ReactOS, wanna be Windows XP/200x replacement

While going though my blogroll today, I found ReactOS. ReactOS aim to achieve full binary compatibility for applications and device drivers for windows XP/200x series OS's from MS.

What really amazed me most is that this highly ambitios project is existing since 1995.

While the aims are good, I have a few words to say in opposition.

What is the aim of Free and Open Source Software.
Aim of FOSS should be to liberate the end user from the tricks that vendors of proprietary and closed source software employ to lock in users. By developing the windows clone. By developing a Windows XP clone we are again putting back the user into the shackles.

Talent can be utilized else where
This talent can be utilized on enhancing existing free and open source softwares such as Linux, GNOME, OpenOffice, Firefox, Thunderbird etc.

Spend time on original thing
I ask why would a person use ReactOS, if he can use MS Windows. No matter how hard we try still ReactOS is going to be behind MS version by a very large distance. This was no the case with Linux as the specs where not closed, they were open and developers could implement them and saty on bleeding edge of the features. What is ReactOS team going to do when Vista comes out. It will take them another 10 years to reverse engineer it and then develop it. By then MS will be ready with something else. So IMHO, it is better if we spend our efforts on the oringinal things.

On the positive note, this a very good news for FOSS community. By developing Linux, FreeBSD etc. we demonstrated that it is not only Bell Labs who can develop Unix. Now, we are demonstrating that it is not only MS who can develop windows XP.

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