Editing ReactOS (section)

==History==
===Early development===
Around 1996, a group of [[free and open-source software]] developers started a project called ''FreeWin95'' to implement a [[clone (computing)|clone]] of [[Windows 95]]. The project stalled in discussions on the design of the system.

While FreeWin95 had started out with high expectations, there still had not been any builds released to the public by the end of 1997. As a result, the project members, led by then coordinator Jason Filby, joined together to revive the project. The revived project sought to duplicate the functionality of [[Windows NT]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.osnews.com/story/178/interview-with-jason-filby-from-the-reactos-project/|title=Interview with Jason Filby from the ReactOS Project|last=Loli|first=Eugenia|date=16 October 2001|work=OSNews|access-date=18 April 2019}}</ref> In creating the new project, a new name, ''ReactOS'', was chosen. The project began development in February 1998 by creating the basis for a new NT kernel and basic drivers.<ref>{{Citation
| last = Loschwitz
| first = Martin
| title = Projects on the Move
| newspaper = [[Linux Magazine]]
| page = 87
| date = March 2004
| url = https://www.linux-magazine.com/w3/issue/40/Free_Software_Projects.pdf
| access-date = 2009-11-18
| url-status = dead
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110519211406/https://www.linux-magazine.com/w3/issue/40/Free_Software_Projects.pdf
| archive-date = 19 May 2011
| df = dmy-all
}}
</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Speed |first=Richard |date=2022-03-14 |title=ReactOS now supports SMP |url=https://www.theregister.com/2022/03/14/reactos_smp/ |access-date=2022-12-20 |website=www.theregister.com |language=en}}</ref> The name ReactOS was coined during an IRC chat. While the term "OS" stood for operating system, the term "react" referred to the group's dissatisfaction with&nbsp;– and reaction to&nbsp;– Microsoft's [[Microsoft litigation|monopolistic position]].<ref name=Spiegel>{{cite web |url=http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/tech/0,1518,287199,00.html |last=Sixtus |first=Von Mario |title=ReactOS: Das Nicht-Windows |language=de |publisher=[[Der Spiegel|Spiegel Online]] |date=2004-02-20 |access-date=2009-12-11}}</ref>

In 2002, the ReactOS Foundation was established in Moscow with Maxim Osowski and Aleksey Bragin as executive officers and Vladimir Bragin, Saveliy Tretiakov and Alexey Ivanov on the board of directors.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.reactos.org/wiki/ReactOS_Foundation|title=ReactOS Foundation&nbsp;— ReactOS Wiki|website=www.reactos.org|access-date=2019-03-06}}</ref> In 2015, the foundation was liquidated.<ref name="liquidated">{{Cite web|url=https://egrulinfo.com/8583363/|title=ФОНД АКТИВИЗАЦИИ КИБЕРПРОСТРАНСТВА, ФАК, РЕАКТОС&nbsp;— ФОНД, ФОНД РЕАКТОС, г. Саранск: ИНН: 1328170012, ОГРН: 1021301112876|website=egrulinfo.com|access-date=18 April 2019}}</ref>

