Most people never dip their toes into the world of alternative computer operating systems, instead sticking with Windows or macOS since they're pre-installed. That's perfectly fine for most use cases since both the Redmond and Cupertino giants deliver excellent desktop operating systems for great laptops and desktops. However, if you're a power user who likes to shape things according to your own needs, then the Linux family is the undisputed champion (for instance, Google's Chrome OS uses the Linux kernel), but it does have its share of contenders.
Having said that, switching your OS often requires a steep learning curve. This is where ReactOS comes into play, and it outshines other candidates. Imagine running your favorite Windows applications and drivers natively in a source-built environment that you can trust with a familiar interface, minus the extensive amount of bloat. That's exactly what ReactOS is. It's not just open-source; it's a free, lightweight operating system.
What is ReactOS?Not exactly a new kid on the block
ReactOS has its roots in the FreeWin95 project, which dates back to 1996. The original idea was to develop an open-source clone of Windows 95, but eventually, the focus shifted to Windows NT. After a myriad of goof-ups and internal restructuring, what we have now is a well-balanced initiative to create an open-source project that is fully compatible with all Windows NT-based drivers, applications, and services.
Currently, the ReactOS development team considers Microsoft Server 2003 as the benchmark for platform stability. Don't let the ancient base confuse you; several modern components, such as UEFI boot support, are being written from scratch to make the OS futureproof.
An important thing to note is that ReactOS isn't a wrapper or compatibility layer like Wine. It has a standalone NT-compliant kernel, which includes complete implementations of the Object manager, IO manager, Executive, NT thread scheduler, and more. Going up, you can find independently developed layers, such as the bootloader, driver store, Win32 APIs, system processes, and finally, a shell with a GUI file explorer. While the project does use portions of the Wine codebase corresponding to user-mode libraries to reduce redundancy, ReactOS is a full-fledged operating system on its own.
InstallationPartitioning, formatting, and dealing with the bootloaderThe compiled version of ReactOS is available for download in two formats: a disc image (ISO) file that can be used to burn a live-booting CD and another solely intended for installation. Both variants can be booted from a USB flash drive. Of course, the former is the preferred method since it can be run directly off the thumb drive without needing to install it on the target computer’s internal storage.
To start up the OS, simply insert the thumb drive into a USB port and reboot your computer. Most modern computers can be set to temporarily boot from the USB drive by pressing the OEM-specific key during the boot process and then selecting the thumb drive manually in the boot priority menu. Keep in mind that the current iteration of ReactOS can only boot in BIOS mode, so you have to disable Secure Boot and enable the legacy boot mode first to proceed.
The installation process is divided into two segments, just like the Windows XP/Server 2003 setup routine. The first part is console-based, where you partition your HDD and bootstrap the installation. After that, the PC reboots and starts the graphical installation portion from the HDD. The GUI installation wizard is extremely basic, which indirectly reflects how lightweight the OS is. If everything goes right, you will reach the desktop after a final reboot.
Hardware compatibilityThe elephant in the roomFor my testing, I opted for the latest stable release of ReactOS, which is 0.4.14 at the time of this writing. The project offers nightly builds as well, but they are intended for bleeding-edge development, so it's better to avoid them if you don't know what you're doing.
Initially, I tested the ReactOS live thumb drive on a not-so-old Intel NUC 10, powered by the Intel i5-10210U with 16GB RAM. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, the PC went into an endless reboot loop as soon as it started booting from USB. Next, I tried booting on my trusty Dell Latitude E5470, which sports a sixth-generation Intel i5 processor. The USB key did boot on this platform, albeit with some graphical glitches. I reached as far as the desktop, but then the UI hung, the cursor disappeared after a few seconds, and the OS simply refused to proceed any further.
The last computer I tried was a retro Acer Veriton M275 desktop with an archaic dual-core Intel Pentium E6700 CPU running at 3.2GHz and 2GB (!) of RAM. Unsurprisingly, everything went well, and I installed ReactOS in one go. The XP-era hardware was almost a perfect match sans graphics. By default, the system booted into 1024x768 resolution, and there was no option to get hardware acceleration working. I could manually change the resolution, but trying to sideload the GPU driver almost immediately resulted in a BSOD.
Apart from that, other hardware modules were supported just fine. The built-in network card, sound system, and various USB mice and keyboards all worked after a little bit of tinkering here and there. In a nutshell, your best bet is to stick with a VM or find an old PC with a traditional BIOS for its firmware for best compatibility. Don't expect your new laptop or fancy gaming PC to run ReactOS anytime soon.
