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ReactOS "Open-Source Windows" Reaches The Milestone Of Being Able To Run Half-Life
(www.phoronix.com)
That's fantastic. Congrats to the ReactOS devs
this post was submitted on 14 Jun 2026
203 points (98.6% liked)
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"Details on X".
urgh, I don't want to read anything on Twitter.
Good thing the details aren't actually details. It's a super short Tweet by ReactOS with celebratory screenshot and the acknowledgement that it still has bugs and crashes you wouldn't get on actual Windows. That's genuinely it.
Appreciate you
Replace "x" with "xcancel" in the url, and it usually works (slightly better than the raw cesspit)
oh I get I can, I just think Twitter is horrid and I don't even want to acknowledge it in that form lol
This will be an essential part of industry quite soon. It all runs on old versions of windows and having a compatible, supported runtime will be invaluable.
Might also pave a path towards governments moving off windows if it can run existing software they use.
Wine would still be better though, especially if they have the source code. Can be used like a dependency to produce a Linux compatible package like how Java applications either bundle or depend on a JVM in the package manager.
yeah that's true
Wait I don't mean to put any shade on these developers but don't we already have Linux and wine, why would you try to copy windows?
Actually, ReactOS and Wine have historically worked together and share significant technical overlap in the goal of reimplementing the Windows API, though they have different approaches and end goals. They're separate projects now, but a lot of work in wine happened thanks to ReactOS.
because a fucking depressing amount of computers are still running old windows versions for compatibility reasons, and it would be really nice if we could eventually replace it with something that isn't a leaking sieve in terms of security.
why would you try to copy windows?
Because you may prove you can? I mean, this is an absolutely valid reason.
Never underestimate a dev's willingness to do something simply for the hell of it
It's good to be back in 1998 again.
I honestly would love it...
who even cares at this point? proton on linux is much better, maybe if the development on reactos wasnt so glacial they wouldve had a place... like 10 years ago
ReactOS collaborates with projects like Wine; you would arguably not have Proton without it (or at least not as useful). The process of building ReactOS itself is useful to the FOSS ecosystem perhaps more than the finished "product".
this is like complaining about tractors being outdated and clunky, buddy you're not the target audience
how does it handle Starcraft and Age of Empire 2?
I use a ReactOS vm to play Command and Conquer Red Alert. I haven't tried the games you mentioned but they should work if they work in Wine.