===Internal audit===
In order to avoid copyright prosecution, ReactOS had to be expressly completely distinct and non-[[derivative work|derivative]] from Windows, a goal that needed very careful work.<ref name="ExecutableCopyright">{{Cite web |last=Hancock |first=Terry |date=2008-08-29 |title=What if copyright didn't apply to binary executables? |url=https://freesoftwaremagazine.com/articles/what_if_copyright_didnt_apply_binary_executables/ |access-date=2020-11-01 |publisher=[[Free Software Magazine]] |language=en |quote=(…) ReactOS aims to run actual Windows binary executable programs.&emsp;This means that ReactOS must implement the entire Windows environment.&emsp;Functions must do exactly what their Windows counterparts would do.&emsp;In other words, like our notional parallel stew recipes, ReactOS and Windows should be functionally identical.&emsp;In order to avoid copyright prosecution, though, ReactOS must be expressly completely distinct and non-derivative from Windows.&emsp;This is a careful tightrope walk!&emsp;ReactOS is a free, clean room re-implemented drop-in replacement for Windows.&emsp;So, consider this, especially regarding extremely simple library calls:&ensp;''is it legal for ReactOS to produce identical binary code to Windows?''}}</ref> A claim was made on 17 January 2006 by developer Hartmut Birr on the ReactOS developers [[mailing list]] (ros-dev) that ReactOS contained code derived from [[disassembler|disassembling]] Microsoft Windows.<ref name="byebye">{{cite mailing list |last=Birr |first=Hartmut |title=Bye bye |mailing-list=ros-dev |date=2006-01-18 |url=https://marc.info/?l=ros-dev&m=118775346131642&w=2 |access-date=2009-01-03}}</ref> The code that Birr disputed involved the function BadStack in syscall.S,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://svn.reactos.org/svn/reactos/trunk/reactos/ntoskrnl/ke/i386/syscall.S?revision=20935&view=markup&pathrev=20935#l43 |title=BadStack in syscall.S |publisher=ReactOS |date=2006-01-17 |access-date=2018-08-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170904111000/https://svn.reactos.org/svn/reactos/trunk/reactos/ntoskrnl/ke/i386/syscall.S?revision=20935&view=markup&pathrev=20935#l43 |archive-date=4 September 2017 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}}</ref> as well as other unspecified items.<ref>{{cite mailing list |first=Hartmut |last=Birr |url=http://marc.info/?l=ros-dev&m=118775346131646&w=2 |title=Bye bye |date=2006-01-18 |mailing-list=ros-dev |access-date=2009-11-16}}</ref> Comparing this function to disassembled binaries from [[Windows XP]], Birr argued that the BadStack function was simply [[Cut, copy, and paste|copy-pasted]] from Windows XP, given that they were identical. Alex Ionescu, the author of the code, asserted that while the Windows XP binary in question was indeed disassembled and studied, the code was not merely copy-pasted, but reimplemented; the reason why the functions were identical, Ionescu claimed, was because there was only one possible way to implement the function.<ref>{{cite mailing list |last=Ionescu |first=Alex |title=Bye bye |mailing-list=ros-dev |date=2006-01-18 |url=https://marc.info/?l=ros-dev&m=118775346131654&w=2 |access-date=2009-11-16}}</ref>

On 27 January 2006, the developers responsible for maintaining the ReactOS code repository disabled access after a meeting was held to discuss the allegations. When approached by [[Geeknet|NewsForge]], Microsoft declined to comment on the incident. Since ReactOS is a [[free and open-source software]] development project, the claim triggered a negative reaction from the [[Free software movement|free software community]]: in particular, Wine barred several inactive developers from providing contributions{{Citation needed|date=August 2018}}<!-- wrong citation:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.winehq.org/interview/14 |title=Interview with Steven Edwards |access-date=2013-06-23 |first=Brian |last=Vincent |publisher=winehq.com |date=2004-05-25 |quote=''BV: You guys have certainly contributed a lot of your work back to Wine, including some of the utilities you've written. For instance, the task manager was recently ported from ReactOS.''}}</ref> --> and formal high level cooperation between the two projects remained difficult {{As of|2006|lc=y}}.<ref name=suspend>{{cite web |url=https://www.linux.com/news/reactos-suspends-development-source-code-review/ |first=Stephen |last=Feller |title=ReactOS suspends development for source code review |publisher=[[Linux.com]] |date=2006-02-01 |access-date=2009-12-10}}</ref>

