Running Livecode on ReactOS [Why? Because its there!]

1. Running ReactOS in Oracle VM VirtualBox on Ubuntu-Linux 11.04 (Host has 1 GB RAM, VBox 512).

2. The pre-configured VBox image on the ReactOS site froze fairly quickly.

3. Downloaded an SVN 0.4 build and installed from the ISO image.

3.1. Went through 3 builds as ReactOS really does duplicate the blue-screens of death very well
       indeed.

3.1.1 Oddly enough the thing downloaded the WINE-Gecko engine halfway through the install.

3.2. The Windows installer (4.0) does NOT function.

3.3. Copied a Windows install under WINE into an ISO image.

3.4. Copied the Windows install across into the Documents folder of ReactOS; it started
       and asked me for my license code; and then froze.

3.4.1 "entertainingly" when ReactOS froze the fans on my Linux box started spinning
         nineteen to the dozen, which made me quit VBox multo-quickly!

4. Well; ReactOS, at least, renders PNG images, which WINE does not, and the WINE forum
    "get all prickly" when you mention this.

5. Apart from that ReactOS stinks; it resembles a sort of "half-cock job" at imitating Windows 95 . . . and the team (who, reading between the lines, appear to be one Russian chap and his dog) seem to have been working at 'it' for years and years.

I went back to the website and read this:

"The ultimate goal of ReactOS is to allow you to remove Windows® and install ReactOS without the end user noticing the change."

I cannot quite understand the point of this. Either (having, one hopes, paid for a license,) one is perfectly happy working with Windows, or, being unhappy with Windows, one will chuck it out and start using a Linux distro or one of the many other operating systems available. Why one would want to replace Windows by a poorly made copy of the same thing escapes me completely.

"It is our view that Linux + Wine can never be a full replacement for Microsoft(R) Windows(R). ReactOS has the potential for a much higher degree of compatibility - especially for Microsoft(R) Windows(R) drivers - which WINE does not address."

This is full of all sorts of odd stuff:

"It is our view that Linux + Wine can never be a full replacement for Microsoft(R) Windows(R). "

This lot love the (R) things which they chuck around like water, as if it makes any difference at all.

Of course "Linux + Wine" can never be a full replacement for Microsoft(R) Windows(R), it isn't really trying to be. What it is trying to be is an alternative family of operating systems (the way the ReactOS keeps rabbitting on as if Linux were as monolithic as Windows is also a bit disingenuous), where WINE is really a stop-gap to run programs authored for Windows until such as time as an
adequate alternative has been programmed for Linux.

"ReactOS has the potential for a much higher degree of compatibility - especially for Microsoft(R) Windows(R) drivers - which WINE does not address."

First off; that word "potential"; 'twill be a long time until it is realised, by which time Windows will have moved ahead a lot more quickly than ReactOS ever will.

'Drivers'; I dunno; but every time I plug a peripheral into my Ubuntu box it works without any silly dialog boxes anent drivers popping up; so why should I get my knickers in a twist here?

this section "What about UNIX?":

http://www.reactos.org/en/about.html

really is daft; first UNIX is criticised because it is old: well, so is my Dad; but he knows a hell of a lot more about many things than my kids, so it is he to whom I turn to for advice!

"modern UNIX derivates {sic} are trying to catch up with recent innovation"

what a crock of 'shoe-polish'. The fact that the website sports quite a bit of 'Ringlish' [English strained
through Russian socks] doesn't turn me on either.

Either stick with Windows, Mac or Linux [err . . . Haiku; a bit slow right now . . . Andre?],
but don't fall between 2 stools with ReactOS.

Richmond.

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