[Intro]
Hello!
Have you ever thought about the existence of not only Windows, OS/2, ReactOS and Linux, but other as well?
For example, there is an operating system called Haiku that aims for binary compatibility with the BeOS operating system. In this video we will get acquainted with Haiku and install it on a real computer, go online and watch the programs work.
First, I think you need to understand what BeOS is.
This OS was created in 1991 by Be Incorporated. Originally developed as a base OS for BeBox computers based on PowerPC processor.
The advantageous differences between BeOS and other popular at that time systems like Windows 3.x and MS-DOS include multithreading, support for multiprocessor architectures, a 64-bit file system, an extremely convenient and simple UI.
After BeBox computers were discontinued, BeOS was ported to Intel processors and x86 architecture. And in 2002, Be Inc. filed for bankruptcy and sold all of its intellectual property to Palm for $11 million. And after that, the development of the system stopped.
But then the community stepped in: a group of enthusiasts are writing an open source, binary-compatible operating system for BeOS.
And the system was named Haiku OS. The project was founded in 2001 by Michael Phipps, originally called OpenBeOS. The goal of the project was to recreate the original BeOS 5.0. This system is not any Linux or Unix - the system is based in part on the NewOS kernel, which was written by a former engineer at Be Inc. Travis Geiselbrecht.
And on September 14, 2009 the first release of this system comes out. At the time of this video, the project is in beta testing.
The third beta of this system was released in July 2021. Of course, there are nightly builds as well.
The development speed is quite impressive. It is a pity that some of them still cannot enter the beta stage of development. But let's not talk about sad things.
The system requires only an x86 CPU, 128 MB of RAM and 700 MB of HDD.
The system is mostly developed in C ++ only with a small amount of assembly code. It also has its own file system - OpenBFS, which can accommodate, according to the developers, 260 GB in the size of one file and 2 EB, and note this - 2 billion gigabytes per partition.
So, the system image can be easily downloaded from the official website of the project. The image weighs 710 MB. We write the image to a USB flash drive using the Rufus program and go to testing!
We boot from USB and immediately see the boot screen.
After it, we are immediately greeted by a window with the choice of the system language and two options: install the system or try it all the same. In addition to English, among the languages there are Russian, Ukrainian, Japanese, Chinese and so on. There are even unusual languages like Esperanto.
The installation of the system here is very simple: reading the license agreement and partitioning the disk is everything.
And yes, as far as the partitioning of the disk is concerned - it must first be connected to the system and formatted into the BeOS file system, and the very concept of "formatting" is called "initialization" here.
The installation of the system itself takes place at lightning speed. After installation, we are immediately offered to reboot, which we actually do.
And after the reboot, a ready-to-use OS appears in front of us. There are already several shortcuts on the desktop: with our system partition; with system documentation; home folder; with a tutorial and a guide on the system and there is actually a recycle bin. In fact, the most basic is already there.
But you ask me: where is the taskbar, tray and "Start" button?
This is all in the upper right corner. The button on which the pen is drawn opens a menu that contains access to the desktop settings; search; programs; applets; system settings as a whole; demo applications that show the capabilities of the system; shutting down the computer and connecting any partitions or disks.
Just below the button is the so-called "system tray", which contains a multifunctional monitor of processes, viewing the network status, sound control and an indicator of the current keyboard layout.
And below there is a list of open applications in the system. If you click on any application in the list, it will immediately show a list of open application windows and buttons for closing or opening all application windows.
Also, the system can combine several windows into one. And these windows will become tabs like in Chrome or Firefox :)
According to the standard, there are a large number of applications that allow you to access the Internet, watch mail, unzip any archive, work with disk partitions, play media files, draw, raise the server, execute any commands in the terminal, write in a notepad, and so on.
There are really a lot of programs and it will not be possible to review everything in this case.
Demo applications allow you to look at the capabilities of the system, both with 3D by type a teapot and creating animation of the starry sky, and with just ordinary applications and games like Sudoku and Clock
As in Windows and Linux, there is an update system that keeps the system and packages up to date. But here it was done by voluntary desire and consent, and not arrogantly and suddenly, as in Windows 10, for example.
The system also has an application directory from which you can download applications ported or created for Haiku OS.
Here I found the Krita graphic editor, VLC media player, DosBox emulator, qbitTorrent torrent download program, even Telegram and LibreOffice are available here.
And at the same time, they work properly.
From browsers by standard, here you can find WebPositive, which is quite good for easy surfing the Internet.
For a more weighty one, like VK.com or YouTube, the standard browser does not work very cheerfully. And Haiku OS not there are no normal browser alternatives like some Firefox or K-Meleon.
The system supports many file systems such as NTFS, FAT16 and FAT32, BTRFS, EXT2 and EXFAT. But when connecting partitions that contain a similar file system, the system asks us how to connect this partition and warns us to be careful when connecting such partitions to read/write mode.
The loading screen is very interestingly made: under the system logo there are 8 icons in the form of a progress bar, which alternately light up during boot.
Most likely, they indicate the readiness of all modules of the system in this way, but this is done creatively.
The system itself contains many more fascinating and interesting things that we did not consider in this video. And as for me, this is a good reason to download this OS and test it yourself.
It is distributed both in x86 and x86_64. The disk with this system was once on the desktop of one of the Microsoft employees.
In general, as a result, I can say that Haiku development, even if not so fast, but this quite confident.
The system is very unique both in its structure and architecture, as well as in design and style. 20 years later, this OS is still being written by a community of volunteer developers from around the world.
And they don't give up.
As for me, making a system that completely reconstructs the BeOS functionality and even surpasses the original in some moments is a huge job.
Of course, you will ask me why this OS is and who will use it - and I will answer you that everywhere there should be some alternatives. Not only Windows and Linux...
That's all! If you are interested, then subscribe to the channel so as not to miss new videos. Thank you all for watching! Until next time!