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Open Source BeOS Successor Haiku Releases R1/beta 1 (haiku-os.org)

Remember Haiku, the open source successor to the Be operating system? Long-time Slashdot reader GuerillaRadio quotes a new announcement from Haiku-os.org: It's been just about a month less than six years since Haiku's last release in November 2012 -- too long. As a result of such a long gap between releases, there are a lot more changes in this release than in previous ones, and so this document is weightier than it has been in the past. The notes are mostly organized in order of importance and relevance, not chronologically, and due to the sheer number of changes, thousands of smaller improvements simply aren't recognized here.

Please keep in mind that this is beta-quality software, which means it is feature complete but still contains known and unknown bugs. While we are mostly confident in its stability, we cannot provide assurances against data loss.

40 comments

  1. "mostly confident in its stability" -- by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In six years you'd think they would have a verification test to run.

    1. Re:"mostly confident in its stability" -- by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      There'll be a Duke Nukem port real soon now.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    2. Re:"mostly confident in its stability" -- by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm waiting for Leisure Suit Larry!

    3. Re: "mostly confident in its stability" -- by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mehhh, give me a GTA1 port.

  2. heavy requirements. by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 4, Informative

    MINIMUM (32-bit)
    Processor: Intel Pentium II; AMD Athlon
    Memory: 256MB
    Monitor: 800x600
    Storage: 3GB

    Frankly, those are some heavy requirements. That's even heavier than WinXP requirements! (233MHz/64MB/800x600/1.5GB)

    Developers are really spoiled by modern hardware.

    --
    Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    1. Re:heavy requirements. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But then it'll run circles around Windows no matter how much hardware you throw at it. But the fun doesn't last long, because you dont have any software for it. Just like 20 years ago. :(

    2. Re:heavy requirements. by Hamsterdan · · Score: 1

      And win95 boots with a 386 and 4MB RAM. Doesn't mean it's useable. Running XP under 512MB is punishment.

      --
      I've got better things to do tonight than die.
  3. Hot dog! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I realize that nothing's going to cause the lumbering, bumbling elephant to fall any time soon, but any alternative to Windows is welcome. Kudos to the folks who've continued to work on Haiku. I'm looking forward to taking it for a spin.

  4. Re:Lol, BeOS, die already by Stormwatch · · Score: 1

    Ah, that list reminds me of a time when web browsers were not the pointlessly massive resource hogs of today.

  5. We need SJWs by TimMD909 · · Score: 1
    We need Software Justice Warriors. It's obvious this project is held down and repressed by the Winimacnux Empire(TM).

    On a serious note, why is it taking so long to get proper? Is it just a matter of critical mass, or is the architecture not useful enough? I honestly wanna know. It seems like a fun nostalgia project, but beyond that, I don't see the utility.

    1. Re:We need SJWs by GerryGilmore · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Let's face it - this is a hobbyist project done totally by volunteers with pretty much zero money, who are just doing it for the thrill of doing it. So, it's not "architecture", but there is certainly no "critical mass" yearning for it. Having said all that, Good on Them! God Bless geeks who do stuff just for the technical thrill of it.

    2. Re:We need SJWs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      There's only a handful of dedicated devs working on it. Lots of interest from folks wholly unqualified to contribute actual code or even test releases. Eventually, someone's gotta roll up the sleeves and get on it. OS X pulled a lot of brainpower from the BeOS mindshare (*NIX, POSIX, well integrated GUI) and while running on ancient hardware is a nicety, it's rather novel considering laptops 5 or 6 years ago are still running just fine even with the latest OS updates.

      I'd love to see the BeOS folks just focus on doing one thing extremely well: content creation (music/video), with an eye towards other apps (server/generic desktop usage). Get full 3D acceleration working, get a fantastic audio subsystem, dump some dev work into audio/video/graphics production. If I won the lottery or sold a startup for a quarter million, I'd certainly think about dumping a small portion into a full time dev team to get this going. Until then...

    3. Re:We need SJWs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think the biggest hang-up is that there's almost nobody working on the project. I think they have a tiny dev team. I loved BeOS and used it before Palm killed them after buying them out, and then I was happy when HP killed Palm. Karma motherfuckers! j/k LOL :)

      I have installed Haiku since, but it's just not that great yet. Given another... 25 years, at the current rate of development, it might work for daily use.

    4. Re:We need SJWs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      OS X pulled a lot of brainpower from the BeOS mindshare (*NIX, POSIX, well integrated GUI)

      WTF? OSX is just continuation of NeXT which was UNIX(POSIX) with well integrated GUI a way before BeOS. Gosh.

    5. Re:We need SJWs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They were down to one developer for a couple of years. C++ is also not very fun to work with.

  6. Re:Lol, BeOS, die already by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    BeOS isn't intended for mindless point and drool users who only (and wastefully) use their computers for consumption purposes.

    BeOS is still used in many video and audio production studios. A browser that supports all of the superfluous, blingy web crap that is out there now is a low priority for a near realtime, workstation OS with yet unmatched responsiveness and low latency.

  7. Obligatory Haiku by davidwr · · Score: 1

    BeOS reborn
    Many years in the making
    Spring comes to the south

    --
    Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
  8. For all Kernal developers out there by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Abandon Linux CoC and jump to Haiku where you can still act like a proper Kernal Developer.

