ReactOS reaches milestone with self-hosting NTFS driver
ReactOS can now be installed and run using its own NTFS file-system driver, and the driver also gains NTFS formatting capability.
Summary
The ReactOS open-source Windows-compatible operating system has achieved a significant milestone: its NTFS driver has matured enough to support installing and running the OS itself. The driver also now supports formatting volumes as NTFS. This progress brings ReactOS closer to its long-delayed beta release. However, the driver still lacks caching, journaling, and security features, resulting in slower performance than other NTFS implementations.
What's still missing in ReactOS NTFS
- No caching: disk I/O is slower than other NTFS drivers
- No journaling: crash recovery capabilities are limited
- No security support: NTFS ACLs and permissions not yet handled
- Potential undiscovered bugs: project notes further issues may exist
- Formatting support newly added: can now create NTFS volumes, not just read/write existing ones
Why it matters
This milestone strengthens ReactOS's claim as a viable open-source alternative to Windows by reducing dependence on third-party drivers. For users and developers tracking the project's decades-long alpha phase, the progress toward beta is notable, though daily use remains impractical given the performance and reliability gaps.
Original reference: www.phoronix.com →