摘要：
　 ReactOS立志成为一个独立运行大部分Windows驱动和应用的平台,并且是开放源代码的，让个人操作系统不再是微软的天下。它不像Linux那么让人感觉专业化，它目标是和Windows 100%兼容，让使用Windows的老奶奶，在不用重新学习的情况下就能使用。

关键字：
桌面操作系统,开源,ReactOS,Windows

什么是ReactOS?

ReactOS是一个基于windows架构的免费并且开源的操作系统,提供对已存在的windows应用和驱动软件支持,作为目前的主要消费型操作系统的一个选择.

也许这将是重要的开端:what ReactOS -isn't.它不仅仅是建立在linux上面的一个物品,例如WINE.它并不是去完成WINE的计划或者尝试;实际上,ReactOS的用户模式部分几乎完全是基于WINE并且我们两个团队关系密切. ReactOS is also not "yet another OS".它并不试图成为作为SkyOS或任何其他的操作系统的次要角色.人们不必卸载Linux而去使用ReactOS代替它;ReactOS是windows用户的替代品.因此,这也造成了双方的误解很多.Linux用户经常奇怪为什么要在免费操作系统领域创造一个类似windows操作系统;为什么不去让人们切换到MAC或者Linux?Windows的开发人员,从另一方面不明白为什么需要去为一个操作系统重新造轮子并且不具备目前Windows已有的支持和好的品质.

d'etre的ReactOS的存在就是面对某些人、特别是公司将永远不会转向到Linux这样一个简单的事实,不论Linux是否更好，或者变得更好，他们都不会把Linux当作一个选择.还有一些人利用了Linux2.2核心,并提升到一个新的版本;这是可以理解的,他们根本没想过改用一种全新的操作系统. 直到现在,开放源码的人仍没有办法逃脱. 当然,其他可免费应用慢慢摆脱微软的应用,如办公和IE,但操作系统本身很难摆脱. 这是ReactOS的目标和打算.由于它与Windows的视觉上的一致性以及兼容性，很好的解决了人们转换操作系统到Linux所面对的问题:
大家学习的新操作系统,增加支持成本、购置或写新软件、硬件兼容,等等无法完全列举的问题. 在ReactOS,所有这些疑虑消失,除了使所有微软支持服务合同将形同虚设(如果是有任何第三方人员和技术员负责就不会有问题).在对ReactOS进行一个完备的测试以后的最终版本,把它秘密的安装到祖母的计算机上,然后观察她的变化.如果她仍然能够想以前一样使用PC,那么ReactOS从某方面来说是成功的而Linux是失败的.因此,担心ReactOS将与其他操作系统竞争是毫无根据的; 它只会和Windows竞争并取得市场占有率.

同时ReactOS的源代码的用途目前主要是让感兴趣的开发人员完善它,不需要你成为一个专家才能使用它,他最终的情形将成为一个友好的个人操作系统.如果您正在使用Windows,ReactOS会让你觉得自己仍处于自己熟悉的环境.你需要学习的东西非常少,不论如何,ReactOS后来重写了大量的Windows图形环境Applets,控制面板和对话框(Windows 2000/XP/2003's,不包括 Vista's).

目前的重点是让ReactOS发展成为一个独立运行大部分Windows驱动和应用的平台.但是并不意味着ReactOS就会就此停住发展,不论怎么样,被增加到Windows新的特征,我们的开发人员将努力把这些新的特征在新版本的ReactOS中实现.一旦达到一定的兼容程度,我们甚至会改善ReactOS的Windows根基.这些改变主要是操作系统核心之外，并且完全兼容Windows，带来的额外的好处.例如,我们的另一个目标,为Unix建立一个和POSIX兼容的像Windows的服务.使得它能够简单的通过多种方式支持多样的桌面,而不是需要一个高级的工具去完成这个事情.

只要反对微软垄断桌面操作系统的愿望,越来越多的开发者的加入，ReactOS也将会被更多的人知道.

ReactOS® 是ReactOS基金会的注册商标.
Windows® NT&trade 是微软公司的注册商标.

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本人英语水平有限，四级都没过，翻译中错误之处在所难免，下附原文，敬请指正。

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http://www.reactos.org

原文

What is ReactOS?
ReactOS is a free and open-sourced operating system based on the Windows architecture,providing support for existing applications and drivers,and an alternative to the current dominant consumer operating system.

It would be perhaps important to start by saying what ReactOS -isn't-. It is not another wrapper built on Linux,like WINE. It does not attempt or plan to compete with WINE; in fact,the user-mode part of ReactOS is almost entirely WINE-based and our two teams have close ties. ReactOS is also not "yet another OS". It does not attempt to be a third player,like SkyOS or any other alternative OS out there. People are not meant to uninstall Linux and use ReactOS instead; ReactOS is a replacement for Windows users. As such,this has created a lot of misunderstanding from both sides. Linux users often wonder why create dillution in the free OS space by creating a Windows-alike OS; wouldn't that keep some people from switching to Mac/Linux? Windows developers,on the other hand,don't understand the need to reinvent the wheel by an OS that doesn't have the high quality and support that Windows has.

The raison-d'etre of ReactOS is the simple fact that some people,or especially companies,will -never- switch to Linux. No matter how much Linux gets better,or is better,it is not an option for them. Some people out there still use the 2.2 Linux Kernel and refuse to upgrade to a new version of the same OS; it is understandable that others will be totally unwilling to switch to a whole new OS. Until now,open source had no way to reach out to those people. Sure,other free applications could slowly get rid of the Microsoft applications,such as Office and IE,but the OS itself is hard to get rid of. This is the target and intended audience of ReactOS. Because of its compatibility and visual consistency with Windows,it removes much of the problems that people or companies face when switching to Linux: training everyone on the new OS,increased support costs,acquiring or writing new software,hardware incompatibilities,and the list grows. With ReactOS,all those worries vanish,except perhaps for the fact that any support contract with Microsoft will be rendered useless (however,any technician or 3rd-party personel in charge of this would have no problem). A good test for ReactOS,in its final version,would be to secretely install it on a grandmother's computer,and see if she notices the change. If she is still able to use the PC like before,then ReactOS has suceeded somewhere where Linux would've certaintly Failed. Therefore,the fear that ReactOS will compete with other alternative operating systems is unfounded; it will only compete and take market share away from Windows.

Whilst ReactOS' source availability and current usage is mostly intended for programmers to expand and improve on,you don't need to be a rocket scientist to use it,and in its final state will be a completely friendly consumer OS. If you've used Windows before,you'll find yourself in a familiar environment with ReactOS. The learning curve should be minimal,if any at all,since ReactOS duplicates many of the Windows graphical environment applets,control panels and dialogs (Windows 2000/XP/2003's,not Vista's).

Focus at present is on developing ReactOS to a stage where it is capable of running most Windows drivers and applications "out of the Box." This does not mean that ReactOS will stop there,however; as new features are added to Windows,our developers be striving to incorporate such new features in future versions of ReactOS. Once the compatibility level has been reached,we may even choose to improve ReactOS beyond its Windows roots. These changes would be external from the main OS,and totally compatible with Windows,but they would add an extra advantage. For example,one of our goals is to have built-in POSIX compatibility,much like Windows Services for Unix. It could also be as simple as natively supporting multiple desktops however,instead of requiring a powertoy.

Once a dream of those opposed to the monopoly Microsoft hold on desktop operating systems,more and more developers are joining the reaction that is known as... ReactOS.

ReactOS® is a registered trademark of the ReactOS Foundation.Windows® NT&trade is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.