    1. Re:For all Kernal developers out there by Megol · · Score: 1

      Or stay with Linux and do the same?

    2. Re: For all Kernal developers out there by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Doubtful

  9. Compared to Reactos by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Haikiu is truly impressive. It's alpha release was better than anything Reactos has ever produced. The Haiku alpha release would have been labeled a "stable" release 1.0 by most projects. Haiku has a very, very, conservative attitude toward releases. They under-hype which is amazing in and of itself in these times.

  10. Re:Lol, BeOS, die already by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    > BeOS is still used in many video and audio production studios.

    I find that... surprising.

  11. Yay, congratulations! by Hallux-F-Sinister · · Score: 2

    Please keep in mind that this is beta-quality software, which means it is feature complete but still contains known and unknown bugs. While we are mostly confident in its stability, we cannot provide assurances against data loss.

    ...just like the last several releases of M$ “Windows,” Apple’s ”iMacOSx,” (or whatever they’re calling it this week,) and “iOS,” (which I’ve been quietly amusing myself by reading that word as if it rhymes with bulldoze, phonetically: “aye-ohze,” because frankly, it’s a stupid name, and it deserves to get made fun of).

    It’s okay. We’re used to it. All computer & software users are beta testers, nowadays, whether they want to be or not, whether they even realize it or not.

    Just release it already.

    --
    Our reign has gone on long enough. Indeed. Summon the meteors.
  12. Bet the OS fits in 64... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    It's Webkit and company responsible for bloating the minimum usable ram requirement to 256 megabytes. And if you compared Windows XP SP3 plus equivalent utilities (including a newer browser than IE7), I bet you would find it being close to that 256 megabyte limit too.

  13. Re:Lol, BeOS, die already by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It was an embedded OS for at least one recording/mixing console. Audio/video production is notorious for their "if it ain't broke" mentalities and rarely upgrade for shits and giggles. My buddy owns a recording studio and only just upgraded from his dual G4 powermac, protools/digi002 setup about 5 years ago to a mid-level macbook pro (not sure about his interface, might have upgraded to an 003) because shit just worked and he knew how to do everything he needed to do. The macbook pro has been a champ, though, but he'll be on that until it fails, as well.

  14. I protest! by phantomfive · · Score: 1

    My biggest complaint about Haiku OS is that there are no haikus anywhere. Not in the comments, not in the name. Talk about a missed opportunity! I refuse to use any OS that so seriously misrepresents itself.

    --
    "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    1. Re:I protest! by Hallux-F-Sinister · · Score: 4, Funny

      My biggest complaint about Haiku OS is that there are no haikus anywhere. Not in the comments, not in the name. Talk about a missed opportunity! I refuse to use any OS that so seriously misrepresents itself.

      But your complaint was itself not in the form of a haiku either. Here, let me try:

      Misappellation
      They should have to change its name
      Call it something else

      Haiku are poems
      Not operating systems
      Do please try again

      Heheheh... and a few more just for fun...

      Years like drops of rain
      A river flows, splash of time
      New Haiku released

      Blood, sweat, many tears
      BeOS' ghost in baby's cries
      What had died, reborn

      I liked that one so much I'm going to reuse part of it...

      Blood, sweat, many tears
      Would-be users waited years
      Can we install now?

      --
      Our reign has gone on long enough. Indeed. Summon the meteors.
  15. Re:Lol, BeOS, die already by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Because it's simply not true. If it were they would have provided specific examples.

  16. Re:Lol, BeOS, die already by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If the media production is CPU heavy, the macbook will die in a year or two. On my previous company all the iOS developers had to replace their macbooks every year as they overheated themselves into dumpster. Those devices are meant only to browse instagram, not to do anything CPU consuming work.

  17. Can someone explain why Haiku is useful? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Who is the target audience, and what do they gain when they switch from whatever they're currently using?

    1. Re:Can someone explain why Haiku is useful? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The target audience is people who used to use BeOS.

      What they gain is they can pretend they are still using BeOS.

    2. Re:Can someone explain why Haiku is useful? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's open source, so that kills Windows.

      It's low latency, so that kills MacOS and Linux.

  18. Re:Lol, BeOS, die already by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
  19. onlin job by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

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  20. Haiku OS on xkcd by psnyder · · Score: 1

    Obligatory XKCD from October 15, 2010.

  21. No hybrid? by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

    x86, or x86_64. Doesn't even appear to be a qmake for x86_64? Used to be able to solve this problem by installing the x86 version on a hybrid install, but now there isn't one?

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  22. Elegy For BeOS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I am a BeOS user
    and I try hard to be brave
    That is a tall order
    BeOS's foot is in the grave.
    I tap at my toy keyboard
    and whistle a happy tune
    but keeping happy's so hard,
    BeOS died so soon.
    Each day I wake and softly sob
    Nightfall finds me crying
    Not only am I a zit faced slob
    but BeOS is dying.

  23. Awesome news by Doc+Right · · Score: 0

    Of all the weird "new" operating systems I ever tried out, I was the most excited about BeOS. I remember Haiku, and the long absence of news from them had me thinking they were gone too. I'm glad to see they're still kicking, and thrilled about R1.