New Reactos Version Supports Windows 10 8 Vista Software

ReactOS is an open-source platform that is compatible with Windows software. Although ReactOS is nothing new, the platform’s developers have just released the latest 0.4.8 version of the OS. The best thing about ReactOS 0.4.8 is its experimental support for Windows 10, 8 and Vista.

The ReactOS platform is one designed to look and feel a lot like Windows. The latest ReactOS version has a UI design that is very comparable to Win 95. The ReactOS team is designing an open-source OS compatible with an expanding amount of Windows software that you can run within a UI that emulates Windows.

Earlier ReactOS versions support NT5 Windows software. This means you can run Windows XP and Server 2003 software on them. However, the 0.4.8 version is expanding support for Windows NT6 platforms, otherwise Windows 10/8/Vista. This support for Windows 10 apps is only in an experimental stage. The ReactOS business and strategy officer stated:

You cannot run loads of Windows 10 apps in ReactOS at the moment. However, you can still open some notable Windows software within ReactOS. For example, LibreOffice, Opera, Firefox, Photoshop CS2, WinZip and Foxit Reader are a few of the programs that run in the OS.

Although in a really greenish and experimental state, the new additions in 0.4.8 should start helping several software pieces created for Vista and upwards to start working in ReactOS.

Aside from its expanded NT6 support, the latest ReactOS version also includes new tool comparable to the DrWatson32 software. That tool saves crash logs to the ReactOS desktop. The tool is primarily included to assist ReactOS developers.

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Before you jump on the ReactOS bandwagon, note that this is still an alpha-stage platform. As such, it is not exactly a final product at the moment. ReactOS still has plenty of bugs that need ironing out despite the latest 0.4.8 release. Support for Windows 10 and 8 apps is also still in an early stage.

Nevertheless, the ReactOS website boasts that the platform has still had more than six million downloads. You can download the latest version as a Boot CD or Live CD from this webpage. The LiveCD enables you to try out ReactOS without installing it.

So if you are looking for an alternative to Windows, ReactOS might be worth noting. A few years from now it might support a wide range of Windows 10 and 8 software.