ReactOS 0.3.14 brings improvements with help from GSoC students

The ReactOS project has released version 0.3.14 of its Windows-compatible open source operating system. The update includes improvements to the TCP/IP networking stack that have been implemented as part of the Google Summer of Code (GSoC) 2011. ReactOS now uses the lwIP networking library and a driver built around it. The developers say the enhancements have "significantly increased both stability and performance".

Other improvements in this version include theme support that enables users to install Windows XP-based themes to change the look of ReactOS's user interface, Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) support for power buttons and full system power off, and support for wireless network drivers that provide the ability to connect to WEP-encrypted wireless networks. The developers also point out that the system can now be built using MSVC on Windows or, as before, using GCC on Windows, Linux and Mac OS X.

ReactOS has been written from scratch to provide binary compatibility with the Windows NT architecture, with the design of the system being based on Windows XP/2003. The project has been in alpha since its first release in 1998 and is not recommended for production use. Users testing the release are asked to provide feedback and report any bugs they find.

More details about other improvements in this release can be found in the release notes and in the change log. ReactOS 0.3.14 is available to download from the project's site; an installation guide is provided. Hosted on SourceForge, ReactOS is licensed under the GPL; some included components have different licensing, such as Wine which is licensed under the LGPL.

See also:

• ReactOS 0.3.13 improves memory management, a report from The H.
• New life for dead software, a feature from The H.

(crve)