14 DAY TRIAL // Today, November 16, 2016, the development team behind the ReactOS free and open-source computer operating system designed to be compatible with Windows applications and drivers announced the release of ReactOS 0.4.3.
Arriving exactly three months after the release of ReactOS 0.4.2, this third maintenance update to the major 0.4 series promises to address a total of 342 bugs and annoyances that have been reported by users or discovered by the development team in previous versions of the operating system. But there are also new features, such as the implementation of a new Winsock library.
"Even after it was brought in however significant work remained to be done before it could replace the old Winsock library, work which Peter Hater and Andreas Maier undertook," reads today's announcement. "Their effort has now reached a point wherein the team feels it is ready to supplant the original library and 0.4.3 serves as the first release to incorporate it."
ARM3 and Windows Shell API improvements, more bug fixes
The new Winsock library is major news for ReactOS users as it promises to effectively support all network operations in user mode applications. Practically, you should notice improvements in the compatibility with programs like the GoG (Good old Games) client, as well as with newer versions of the Python runtime. ReactOS 0.4.3 also improves the implementation of the NTVDM system component.
This and various other under-the-hood enhancements will allow ReactOS users to enjoy games from the DOS era, such as the ever popular Command & Conquer and Age of Empires. Lastly, it looks like ReactOS 0.4.3 improves the memory functionality of the Windows Shell API and adds an initial implementation of sections support to ARM3 (Another Rewrite of the Memory Manager Module).
