WHAT TO EXPECT? Drivers and CAD software compatibility?

[Timmi]

Could some please tell me what to expect with this operating system?
My system is a less than a decade old Gateway AMDx64 quad-core, with 6GB of RAM, and an AMD/ATI Radeon HD 6520G graphics chipset.

Hardware Drivers compatibility:
Can I expect the video drivers for Windows 7 (or Windows 8 or Win10) to work with this? I don't think they offer older. I will need a driver that permits hardware acceleration and other functions that 3D CAD software uses. And also my laptop's 1600x900 resolution mode.

Software compatibility:
Can I expect the following software programs to work in this OS? They all require Windows (many Win7 or more recent).
AutoCAD
Autodesk Inventor
Autodesk Fusion 360
Solidworks
These are high-end design software, and the two last offer rather complex solid modeling and finite element analysis.
Take note that CAD-clones (like clones of AutoCAD or "alternative 3D programs") lack too many of the features, are unstable and full of bugs, and are not suitable as replacements for me, as I wish to earn a living using them.
There are several versions of these. If anyone has experience using them and could tell me if they work in ReactOS, and up until what version, that would be wonderful! I can probably make-do with a version that is not necessarily the latest.

How do the WiFi drivers work?
Do I just download the ones for Windows, like the video driver?
And other utilities, like Volume and Brightness controls?
Lastly, does it include a FIREWALL? Or is that something, like for Windows, needs to be added? Or is it not needed with this (as for Linux, and if so, why not)?
And if I do add one, will it work as securely as in WIndows for which it would have been designed? (perhaps a recommendation would be good here)

All other types of software programs, I can find alternatives. My favorite source: PortableApps.com
But if the CAD software above don't work, I have to go back to MS' Windows.

More about where I'm coming from:
I have been going back and forth between Windows 7 (my favorite), Windows 10 (they lied to us when they claimed it was "faster"), and Linux (getting rather bloated). I had run into some issues, and installed Linux onto my system. But ran into frustrations with some of the more recent versions (things that worked for years, all of a sudden were not working as well, because in many distros, they decided to standardize on some more generic, one-size-fits-most drivers and controls, rather than continuing with "the proper one for each hardware version". Windows 10 was OK, until it started slowing down considerably after only one week of use. I put Windows-7 back onto my system, but despite my best efforts, am no longer able to get an older video driver that works and doesn't occasionally crash the system. I really need something stable and reliable.

[karlexceed]

I wish to earn a living using them.

I really need something stable and reliable.

Even if ReactOS were fully functional in it's current goals, it would not work for you. The current compatibility target is Windows Server 2003.

That said, ReactOS is not fully functional in it's current goals. Hardware support especially is weak. If ReactOS boots to a desktop on your PC, that would be INCREDIBLE.

ReactOS is alpha grade software. Not ready for anything that needs to be relied on.

Of course, if you want to create a ReactOS VM and test some of your software, you could submit bug reports to JIRA and possibly help the devs to work toward that goal.

[Timmi]

Oh, I had no idea. Talk about having one's bubble burst.

In terms of nomenclature, Alpha is usually the first step of final testing by a larger-than-laboratory user base, on the way to Beta and then Final.

Thank you for the heads-up.

And why on Earth would the goal be Win Server 2003? That was used by medium to large corporations for mass-deployments and servers and management thereof. Would anybody in their right mind use this as a server? If anything, stability and reliability is what is required on the server. You make it sound like they have set themselves up for assured failure.

[dizt3mp3r]

Oh, I had no idea.

You need to use your noggin and do some reading before you install anything. For all software there is often a guide and reading it would answer all your questions and could also prevent you from mucking up your system...

"Reactos installation guide" - google it. The link is also in my sig. below.

And why on Earth would the goal be Win Server 2003?

I am assuming you really want an answer and not just here to voice a negative opinion?

Have a think... Current Windows is built on NT6, NT6 is a development of NT5, a stable and well-used operating system for many years, a platform upon which Server 2003 and XP were delivered. Vista, 7, 8 and 10 are all derivatives based upon NT6.

ReactOS has been under construction for many years now, so guess what the project goal would be during this time? That's it, NT5, specifically server 2003 as it has all the functionality required by a grown-up o/s. When that goal is achieved then any incremental additions can be added if the team chooses to do so. NT6 compatibility &c &c. The first stage however is to build a stable o/s that runs things. That won't happen if the goals change to suit whatever MS is doing at the moment. If you aren't a coder you may not understand what an enormous task it is to duplicate an open source o/s from a closed-source system.

