Exciting Updates from the ReactOS Team
This week, the ReactOS team made a long-awaited update via their official X social media account, confirming that the project is very much alive. While the announcement didn’t hold groundbreaking revelations, several positive developments were shared that signal progress for the open-source operating system.
Key Advances in System Functionality
The team has successfully implemented booting with the Windows audio stack, although they caution that some issues still persist. More importantly, users can expect LiveUSB functionality soon, broadening the scope for ReactOS installations. Anticipation is already building for more updates to come in the near future.
Major Enhancements in Version 0.4.15
New insights have surfaced regarding the impending improvements, particularly with the release of version 0.4.15. This version introduces several critical enhancements, primarily focusing on the Plug and Play Manager, which now bolsters LiveUSB support and optimizes compatibility with third-party drivers. Notably, users can look forward to a significant boost in performance, attributed to advancements in caching and memory management.
Improved Performance and Stability
The updated system supports the Microsoft FAT file system import, enhancing both performance and reliability. According to the ReactOS announcement:
Because of improvements in the memory manager and cache controller, we can now import the open source Microsoft FAT filesystem driver from the Windows Driver Kit (WDK).This FAT filesystem driver is a huge improvement from the old one, which was slower and less stable. Additionally, external drives with FAT filesystem can now be properly ejected thanks to this new driver.
Registry Caching and Healing Mechanisms
Another substantial enhancement is the introduction of Registry caching alongside mechanisms for Registry healing and flushing. These processes are crucial for the frequent rewriting of registry entries and rectifying corrupted files, mirroring the upgrades seen in file system maintenance:
Registry healing and flushing are both designed to improve system stability when faced with an unexpected power outage or a crash. Healing applies appropriate fixes to a corrupted registry and flushing periodically writes registry changes to the disk, ensuring registry changes persist even if the system is not cleanly shut down. Caching improves performance when accessing it.
Additional Improvements and Features
The latest update also includes notable shell enhancements, such as corrected desktop icon functionalities and enlarged taskbar icons, alongside exciting new features like native ZIP support. Users will also benefit from advancements in audio capabilities, which now encompass support for multiple audio formats, looped playback of wave files, elevated sample rates, and several output channels. The default audio output is now supported on VirtualBox setups with older Intel Controller Hub (ICH) AC’97 Audio Controllers.
Security and Usability Upgrades
On the security front, several improvements have been made alongside updates to various system tools and applications, including the Input Method Editor (IME), Notepad, and Paint. A full overview of these enhancements can be found in the official blog post.
What’s Next?
Although a comprehensive official changelog for ReactOS version 0.4.15 is still pending release, a preliminary community changelog is already available for those interested. If you’re eager to test the latest version, you can visit the downloads page on the ReactOS official site and start exploring the enhancements offered by this exciting release.
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