In a statement on its website, ReactOS cited differing legal definitions of what constitutes [[Chinese wall#Reverse engineering|clean-room reverse engineering]] as a cause for the conflict.<ref>[https://www.reactos.org/reset-reboot-restart-legal-issues-and-long-road-03 Reset, Reboot, Restart, legal issues and the long road to 0.3] on reactos.org by Steven Edwards (27 January 2006)</ref> To avoid potential litigation, companies sometimes enact a policy where reimplementation based on disassembled code must be written by someone other than the person having disassembled and examined the original code.<ref name="cleanroom">{{cite web |last=Schwartz |first=Mathew |date=2001-11-12 |title=Reverse-Engineering |url=https://www.computerworld.com/s/article/65532/Reverse_Engineering?pageNumber=1 |access-date=2013-06-23 |publisher=[[Computerworld]].com |quote=''To protect against charges of having simply (and illegally) copied IBM's BIOS, Phoenix reverse-engineered it using what's called a "clean room," or "Chinese wall", approach. First, a team of engineers studied the IBM BIOS&nbsp;— about 8KB of code&nbsp;— and described everything it did as completely as possible without using or referencing any actual code. Then Phoenix brought in a second team of programmers who had no prior knowledge of the IBM BIOS and had never seen its code. Working only from the first team's functional specifications, the second team wrote a new BIOS that operated as specified.''}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Hogle |first=Sean |date=2008-10-23 |title=Clean Room Defeats Software Infringement Claim in US Federal Court |url=https://hoviblog.blogspot.de/2008/10/clean-room-defeats-software.html |access-date=2013-05-23 |quote=[...] dirty room reverse engineering should be done in conjunction with clean room development by using two physically and electronically isolated teams where one team does dirty room reverse engineering and the other does clean room development. If a dirty room team exists, the clean room engineers can write a description of the portion of the specification that needs elaboration or clarification. The dirty room engineers then use that request to create additional functional specifications or tests.}}</ref> ReactOS clarified its Intellectual Property Policy Statement requirements on clean room reverse engineering to avoid potential infringement of United States law. An internal source code [[audit]] was conducted to ensure that only clean room reverse engineering was used, and all developers were made to sign an agreement committing them to comply with the project's policies on reverse engineering.<ref name=suspend /> Contributors to its development were not affected by these events and all access to the software development tools was restored shortly afterward. In September 2007, with the audit nearing completion, the audit status was removed from the ReactOS homepage. Though the audit was completed, specific details were not made public, as it was only an internal effort to ensure compliance with the project's own policies.<ref name=audit>{{cite mailing list |first=Aleksey |last=Bragin |url=http://marc.info/?l=ros-dev&m=119018479822866&w=2 |title=Audit |mailing-list=ros-dev |date=2007-09-18 |access-date=2009-01-03}}</ref>

Also, the 2004 [[Internet leak#Source code leaks|leaked]] Windows source code<ref>{{cite web |last=Evers |first=Joris |date=12 February 2004 |title=Windows Code May Be Stolen |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/114771/article.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130731034443/http://www.pcworld.com/article/114771/article.html |archive-date=31 July 2013 |access-date=20 November 2021 |publisher=[[PC World]]}}</ref> was not seen as legal risk for ReactOS, as the [[trade secret]] was considered indefensible in court due to broad spread.<ref name=tradesecret>[https://www.reactos.org/reset-reboot-restart-legal-issues-and-long-road-03 Reset, Reboot, Restart, legal issues and the long road to 0.3] "''Now as for the issue of leaked source code, I want to try to put all fears to rest. We don't know what the legal ramifications are for someone downloading and having leaked code, as the party that maintains copyright ownership of that code might still try to claim Trade Secrecy on information contained in the sources in a court of law. It is our point of view that the source code leaks of Windows have been spread to a broad enough audience that it would be impossible to claim the product is still under Trade Secrecy.''" on reactos.org by Steven Edwards (27 January 2006)</ref>

Axel Rietschin, who is a kernel engineer at Microsoft, claimed that he recognized some specific bits in the ReactOS kernel that are unlikely to result from a clean room reimplementation. He suggests that the project took source code from the Windows Research Kernel, which was licensed to universities and has been leaked multiple times. Internal data structures and variable names have the exact same name in both ReactOS and the research kernel.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Anderson |first1=Tim |title=ReactOS 'a ripoff of the Windows Research Kernel', claims Microsoft kernel engineer |url=https://www.theregister.com/2019/07/03/reactos_windows_research_kernel_claim/ |date=3 Jul 2019 |website=[[The Register]] |language=en}}</ref>

===Google Summer of Code participation===
Starting in 2006,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://developers.google.com/open-source/soc/2006/#reactos |title=Google Summer of Code 2006 |quote=This is a page lists the students and organizations that participated in the Google Summer of Code 2006 program. [...] ReactOS}}</ref> the ReactOS project participated in several [[Google Summer of Code|Google Summers of Code]]. For example, in the GSoC 2011,<ref name="gsoc2011">{{cite web |url=http://www.google-melange.com/gsoc/project/google/gsoc2011/claudiu_mihail/8001 |title=TCP/IP driver replacement for ReactOS, using lwIP |access-date=9 August 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321144810/http://www.google-melange.com/gsoc/project/google/gsoc2011/claudiu_mihail/8001 |archive-date=21 March 2012 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> ReactOS mentored a student project which integrated [[lwIP]] into the network stack.<ref name="lwIP2" />

