Haiku (operating system)

Haiku is a free and open-source operating system that aims to be binary-compatible with the legacy BeOS, which was originally developed by Be Inc. in the 1990s. The project began in 2001 as an open-source reimplementation of BeOS, and the first alpha release arrived in 2009. Haiku is written primarily in C++ and features a modular kernel design with a focus on personal computing, responsiveness, and a unified graphical interface.

Haiku is notable for its single-user, multi-threaded architecture and its native 64-bit journaling file system, BFS (BeFS). The operating system is designed to leverage modern hardware while preserving the simplicity and speed of BeOS. It supports a wide range of hardware, including x86 and x86-64 processors, and can run on real machines as well as virtual machines.

Features

Kernel: Haiku uses a modular, preemptively multitasking kernel with built-in support for symmetric multiprocessing.
File system: The native BFS supports indexed metadata, arbitrary attributes, and 64-bit addressing.
Desktop environment: Haiku ships with its own lightweight, custom desktop called Workspaces, which provides multiple virtual desktops.
API: Native applications are written using the Haiku API, a direct derivative of the BeOS API, with support for C++ and optional scripting.
Package management: The operating system includes the Haiku Package Manager (HaikuDepot), which uses a hybrid package format combining compressed archives with boot-time installation.
Binary compatibility: Haiku aims to run unmodified BeOS applications, though some legacy software may require minor adjustments.
Multimedia: The Media Kit provides low-latency audio and video support, and the Game Kit offers graphics acceleration.

History

The Haiku project was launched in 2001 by a group of former BeOS enthusiasts after the acquisition of Be Inc. by Palm, Inc. led to the discontinuation of the operating system. The initial development focused on reimplementing the BeOS kernel, which had been closed-source. By 2004, the project adopted the name "Haiku" (formerly known as "OpenBeOS") and released its first code base under the MIT License.

The first official alpha release, Haiku R1/Alpha 1, arrived in September 2009. Subsequent alpha and beta releases followed, each adding hardware support, stability improvements, and new features. Haiku reached its first release candidate (RC1) in June 2023. The project continues to be developed by a volunteer community, with periodic releases and a growing repository of native software.

Haiku (operating system)