For anyone who hasn't heard of the ReactOS project, it is a version of Linux that undertakes the extraordinary task of running Windows XP programs using Windows XP drivers....natively. This project isn't exactly new, which is probably why we haven't been hearing much about this. The jump to version 0.3.1 does a lot of things, such as a rebuild of the HAL (Hardware Abstraction Layer). The HAL handles communication between hardware, software, and the kernel of the operating system. You can read the full list of updates here.

Anyone who'd like to try ReactOS can download it off of thier homepage.