===Lobbying for support in Russia===
Between 2007 and 2015, Russian ReactOS contributors representing the ReactOS Foundation made efforts at lobbying the Russian federal government. {{as of|2019|4}}, these efforts have not yielded government support for ReactOS, and the Russia-based ReactOS Foundation has been dissolved since November 2015.<ref name="liquidated" />
[[File:Alksnis-Bragin.jpg|thumb|Former ReactOS project coordinator Aleksey Bragin (left) showing ReactOS to [[Viktor Alksnis]]]]
* In 2007, then [[State Duma]] member and chairman of Russian Center of Free Technologies, [[Viktor Alksnis]] met with project coordinator Aleksey Bragin, who gave a presentation and demonstration of the project, showing ReactOS running with [[Total Commander]] and [[Firefox|Mozilla Firefox]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://v-alksnis2.livejournal.com/32900.html |title=Виктор Имантович Алкснис – Знакомство с проектом ReactOS |language=ru |first=Viktor |last=Alksnis |date=2007-06-06 |access-date=2009-12-11}}</ref> 
* In 2011, a demonstration was given to then president [[Dmitry Medvedev]] during a visit to a high school in Verhnerusskoe, [[Stavropol]], attended by one of the development team members.<ref name="medvedev">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-14899507 |title=Russian President Medvedev asked to fund Windows clone |agency=[[BBC News]] |date=2011-09-13 |access-date=2011-09-15}}</ref>
* On 31 July 2012, [[Vladimir Putin]] was also given a demonstration during his visit as [[President of Russia]] to [[Seliger (forum)|Seliger Youth Forum]], attended by Marat Karatov, one of the development team members.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.reactos.org/reactos-presented-president-putin |title=ReactOS Presented to President Putin |author=((Z98)) |work=ReactOS News |date=2012-08-05 |access-date=2013-06-23}}</ref>
* On 1 April 2015, Bragin attended an expert meeting of the [[Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media (Russia)|Russian Ministry of Communications]] on reducing Russia's dependency from proprietary software imports. Its minutes name the "creation of an open source operating system based on ReactOS for PCs, laptops and other mobile devices", as well as the "creation of an open source operating system for servers based on ReactOS",<ref>[http://minsvyaz.ru/ru/documents/4662/ Minutes of the expert evaluation of projects on import substitution infrastructure software according to paragraph 4-8 of import substitution plan software, approved by order of the Ministry of Communications of Russia from 1 April 2015 №96 "On approval of import software"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150718033724/http://www.minsvyaz.ru/ru/documents/4662/ |date=18 July 2015 }} [[Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media (Russia)|Russian Ministry of Communications]] ''"Direction "client operating system / Server Operating Systems" first place&nbsp;— the project "Corporate platform on the basis of domestic operating systems" [...] second place&nbsp;— the project "Creation of the operating system open source based on ReactOS for PCs, laptops and other mobile devices," "Creating the operating system open source-based server ReactOS" (Fund "Reaktos" MSTU. AN Bauman, LLC "Paral Plelz Research" and others.)."'' (2 June 2015, [https://translate.google.de/translate?sl=ru&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fminsvyaz.ru%2Fru%2Fdocuments%2F4662%2F&edit-text= translated])</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.reactos.org/project-news/reactos-second-os-russian-governments-software-freedom-effort/|title=ReactOS as a second OS in Russian government's software freedom effort {{!}} ReactOS Project|website=www.reactos.org|access-date=2019-04-06}}</ref><ref name="favourit">[https://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/Russland-erklaert-ReactOS-zu-favorisierter-Windows-Alternative-2722495.html Russland-erklaert-ReactOS-zu-favorisierter-Windows-Alternative] on [[Heinz Heise|heise online]] by Louis-F. Stahl (23 June 2015, in German)</ref><ref>[https://derstandard.at/2000017947663/Russland-macht-ReactOS-zur-bevorzugten-Windows-Alternative Russland macht ReactOS zu bevorzugter Windows-Alternative] on [[Der Standard]] (24 June 2015, in German)</ref> placing it second among three named proposals.

