ReactOS Embedded

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algpos_andy
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Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2018 1:22 am

ReactOS Embedded

Post by algpos_andy »

Hi everyone,

is it possible to strip out a lot of items from ReactOS to make it into a Embedded operating system. Or are there plans to make a Simple Embedded version of ReactOS? (could be called React Embedded)

I own a Small EPoS company in England and I my Embedded licences are starting to run out (and the supplier is trying to make me move to Windows 10 IoT) I was using Windows PoS Ready 2009 and then PoS Ready 7 but 7 would only work on the newer Machines.

the Basic machines i can get are 566MHz Intel CPU with 512MB RAM and 20GB Hard drive. they have DVI and VGA Video cards (would love to have 2 displays running on the machine)

The top of the range machine is 2GHz with 2GB RAM and 250GB Hard drive.

Both machines come with 4 RS232 ports and 4 Powered USB Ports.

Is there a program I can use to would turn the normal Desktop version of ReactOS into a kiosk mode? (i have my own boot up program that loads the PoS Drivers and Programs)

my Till software is written in .NET 3.5 (so should run fine on ReactOS)

the problem is at the moment the installer does not like the PoS machine (shows the loading Files and then goes blank) that is on both machines so how would I install the OS? can I copy the files to the Hard drive and book from a special partition (as USB install is very tricky on the older machines as they do not have USB Boot enabled BIOS)

the Machines just in case you wanted to know are the NCR RealPoS 7456 and RealPoS 80 Base units (we use the NCR 5953 DynaKey with these units)
erkinalp
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Location: Izmir, TR

Re: ReactOS Embedded

Post by erkinalp »

ReactOS kernel is not stable enough for an embedded OS distribution.
-uses Ubuntu+GNOME 3 GNU/Linux
-likes Free (as in freedom) and Open Source Detergents
-favors open source of Windows 10 under GPL2
PurpleGurl
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Location: USA

Re: ReactOS Embedded

Post by PurpleGurl »

Yes, it is possible to strip things out and create an embedded OS. Nearly anything is possible in terms of code if folks will just sit down and code it. If you want to fork it to create your own embedded OS for limited hardware, feel free. Just keep the licenses intact and share alike.

In fact, I think that would be helpful if someone would fork it for a cut-down embedded OS. That way, you can focus on perfecting a smaller part of it and focus on a specific machine. If that machine doesn't already work with ROS, then some of your work could be added back to ROS.

The problem I see with ReactOS is that the kernel is not robust enough and doesn't do a good job of teasing out subtle differences and covering for them. That seems to be the job of HAL, as it is a hardware abstraction layer. Abstraction in this case means it sits between the hardware and the rest of Windows/ReactOS and perhaps does some virtualization to standardize the behavior. So HAL and the drivers work together to provide a consistent hardware environment to Windows/ReactOS. I could be a little off in my understanding, so please bear with me.

As for POS, you can replace the Explorer with the POS software or your loader for such.
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binarymaster
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Re: ReactOS Embedded

Post by binarymaster »

algpos_andy wrote: Sun Oct 21, 2018 1:37 am the problem is at the moment the installer does not like the PoS machine (shows the loading Files and then goes blank) that is on both machines so how would I install the OS? can I copy the files to the Hard drive and book from a special partition (as USB install is very tricky on the older machines as they do not have USB Boot enabled BIOS)
Hello.

1. You can try to attach the HDD to another working machine, and then install ReactOS to it
2. Also you can try attaching the HDD to virtual machine and install using it
3. ReactOS does not support USB boot yet, so you would not be able to install or boot from it anyway
4. Since you are in a company, you can also hire a developer, who would contribute to the project to resolve ReactOS boot issue on your POS terminal machines

Have a nice day. ;)
Quim
Posts: 257
Joined: Wed Jul 04, 2018 11:45 pm

Re: ReactOS Embedded

Post by Quim »

algpos_andy wrote: Sun Oct 21, 2018 1:37 am
[... ] (as USB install is very tricky on the older machines as they do not have USB Boot enabled BIOS) [...]
For booting from USB on old machines without BIOS support there is " Plop Boot Manager "

https://www.plop.at/en/bootmanager/download.html

I tested LiveUSBs like vgal ROS and they works booting from Plop, installing from USB should work too...