Getting around the OSA slim experience, for the most partReactOS, even though it's still alpha-quality software, is extremely fast and responsive. The user interfacecan jog your childhood memories since it's heavily inspired by Windows XP. Apart from the classic and modern themes, you can also choose between three different visual styles, namely "Lautus," "Lunar," and "Mizu."
Because ReactOS primarily mimics a server variant of Windows, the default install type is set as Server. It can also be set as Workstation during installation, which could be useful for installing third-party programs later since some app installers deliberately skip server editions.
The default file system for the OS drive is FAT32. It might sound peculiar, but ReactOS can't be installed in an NTFS-formatted volume, primarily because of the lack of a proper NT-style open-source implementation of Microsoft's file system. Instead, the OS ships with inbox Btrfs support. You can install ReactOS on a Btrfs-formatted volume and boot from it without any special tricks starting from version 0.4.10.
ApplicationsSurprisingly useful offeringsReactOS comes with several applications pre-installed. There are the usual accessories like a calculator, text editors, a paintbrush program, a rudimentary media player, and a couple of games. Notably, a browser based on Wine's Gecko implementation is included out of the box, but it is extremely barebones. You can also find an array of administrative tools, such as an RDP client, a keyboard layout switcher, a dxdiag-esque video and sound-related diagnostic tool, and an applet for controlling virtual drives for mounting disk images.
Most of these applications are on the same level as Windows inbox apps from the XP era — small utilities that are helpful to get started without any fancy UI or user tracking inside. The default file explorer is compact and fast, so the command line shell is. The OS supports custom shells, but installing full-fledged KDE on it is still a distant dream.
ReactOS also features an Application Manager tool, which acts like a storefront for third-party apps. I managed to find 7-Zip, LibreOffice, and even older builds of Firefox there. Not a single issue to download, install, and run them, but you might face occasional stuttering in the case of large installers.
After all, you can consider ReactOS as a GNU variant of Windows, which means you're not limited to inbox apps or the ones offered by the Application Manager. Unless there is a hardcore dependency on some runtime that is not installable under ReactOS, typical Windows binaries should run just fine.
Browsing the webA major stumbling blockFor many general-purpose productivity apps, the world has moved on to cloud-based solutions. As a result, any niche operating system today must come with a good web browser. This is where ReactOS falls short. To recall, you need to rely on third-party browsers right from the beginning, as the inbox solution is extremely dated.
The internet has become way more complicated than it was two decades ago. You need to comply with a ton of cryptographic protocols to access a modern website, and ReactOS isn't ready for that just yet. Plus, there is no built-in firewall in ReactOS, which is a huge security risk.
I tested out Google Docs on Firefox, and, to my surprise, the site worked perfectly, albeit a little slower than I was used to. I started up a new document and could edit, add images, and change fonts without any problems.
While the age-old Firefox won’t win any speed contests, it actually functioned with quite a few websites I threw at it. The lack of graphical acceleration was a major bottleneck, though, as frequent black rectangles were lurking around the UI. All in all, you're strongly advised not to use ReactOS for your web browsing needs.
To React or not to React?Definitely not everyone's cup of teaNow, you might be asking what the point of ReactOS is. Well, Windows might have been reduced into a bloated mess, but a true open-source alternative suffers from no such problems. Developers can work on it as a hobby for as long as they want without worrying about whether it can generate revenue from built-in ads or bundled online services. The fact that ReactOS exists today in a reasonably useful alpha form is a testament to this philosophy.
The primary motivations for creating ReactOS were to end the monopoly of Microsoft by delivering a lightweight Windows "clone." Frankly, this sort of thing has been attempted many times over the years. As any programmer will tell you, it is always more fun to start from scratch than to work on reversing a black box. ReactOS was always very small and very fast, but it got there by sacrificing features that would help the average user feel at home.
Starting from scratch means your application base also starts from scratch, and ReactOS’s overall stability and compatibility never quite got to the point where it would fill most people’s computing needs. Considering how fast-paced the consumer PC hardware scene has become, projects like ReactOS will never be suitable for most people unless Microsoft opens up the core Windows kernel. In a nutshell, ReactOS is fast and fun but may not be much more than an intriguing diversion, something to dabble with on a spare piece of hardware on a rainy afternoon.
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