Member Avatar for tun712

I was wandering aimlessly on google, I found ReactOS. It's interesting.

I tried this OS, many windows applications are running well on it. But some latest applications are unable to run like Firefox 65.0.1

I have few questions,

  • How worth is using this OS?
  • What is future of this OS?
  • How secure is this OS?
  • What development is required to run latest applications?
  • How to search books & tuts, which are useful for this OS development?
  • Can anybody help me here to compile & edit some part of OS (I would like to do some theme work)
  • 4 Contributors
  • 13 Replies
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  • 3 Weeks Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by tun712
Member Avatar for rproffitt

"That OS" has a long history. I recall it being closer to Windows 95 than today's NT based Windows. I don't expect it to ever be finished. You are better off on some Linux IMO.

Member Avatar for tun712

Why you are not expecting it to be completed ?

I also found another link MMURTL V1.0, how useful is this?

Is there any other alternative available ?

Member Avatar for rproffitt

Look to their past. I think it was in 1996 so 23 years later.

Anyhow I've done a few tools that run in Python so that gets me some OS agnostic apps out there. After playing with React decades ago and on/off again I'm left with a big why do we need this? Why not Linux?

Member Avatar for rproffitt

All this is your choice to dive into creating or using what I'm going to call "wheels." There are folk that like developing this and we need folk that dive into OS development. But they could be lost to the world of developing apps and web sites. That is, you may not find anyone that does it all.

For me the work I do requires the app run on platforms you see out there in the majority. Due to what the systems we connect to with the smart phones and PCs this means Android and Windows. We could do Linux and DOS but then we fail the test about being in the majority of host machines for our apps.

-> ChromeOS is useful for many reasons. For example I can buy 80 dollar laptops (refurb) and if I install ChromeOS and if that works that's a nice Chromebook for cheap. So there's a reason for ChromeOS since a lot of folk could live on a Chromebook.

The last one is too limiting for me to comment on. There are many more orphan OSes out there and you could spend a year re-discovering them.

Member Avatar for chuckc

Interesting discussion. I wonder what language(s) Windows 10 is written in? OS complexity seems to have increased at least a couple orders of magnitude over the years.
A team project?

Wow, original sources of MS/DOS, that could be a collectible!

Does anyone do Ap development using Windows? Aside from Linux, what are the most common platforms?

commented: Actually it's quite a mix of languages. Assembler is in there too. There's YouTube's out there for that. +15
Member Avatar for tun712

@rproffitt , I think nobody's interested in discussion, except you, but I'm getting very curious...

How do I start Open-source project ? How to gather programmers? ( Not possible to force someone, but how to ask people to join project)

Which compiler should be used for compiling c++ & assembly code?

I'd like to use code by Richard Burgess MMURTL V1.0 Is any other good option?
"From scratch"- is it good idea, or using some base s/w would be better?

Poor response for this discussion here, if I start project , can anybody help me here?

Would you like to help me to start project?

Member Avatar for rproffitt

I'm the wrong person to ask if I would get into the dev team of an open source OS. I noted above that these are the wheels on our computers today and the real action is in the apps. By apps I mean programs, web sites, and the whole gamut from single chip systems to mainframes.

If you want to get into OS development you would join one of the existing teams to see what goes on or decide you want to strike out on your own with the TunOS.

The biggest problem I see when folk start down this road is "Where are you going?" and along the lines of wheels is this really needed? That is, we have open source DOSes out there, Linux versions that are small (diskette sized) to mainframe size and then commercial OSes like Apple and Microsoft provide. I'm also had experience with older OSes like PSOS for an embedded system but never considered my own from scratch because that would add possibly years till the product would be delivered.

-> FINALLY we have to talk about times where there is NO-OS. Since I was involved in single chip (think MicroChip.com) solutions and single board solutions at times all we would do is write a boot loader then jump to our app that was in C. So if your target is specific enough (ask if you need examples) then you don't bother with an OS.

Member Avatar for tun712

TunOS : Sounds Nice!!! :) :D

Need help to start my opensource project. How do I start, just like ReactOS for example.

What are requirements for developing / starting OS Project?

I have listed below basic requirements

  • kernel
  • boot loader
  • filesystem
    Which compiler should I choose?
Member Avatar for rproffitt

"Which compiler should I choose?"

Look to prior OS development to see what they use. Also, the target platform needs definition. For a Microchip SOA you would use Microchip's free IDE or others. For today's PCs give yourself a year to learn about the PC from the days of BIOS to today's UEFI.

To get an idea of how complex today's UEFI boot system is, watch https://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/Going+Deep/Inside-Windows-8-Chris-Stevens-Boot-Environment

It's become so complex that there is a team just for the boot loader.

My question to you is do you have the time to immerse yourself in just one eco-system?
Why isn't one of the dozens of PC OSes workable for your final project?

Member Avatar for bernardo.mclobo

Hi.

ReactOS is supposed that the OS will run windows software, some say that has the maturity of an XP, but I really haven't try it, and as far as I know, it is not recommended to use it daily. I recommend you to go to the ReactOS forum, maybe they can help you if you want to develop for it.

Maybe linux from scratch can help you give you an idea on how the OS uses all the modules, etc. to boot up.

Member Avatar for tun712

rproffitt ,

actually I don't have much time to start Project on my own. This is interesting topic, but time consuming & team dependent.
I just wanted to start project where programmers can join & help to OS development.

As I'm reading more on this topic, understanding the actual problems in overall development.

Just thinking for free alternative to running Windows applications.

(banging head on RHEL 7.6 doors)

commented: Few I know run that distro. "Red Hat uses strict trademark rules to restrict free re-distribution of its officially supported versions" so that's why. +15
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