Also you can install Plop on an HDD.
When installing ReactOS over Plop , choose "install VBR only".
To install Plop under under ReactOS just use the comand line utility....there are still some problems that affects Plop in ROS.

https://jira.reactos.org/browse/CORE-14827
https://jira.reactos.org/browse/CORE-14868
https://forum.plop.at/index.php/topic,1840.0.html
MadWolf
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Re: ReactOS Embedded

Post by MadWolf »

algpos_andy wrote: Sun Oct 21, 2018 1:37 am Hi everyone,

is it possible to strip out a lot of items from ReactOS to make it into a Embedded operating system. Or are there plans to make a Simple Embedded version of ReactOS? (could be called React Embedded)

I own a Small EPoS company in England and I my Embedded licences are starting to run out (and the supplier is trying to make me move to Windows 10 IoT) I was using Windows PoS Ready 2009 and then PoS Ready 7 but 7 would only work on the newer Machines.

the Basic machines i can get are 566MHz Intel CPU with 512MB RAM and 20GB Hard drive. they have DVI and VGA Video cards (would love to have 2 displays running on the machine)

The top of the range machine is 2GHz with 2GB RAM and 250GB Hard drive.

Both machines come with 4 RS232 ports and 4 Powered USB Ports.

Is there a program I can use to would turn the normal Desktop version of ReactOS into a kiosk mode? (i have my own boot up program that loads the PoS Drivers and Programs)

my Till software is written in .NET 3.5 (so should run fine on ReactOS)

the problem is at the moment the installer does not like the PoS machine (shows the loading Files and then goes blank) that is on both machines so how would I install the OS? can I copy the files to the Hard drive and book from a special partition (as USB install is very tricky on the older machines as they do not have USB Boot enabled BIOS)

the Machines just in case you wanted to know are the NCR RealPoS 7456 and RealPoS 80 Base units (we use the NCR 5953 DynaKey with these units)


hi
one what to get ReactOS on the the computer setup a vm for ReactOS and complete the first stage of the install when the computer restarts shutdown the vm and boot the vm using clonezilla and make a a backup image of reactos you can use a usb drive to save the image on to then boot the Embedded hardware using clonezilla and restore the image to the drive

you can remove stuff from ReactOS but it needs very little storage space any savings will be minimum maybe about 5MB or less

i do not think ReactOS can't run any .NET 3.5 software yet
Quim
Posts: 257
Joined: Wed Jul 04, 2018 11:45 pm

Re: ReactOS Embedded

Post by Quim »

MadWolf wrote: Fri Oct 26, 2018 8:14 pm you can remove stuff from ReactOS but it needs very little storage space any savings will be minimum maybe about 5MB or less
In a future " ROSlite "will be needed for that....

https://sourceforge.net/projects/rlite/
PurpleGurl
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Re: ReactOS Embedded

Post by PurpleGurl »

Quim wrote: Sat Oct 27, 2018 9:14 pm
MadWolf wrote: Fri Oct 26, 2018 8:14 pm you can remove stuff from ReactOS but it needs very little storage space any savings will be minimum maybe about 5MB or less
In a future " ROSlite "will be needed for that....

https://sourceforge.net/projects/rlite/
I recognize 4-5 of the developers of that project. :-)
Quim
Posts: 257
Joined: Wed Jul 04, 2018 11:45 pm

Re: ReactOS Embedded

Post by Quim »

Here´s a tool (for whom that don´t know about it) to do unattended ROS edition:
https://www.nliteos.com/nlite.html
PurpleGurl
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Re: ReactOS Embedded