===Funding campaigns===
On 1 May 2012, a €30,000 funding campaign was started to finance additional development projects.<ref>{{cite news |author=Oliver Diedrich |date=2012-05-03 |title=ReactOS: Spenden gesucht |url=https://www.heise.de/open/meldung/ReactOS-Spenden-gesucht-1567379.html |work=[[Heinz Heise|heise.de]] |language=de}}</ref><ref>[https://www.reactos.org/archives/public/ros-general/2012-May/002810.html A personal appeal from ReactOS Project Coordinator Aleksey Bragin], accessed on 15 April 2013</ref> At the end of the year, approximately 50% of the funding goal was achieved and it was decided to continue the funding campaign without deadlines.<ref>[http://old.reactos.org/de/foundation_donators.html Spenderliste] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230234231/http://old.reactos.org/de/foundation_donators.html |date=30 December 2013}} 24 December 2012, accessed on 15 April 2013 (in German)</ref> The money went to ''ReactOS Deutschland [[Registered association (Germany)|e.&nbsp;V.]]''. As the [[tax law]] in Germany for this form of a [[Civil registration|registered]] [[voluntary association]] (''[[Registered association (Germany)|Eingetragener Verein]]'') makes it problematic to pay developers directly;<ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130403104658/http://reactos.org/january-2013-meeting-minutes |url=http://reactos.org/january-2013-meeting-minutes |archive-date=3 April 2013 |date=2013-02-07 |access-date=2013-06-19 |title=January 2013 Meeting Minutes |quote=Late last year the German foundation learned that the contracts it was issuing for developers might not be compliant with German regulations involving non-profits. Due to this, the German foundation needed to temporarily halt payment to developers and consult with tax attorneys to determine how to proceed in a compliant manner. |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}}</ref> indirect possibilities like [[stipend]]s were evaluated.

===Thorium Core Cloud Desktop project===
When ReactOS was awarded as Project of the Month on [[SourceForge]] in June 2013, a [[crowdfunding]] campaign on [[Kickstarter]] was announced in an interview with the project's coordinator, Aleksey Bragin.<ref name="potm-201306">{{cite web |date=2013-06-17 |title=Sourceforge POTM June 2013 |url=https://www.sourceforge.net/blog/potm-201306/ |access-date=2013-06-17 |publisher=[[SourceForge|Sourceforge.com]] |quote=''Well I don't want to spread too many rumors, but I can say that we do have something in the works. If all goes well, it's going to be announced within a week. While I cannot go into too many details, I can say that it involves Kickstarter and what we believe to be a viable commercial product based off of {{sic}} ReactOS.''}}</ref> On 23 December 2013 the announced project was revealed as a Kickstarter campaign with the goal of US$120,000 was started.<ref>[https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=MTU3OTY ReactOS Wants To Bring Open-Source Windows To The Cloud] on [[Phoronix]] by [[Michael Larabel]] (22 January 2014)</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Oliver Diedrich |date=2014-01-21 |title=ReactOS: Freier Windows-Klon braucht Unterstützung] |url=https://www.heise.de/open/meldung/ReactOS-Freier-Windows-Klon-braucht-Unterstuetzung-2090408.html |work=[[Heinz Heise|heise.de]] |language=de}}</ref> The ''Thorium Core Cloud Desktop'' dubbed [[cloud computing]] service would use ReactOS as core and could allow the use of Windows compatible applications from [[mobile device]]s (like [[smartphone]]s, [[tablet computer|tablet]]s), [[workstation]]s, or any other connected device. On 21 February 2014, fundraising ended short of the target amount, with $48,965 of $120,000 raised, resulting in no transferred money.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thorium/thorium-core-cloud-desktop |title=Thorium Core Cloud Desktop |author1=Aleksey Bragin |author2=Steven Edwards |date=2013-12-23 |access-date=2014-04-08 |publisher=[[Kickstarter|Kickstarter.com]]}}</ref>

