ReactOS (FOSS "Windows") achieves 3D-accelerated Half-Life on real hardware(phoronix.com)
277 points by jeditobe 1 day ago | 72 comments
tl;dr: ReactOS, the 28-year-old open-source project aiming for Windows binary compatibility, has successfully run the original Half-Life with 3D acceleration on real hardware for the first time. The demo ran on a Dell OptiPlex with a Sandy Bridge Core i5 and NVIDIA GeForce 8400GS, marking progress beyond earlier reports where the game would only initialize.
HN Discussion:
  • Envisions practical use case combining ReactOS with retro games for LAN parties
  • Sees this as evidence of open-source's inevitable long-term victory
  • Questions the benefit over existing compatibility layers like Wine/Proton
  • Wonders about unintended consequences like Windows viruses also being compatible
  • Clarifies the actual technical achievement is using native NVIDIA drivers, not API emulation