Post by PurpleGurl »

Well, not sure if nlite will work with ROS yet.
learn_more
Developer
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Re: ReactOS Embedded

Post by learn_more »

Quim wrote: Wed Dec 12, 2018 12:55 am Here´s a tool (for whom that don´t know about it) to do unattended ROS edition:
https://www.nliteos.com/nlite.html
what is wrong with editing unattend.inf and then re-compiling?
jrheisey
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2019 8:01 am

Re: ReactOS Embedded

Post by jrheisey »

@algpos_andy
I've often thought a Point of Sale system or Kiosk would be a good test bed for ROS. It would provide a more limited hardware and software set on which to validate the disk access, file system, memory management, network stack, USB stack and the user mode and kernel mode display layers. When all of these layers are feature complete this would be perhaps 80% of what is needed for ROS to be viable as a general purpose desktop OS.

I have little personal experience using ROS myself though I've been monitoring its progress for a few years. From what others have posted it is likely not yet ready for your product line.

At some point I would hope someone could start a company with a business model similar to Red Hat and deliver tested and validated versions of ROS. It would also sell engineering support services for fixing any hardware specific issues with a customer's chosen hardware.
algpos_andy
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2018 1:22 am

Re: ReactOS Embedded

Post by algpos_andy »

@jrheisey
I have been trying to use ReactOS on our Test machines for a few months now but I can not get them to install yet. But I am still working on it. I would like to at some point have the ReactOS re branded to one for my EPoS company (I am the only developer and I use VB.net SO i can not help at all with anything on the actual code side)

@MadWolf
I have managed to get my .net 3.5 application to run if I install .net 4 framework
binarymaster wrote: Sun Oct 21, 2018 2:16 pm 4. Since you are in a company, you can also hire a developer, who would contribute to the project to resolve ReactOS boot issue on your POS terminal machines
I am the only one in the company and we have spent a lot of money trying to migrate our EPoS application from Windows to Linux only to find I have been coned by the programmer (this is why I want to either use ReactOS or use Linux and have the software redone in Gambas3)
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dizt3mp3r
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Re: ReactOS Embedded

Post by dizt3mp3r »

Do NOT attempt to USE ReactOS.

You can only TEST ReactOS at this stage in its development. Imagine that you want to use a car that is currently under design, only 25-30% of its way through development. You want to drive it work daily but you don't even know whether it has any wheels or if the gearbox will explode when you turn a corner. Would you drive it? I wouldn't.
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dark
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Re: ReactOS Embedded

Post by dark »

algpos_andy wrote: Sun Oct 21, 2018 1:37 am my Till software is written in .NET 3.5 (so should run fine on ReactOS)
trying to migrate our EPoS application from Windows to Linux only to find I have been coned by the programmer
Using ReactOS is just asking for lawsuits. It's unstable, unfinished, and the one rule of business is to not screw with the money.

Linux + Mono will probably run your software, so you definitely got screwed by that programmer. I suggest suing them. Then even with Linux, you have to start managing updates or providing cash registers without the capability to connect to any network (permanently air gapped).
I am the only one in the company and we have spent a lot of money trying to migrate our EPoS application from Windows to Linux only to find I have been coned by the programmer (this is why I want to either use ReactOS or use Linux and have the software redone in Gambas3)
So it's just you, I guess your business is equipping cash registers with your software, and you're tired of Microsoft taking a cut. This Gambas3 thing is something an absolute beginner programmer might want to do, but a terrible idea overall. You'll want a programming language that other programmers are familiar with, and hopefully your existing code is object oriented. As for Windows IoT, the price seems to be about $40USD per license for low end machines. I highly suggest you take my consulting advice and eat that $40 per device cost as you're only one person without the time or resources to build and support your own Linux distro. A second option would be seeing if you can get something Like Ubuntu Core + Mono + your app working, but I don't think Mono is available as a Snap package...
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