===ReactOS Community Edition===
In April 2014, the ReactOS project announced an [[Indiegogo]] campaign to launch ReactOS Community Edition, a version of ReactOS based on the 0.4 release. The flexible funding campaign had a goal of $50,000 with additional stretch goals beyond that.<ref>{{cite news |author=Torsten Kleinz |date=2014-04-08 |title=XP ist tot, es lebe Windows |trans-title=XP is dead, long live Windows |url=https://www.zeit.de/digital/internet/2014-04/reactos-alternative-windows-xp |work=[[Die Zeit]] |language=de}}</ref> Development of ReactOS Community Edition would be community-centric, with ReactOS users voting and funding to decide which software and hardware drivers the project will aim to support.<ref>[https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=MTY2Nzk ReactOS Working On A Community Windows OS] on [[Phoronix]] by [[Michael Larabel]] (19 April 2014)</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Silviu Stahie |date=2014-04-04 |title=ReactOS goes to Indiegogo, will run Windows apps natively |url=https://news.softpedia.com/news/ReactOS-Goes-to-IndieGogo-Will-Run-Windows-and-Linux-Apps-Natively-435797.shtml |access-date=2014-04-08 |publisher=[[Softpedia|softpedia.com]]}}</ref> On 1 June 2014, the flexible crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo ended, raising $25,141 for the development of the community edition,<ref>{{cite web |last=Hoffman |first=Chris |date=2014-11-14 |title=Why prominent 'hobbyist' operating systems face an existential crisis |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/2847723/why-prominent-hobbyist-operating-systems-face-an-existential-crisis.html |access-date=2015-12-29 |publisher=[[PCWorld]] |quote=ReactOS raised more than $25,000 in an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign earlier in 2014, for the development of a community edition of the operating system.}}</ref><ref>[https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/reactos-community-edition reactos-community-edition] on [[Indiegogo]] (1 June 2014)</ref> and the voting process to support hardware and software was started shortly thereafter.<ref>[https://www.heise.de/open/artikel/ReactOS-Grosse-Fortschritte-und-Stipendien-fuer-Entwickler-beim-freien-Windows-Nachbau-2410783.html ReactOS: Große Fortschritte und Stipendien für Entwickler beim freien Windows-Nachbau] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160607151332/http://www.heise.de/open/artikel/ReactOS-Grosse-Fortschritte-und-Stipendien-fuer-Entwickler-beim-freien-Windows-Nachbau-2410783.html|date=7 June 2016}} on [[Heinz Heise|heise.de]] by Louis-F. Stahl (2 October 2014, in German)</ref>

===ReactOS Hackfest===
[[File:ReactOS printing for the first time.webm|thumb|First video of printing from ReactOS]]
The ReactOS project organized a [[Hackathon|hackfest]] from 7 to 12 August 2015, in the German city of [[Aachen]].<ref>[https://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/Russland-erklaert-ReactOS-zu-favorisierter-Windows-Alternative-2722495.html Russland-erklaert-ReactOS-zu-favorisierter-Windows-Alternative] on [[Heinz Heise|heise online]] by Louis-F. Stahl "Einen weiteren Schub in der Entwicklung erhofft sich die ReactOS-Community vom ersten ReactOS Hackfest, das vom 7. bis zum 12. August 2015 in Aachen stattfindet." (23 June 2015, in German)</ref><ref>[https://www.derstandard.at/2000017947663/Russland-macht-ReactOS-zur-bevorzugten-Windows-Alternative Russland macht ReactOS zu bevorzugter Windows-Alternative] on [[Der Standard]] "Von 7. bis 12. August lädt die Entwicklergemeinde in Deutschland zum ersten ReactOS-Hackfest, das in Aachen über die Bühne gehen wird." (24 June 2015, in German)</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.reactos.org/project-news/reactos-hackfest-aachen|title=ReactOS Hackfest in Aachen|date=1 September 2015|website=ReactOS|access-date=18 April 2019}}</ref> The Hackfest resulted in many features being added to ReactOS.

The second hackfest was organized by the ReactOS project from 14 to 18 August 2017, in the German city of [[Cologne]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://reactos.org/wiki/ReactOS_Hackfest_2017|title=ReactOS Hackfest 2017|website=ReactOS Wiki|access-date=18 April 2019}}</ref>

The third and fourth hackfests were organized by the ReactOS project from 16 to 21 August 2018 and from 15 to 20 August 2019 in [[Berlin]] respectively.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://reactos.org/wiki/ReactOS_Hackfest_2018|title=ReactOS Hackfest 2018|website=ReactOS Wiki|access-date=18 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://reactos.org/wiki/ReactOS_Hackfest_2019|title=ReactOS Hackfest 2019|website=ReactOS Wiki|access-date=20 October 2020}}</ref>