Haiku OS

🧩 1. Basic Information

Field —>Description
OS Name —>Haiku OS
Developer —>Haiku Project (open-source community)
First Released —>2002 (as OpenBeOS), first alpha in 2009
Latest Version —>Haiku R1 Beta 4 (Dec 2022)
License Type —>Mostly MIT, some BSD/GPL (open source)
Supported Platforms —>x86-32, x86-64 (ARM ports experimental)
Still Active? —>✅ Yes (active development toward R1 final)

⚙️ 2. Kernel & Architecture

Kernel Type: Hybrid kernel

Based On: New kernel inspired by BeOS (not Linux)

Architecture Support: Primarily x86, x86-64

Boot System: Uses Haiku Boot Loader, supports EFI & BIOS

Threading & Scheduler: Highly multithreaded, fast context switches

File System: BeFS (Haiku’s OpenBFS), supports journaling

🌟 3. Key Features

Lightning-fast boot & shutdown

Clean, consistent GUI with Tracker & Deskbar (inspired by BeOS)

Fully multi-threaded GUI — file operations, UI elements don’t block

Native support for vector graphics & anti-aliased fonts

Built-in package management (hpkg) + repository support

Powerful native APIs (C++ focused)

Modern web browser (WebPositive)

Integrated media framework for audio/video playback

📈 4. Version History & Important Milestones ✅

Version / Event —>Year —>Milestone / Impact
Project starts as OpenBeOS —>2001-02 —>After BeOS discontinued
Renamed to Haiku —>2004 —>New branding to reflect a unique OS
R1 Alpha 1 —>2009 —>First public alpha release
R1 Beta 1 —>2018 —>Marked huge stability & driver improvements
R1 Beta 4 —>2022 —>Latest, stable enough for daily use by enthusiasts
R1 Final —>Expected (2025+) —>Ongoing work to reach full stable R1

🎯 5. Target Audience & Use Cases

Tech enthusiasts & hobbyists: Exploring alternative desktop OS

Developers: Those wanting to build native C++ desktop apps

Retro computing fans: Recreating BeOS experience on modern hardware

Lightweight personal desktops: Fast boot, responsive UI on older PCs

✅ 6. Pros & Cons

Pros —>Cons
Incredibly fast & responsive UI —>Limited hardware driver support
Unique architecture— not a Linux distro —>Smaller software ecosystem
MIT licensed, easy for experimentation —>Not ideal for serious daily productivity yet
Excellent multimedia responsiveness —>No official ARM support yet
Simple, elegant interface —>Some apps still under heavy development

🎨 7. UI Demo & Visuals

Haiku boot screen with bouncing icons

Tracker file browser & Deskbar menu

Running WebPositive browser

StyledClock, Terminal, or media player demo

Demonstrating right-click on Deskbar, Workspaces switcher

Show installing a package via HaikuDepot

📦 8. Ecosystem & App Support

Uses hpkg format with HaikuDepot graphical package manager

Apps include:

Ports of Qt, SDL, and many Unix tools available

Bash shell included by default

🔐 9. Security & Updates

Not designed for multi-user security (more like a personal OS)

No system-wide SELinux/AppArmor like hard confinement

Rolling updates with stable branch via pkgman

Frequent commits on their GitHub mirror & nightly builds for testers

🌍 10. Community, License & Development

License: Mostly MIT, with some BSD/GPL code

Fully community driven with volunteer developers

Very active mailing lists, IRC channels & Haiku forum

Hundreds of open tickets, frequent patches

GitHub mirror actively updated, official website at haiku-os.org