LiberNT is a new ReactOS fork targeting Windows 11 compatibility, with ARM64 support, modern hardware drivers, and experimental builds.

The LiberNT project is working on an alternative implementation of the Windows NT architecture, using Windows 11 version 24H2 as its compatibility reference. Unlike Linux distributions, LiberNT does not use the Linux kernel. It builds on the ReactOS codebase while replacing and extending several core components.

One of the project’s main priorities is ARM64 support, particularly for single-board computers and embedded devices. LiberNT also supports x86-64 and 32-bit x86, while RISC-V 64-bit and PowerPC ports are under development.

According to the developers, the implementation follows a clean-room approach. Windows behavior is studied using Microsoft’s public documentation, SDK and WDK headers, public symbols, and black-box testing. The team states no proprietary Windows code is copied or transcribed.

On the technical side, one of the biggest changes is NVS, a new memory manager and kernel pool implementation replacing the corresponding ReactOS components. LiberNT also introduces a new cache manager, with developers claiming better results than the original ReactOS memory manager in their memory and cache benchmarks.

Other changes include a new NTFS driver, an updated StorPort implementation with NVMe support, USB xHCI and SD bus drivers, and work on the Windows Display Driver Model and Desktop Window Manager.

On the application compatibility side, LiberNT implements WoW64 on its 64-bit targets, while ARM64 systems use the FEX emulator to run x86 applications. ARM64EC support is also part of the project.

Early compatibility results are already available on the project’s compatibility page. According to tests published by the developers, Google Chrome, the open-source strategy game 0 A.D., and Command & Conquer: Yuri’s Revenge are reported to work. Steam is listed as usable, while the RPCS3 PlayStation 3 emulator currently starts but has not been classified as usable.

However, the compatibility database contains only five entries, all tested against a specific development build.

LiberNT also targets Raspberry Pi hardware, with the same ARM64 disk image designed to boot on Raspberry Pi 3, Raspberry Pi 5, and generic ARM64 virtual machines running under QEMU. The project includes drivers for Raspberry Pi display, networking, and audio hardware.

For those interested in trying it, the developers provide downloadable builds in three formats: a preinstalled raw disk image, a VHD image for virtualization platforms, and a bootable installation ISO. The preinstalled image is recommended, with support for both UEFI and BIOS booting.

Still, LiberNT remains a work in progress. The developers caution that the available builds are experimental and should be used in virtual machines or on spare hardware rather than production systems. The source code is available on GitHub.

  • thingsiplay@lemmy.ml
    9·
    1 day ago

    If I understand correctly, this new fork LiberNT is Windows 11 version 24H2 only compatibility, without support for any prior generation. ReactOS is about the look and feel and compatibility since Windows Server 2003 and later (which initially started as Windows 95 clone), without a focus on a specific Windows release. Is this correct?

    https://libernt.com/ from their website it looks like typical Ai generated website. Opening the page spins up my PCs fans like a videgame would. https://github.com/LiberNT/LiberNT their source code doesn’t list any contributors, so I’m not sure what’s going on. Ah, there we go, they use Ai off course: https://github.com/LiberNT/LiberNT#use-of-ai

    We want to make it clear: AI is part of how LiberNT is built. It helps us review and write code, and everything it writes is then reviewed by a human. Before anything reaches the main branch, a person runs and validates the end-to-end tests. We care about this project too much to let a regression slip through.

    It also helps us read documentation, extract definitions and fix bugs. For any given bug, it compares what the official Microsoft Learn documentation says with what our function actually does, so we can see exactly where our behavior differs.

    Like any other tool, AI is there to help us achieve our goals. It follows the same rules we hold ourselves to, set out in AGENTS.md:

    • We build from the Windows SDK and WDK headers, Windows 11 public symbols, Microsoft documentation and black-box runs on Windows 11.
    • We stay clean-room: we never transcribe disassembled or decompiled Windows code, and we never copy GPL code from Linux.
    • A fix is only a fix once we have seen it work in a real boot or test run. Once tests pass, a future CI will keep them passing and preserve our overall progress.
    • We compare our test results check by check with the same tests run on Windows 11.