[sph]

I think the author meant something that can be used in practice for real work, not a cyclopean effort of clean room reimplementation of Windows as a hobby for part-time volunteers.

The reality is as you said, only Microsoft can make Windows Lite, and they don’t care to.

[tpoacher]

Possibly, but that still doesn't mean there isn't a real benefit to developers developing for ReactOS as a proxy for developing for Windows in a manner that makes their products instantly compatible with Mac and Linux.

The "real work" part is mostly about the user. And that depends on available programs on the platform, not on the user's boundless love for telemetry.

OP seems to be mostly addressing developers here, so the point stands.