only NTFS drivers do exist. To do that all the documentation has been worked out.
Write with safe guards do exist. Reason for needing safe guards as yet MFT on NTFS knowing exactly how to resize and sort out is still missing from the open world documentation.

Sorry vorg lots of applications in Linux or Windows need editing more than 1 line when you move them. Major advantage of the Unix/Linux /etc system is application configurations go into there own config files. So tracking down what needs changing when you move a application is fairly simple.

Major disadvantage with that system each configuration file can be a different format. That is what MS was trying to stop with the registry. Issue with the registry is playing with other applications keys has been tolerated and no include over lay system in the registry like in /etc.

It is what the linux .d directories are about in /etc. Unix world also created this idea after the fact too. Particallarly when it known X application + Y application edited Z applications config file and everything stoped.

Registry is basically a key feature short. How to add it that is the complex problem. Linux/Unix world has just slowly altered all the applications.

[Haos]

Not starting another registry flamewar, it has its issues and advantages as well. So has the ETC... We are cloning NT system here, so registry cloning is a must. EOT

NTFS-3g IS quite stable, although feature incomplete. It still doesnt support some NTFS specific partition states. IFS EXT2 is even more stable, but we should look forward for a complete EXT3 implementation (journalling support FTW).

[MadWolf]

hi all

imho the biggest problem with the registry is programmers riting there software to dum too much crap into the registry

[Haos]

The problem then is with the programmers, not with the registry itself.

[dj50]

Well, it's interesting what the guy says about being able to just move the application folder to a new install without the need to reinstall. With the registry you just can't do that. Also, few people know what really goes on in there, so tweaking a program's less common settings is something that you can't do easily. Actually I long for the old days when configurations were stored in readable .ini files. Why would anyone think that a big messy database of settings is a good idea?

But I have to agree, there's no NT clone without the registry, so we're stuck with it.

[Ged]

You can no longer just move programs to another place on your drive like you could with dos

I'm working on some advanced software which does just that

[SdC]

You can no longer just move programs to another place on your drive like you could with dos

I'm working on some advanced software which does just that

I was going to write:
"Oh nooooo! Ged my friend we need more ReactOS code not a Thinstall clone! "
but off course it's your own prerogative! Freedom for all!

[Ged]

It's my project at work.

And trust me, this is _much_ more advanced than thinstall, or anything else currently on the market.
It works on OS virtualazation, installing software seemlesly into virtual sandboxes including filesystem, registry, IPC, etc which can be carried from one OS to another.

[Vorg]

One of the more advanced (non-free versions) handled windows install mess by simply giving them their own branch of the directory tree. When you install, it would get it's own windows folder, reg, etc to do with as it liked and it couldn't mess with any other program or the OS. Uninstalling was as simple as deleting the that branch.