FOSS retro Windows on ARM64 Raspberry Pi is almost here
Developers are booting an open source version of Windows NT on the Raspberry Pi 5, and while useful software isn't here yet, it is a big step forward.
Developers of ReactOS posted this week photos of the open source recreation of Windows NT running on a Raspberry Pi. It was also shown on an emulated ARM64 device, with instructions linked to follow the experimental setup.
Happening now
In short: ReactOS developers quote-tweeted images (warning: link to Twitter/X) of the operating system running on a Raspberry Pi 5. They also posted another image of it running on a virtual ARM64 emulated via QEMU.
- ReactOS does not use a compatibility layer for Windows software like Wine or Proton. Instead, it packs an open source recreation of the Windows NT kernel to give you a native experience. However, it's been in an alpha stage of development for decades.
In the photos, they're using a forked version of ReactOS stored in a GitHub repository belonging to Ahmed Arif. ReactOS credits the achievement to its contributor going by SidiHmeed on Twitter/X, who they say has been working on porting to ARM64 for eight months.
- The Register attempted following the process with mixed results.
The background: ARM64 is the architecture used by the Raspberry Pi 3 B and newer. If you wanted to get a truly FOSS version of retro Windows running on your modern Pi, then until now it wasn't possible.
Jordan Gloor
Zooming out
Why this announcement matters: Running useful, if dated, software natively on an open source operating system could mean a lot to power users and preservationists. All the more if it can be done on a cheap but modern device like a Raspberry Pi 4 or 5.
My take: I notice ReactOS' gallery has a photo of SimCity 3000 being played. That makes me want to try it myself.
Diving in
Get it now: You can follow the instructions at the GitHub fork to build an ARM64 image. Then you'll need to flash it to an SD card for your Raspberry Pi 3, 4, or 5, or other ARM64 device.
- Don't expect to be able to do much, though. This is still very much an experimental foray into the ARM64 world, and even official ReactOS builds are not meant for any mission-critical work.