I'd gently suggest that before you dive in to any new o/s you do a little bit of research first, it will really help. Instructions are NOT to be ignored as installing ReactOS on your main hardware could damage your system. It will also mean the questions you post on the forum will be relevant and won't appear naïve. I hope this is helpful.

[justincase]

In terms of nomenclature, Alpha is usually the first step of final testing by a larger-than-laboratory user base, on the way to Beta and then Final.

Well, perhaps, but not exactly. Software is usually considered to be in Alpha form until it's fairly close to complete, and fairly stable, then it moves to beta, where formal "Beta" tests often occur. Thus the project uses the term "Alpha" to inform people that it's not complete enough to be considered beta, let alone final/release worthy software.

If ReactOS boots to a desktop on your PC, that would be INCREDIBLE.

I'm not sure I agree with that, though you are correct that hardware support is rather lacking for the time being.

Of course, if you want to create a ReactOS VM and test some of your software, you could submit bug reports to JIRA and possibly help the devs to work toward that goal.

Please do Timmi. Based on how you've written your initial post, I think you'd be good at reporting bugs, as a good bug report includes more details than a lot of people realize.

And why on Earth would the goal be Win Server 2003? That was used by medium to large corporations for mass-deployments and servers and management thereof. Would anybody in their right mind use this as a server? If anything, stability and reliability is what is required on the server. You make it sound like they have set themselves up for assured failure.

Windows XP used the NT 5.0 kernel. Windows Server 2003 is very similar, and uses the NT 5.1 kernel. The next version of Windows (Vista) switched to the NT 6.0 kernel. Switching to target NT 6.0 (or higher) would require rewriting large portions of the codebase, simply because NT 6.x isn't compatible with NT 5.x, for example the driver frameworks are very different, and while the developers are still trying to reach full NT 5.x driver compatibility, a pretty comprehensive rewrite of many parts of the OS that the end user doesn't even see would be required before NT 6.x drivers could even be partly supported.

The ReactOS project has been working for a long time to get to where they are, and many versions of Windows have been released in that time, repeatedly switching targets midstream because Microsoft released a new version would make it nigh impossible for the project to ever reach a goal, so they decided to stick with an NT 5.x target for now, and Windows Server 2003 is the latest and greatest release of Windows using NT 5.x, so that's the target for the time being. This doesn't mean that it's supposed to be a server only OS, like Windows Server 2003 was, rather, that it's like Windows XP, but it's also implementing the improvements that were made for Windows Server 2003, that Microsoft didn't backport to be used in Windows XP.

Interestingly, there have been some notable improvements lately on getting ReactOS to support 'compatibility shims' and/or other methods Windows uses for continuing to support older software on newer systems, and these systems may be usable by ReactOS to include support for software designed to be run on NT 6.x, even though it's main target is NT 5.x.

Finally, regarding the fact that ReactOS isn't completely stable/reliable yet, that's rather obviously something that the ReactOS project intends to to improve upon, so your bit about lack of stability and reliability being a particular issue for servers is kind of moot, as it's still alpha quality software, and stability and reliability issues are expected of alpha quality software.

@dizt: You beat me to it. You posted while I was editing my post. I'm still posting though because my answer includes some slightly different info.
Also, I think you may be being just a little bit harsh in your first sentence.

[erkinalp]

Windows XP: 5.1(x86)/5.2(amd64)
Windows 2003: 5.2
Windows XP Embedded: 5.2

[dizt3mp3r]

justincase "Using your noggin" is a very friendly way of saying "Have a think!"... when installing an o/s it would be a severe wake up call to find your existing o/s trashed. "Using your noggin" is the best piece of advice you can give to anyone especially those who clearly haven't.

EDIT - If it were me maintaining the download page I would have a big word there - T H I N K - as so very many just go ahead and install ReactOS without reading or acknowledging at all that it is Alpha and will possibly damage the health of your main hardware if you co-install it. It is a typically male trait to go ahead and install/plug in software/hardware without reading the instructions.

PS. You are very kind to give such a long and informative answer. We are all trying to be helpful, let's see if the advice sticks...

[middings]

In terms of nomenclature, Alpha is usually the first step of final testing by a larger-than-laboratory user base, on the way to Beta and then Final.

The Wikipedia article "Software release life cycle defines alpha software. In my experience, this definition matches the use of the term 'alpha' among the people in Silicon Valley and in articles published by the software industry trade press.

At present, ReactOS is not suitable for production use, may cause data loss, and is not feature-complete. ReactOS is open-source alpha-level software. Although being in the alpha stage of development, ReactOS is made available for testing and evaluation by interested people. This is done in the hope that more bugs will be found and reported than could be found and reported by the ReactOS development team alone.