ReactOS "Open-Source Windows" Making Progress On SMP/Multi-Core Support
ReactOS as the open-source project striving for binary compatibility with Windows applications/drivers is still working away in 2022 on symmetric multi-processing (SMP) support.
Proper SMP/multi-core support is obviously critical for today's hardware or even anything in the past roughly two decades... It's also been a pain point for ReactOS, but fortunately the situation is improving.
With experimental code ReactOS has for a first time been able to run in SMP mode and reach their desktop - albeit in safe mode.
While an achievement on their path towards proper SMP support, this latest ReactOS code isn't yet merged or ready to be - more work is needed ahead of getting that code mainlined. In any event, a major milestone for ReactOS and this "open-source Windows" OS effort moves forward.
Proper SMP/multi-core support is obviously critical for today's hardware or even anything in the past roughly two decades... It's also been a pain point for ReactOS, but fortunately the situation is improving.
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Experimental code allows getting ReactOS booting to the desktop in SMP mode.
With experimental code ReactOS has for a first time been able to run in SMP mode and reach their desktop - albeit in safe mode.
This is pretty recent and first trials. Not in master (or trunk) and some goals need to be achieved first in order to be ready: Working perfectly in one core when SMP is activated, then letting multiple cores to work in coordination.
— ReactOS (@reactos) March 13, 2022
While an achievement on their path towards proper SMP support, this latest ReactOS code isn't yet merged or ready to be - more work is needed ahead of getting that code mainlined. In any event, a major milestone for ReactOS and this "open-source Windows" OS effort moves forward.