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ReactOS Runs On The XBox

Posted by timothy on from the bunch-of-weirdos dept.

KJK::Hyperion writes "ReactOS (the open-source Windows clone) has been ported and successfully runs on the Microsoft XBox (screenshot), thanks to the interest and knowledge base of the XBox Linux project and the work of Gé van Geldorp (HAL and boot loader) and Hervé Poussineau (FATX driver)." (Read on for more.)

KJK::Hyperion continues "This port definitely establishes two facts: the XBox is nothing but a broken PC, and the kernel + HAL design that ReactOS inherited from Windows is sound - all of the changes to the core system necessary for the XBox port (namely, the blacklisting of a buggy PCI device and handling the fixed partition table on the built-in hard disk) were limited to the HAL. This is a first, important step towards better portability, as it has already underlined some shortcomings in our build system.

What the port is lacking is hardware support: especially, ReactOS has no USB support at the moment, so it basically just sits there being pretty, because mouse and keyboard won't work. The network and video cards should be mostly identical to their "real" counterparts, so the Windows drivers for them should work (except the video card, a modified GeForce - it's been established we need some HAL trickery to make the Windows driver load). We wouldn't mind some help :-)

To run ReactOS on the XBox you need our custom version of the Cromwell boot loader (not released yet) and the XBox HAL for for ReactOS."

10 of 289 comments (clear)

  1. Hmm Running a.. by 2mcm · · Score: 4, Funny

    MS windows emulator on a peice of MS hardware .... nice

  2. Yeah... by bccomm · · Score: 5, Funny

    but will it run Linux?

    Oh wait...

  3. Soooo..... by dnaboy · · Score: 4, Funny
    They got an embedded windows box to run a windows clone...

    This is all getting a little silly.

  4. Next question: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    When will they get ReactOS working on a PC?

  5. Minesweeper by believekevin · · Score: 5, Funny

    Does Minesweeper support Xbox Live?

  6. Yeah... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    My ISP won't talk to me after lodging a support call for helping gettting ADSL hooked up to a WinXP install running under VMWare under Linux on my XBox.

  7. Re:Cheap by dnaboy · · Score: 4, Funny
    Actually, with a $100 AOL rebate* and a $100 MSN rebate**, this thing's free...

    * Requires 8 year subscription to AOL at $23.95 per month

    ** Requires 12 year subscription to MSN at 21.95 per month

  8. Waiting for the XBOX to run Longhorn by Ingolfke · · Score: 4, Funny

    When XBOX runs Longhorn, then I'll think about switching.

  9. running? by focitrixilous+P · · Score: 4, Funny
    What the port is lacking is hardware support: especially, ReactOS has no USB support at the moment, so it basically just sits there being pretty, because mouse and keyboard won't work.

    This must be some new meaning of 'running' an OS I was unaware of.

    Anyone want a 'running' Mac SE 30 with ethernet card? Drop me an email.

    --
    SAILING MISHAP
  10. Re:ReactOS? by gnarlin · · Score: 5, Funny

    The short of it is that we have some embarassingly bad code in the kernel.

    So that means you are really making some headway in duplicating windows properly ;-)

    --
    A bad analogy is like a leaky screwdriver.