In the mid-1990s, Jean-Louis Gassée, a former Apple executive, founded Be Inc., a company that developed the BeOS operating system. Although BeOS had impressive technical capabilities, such as a multitasking kernel, symmetric multiprocessing, and a 64-bit journaling file system, it struggled to compete with Microsoft Windows, which dominated the market at the time. Apple briefly considered acquiring Be Inc., but ultimately decided against it due to the high price. Instead, they acquired NeXT, a company founded by Steve Jobs, and used its OPENSTEP operating system as the foundation for Mac OS X.
After Be Inc. was acquired by Palm in 2001, BeOS quietly disappeared. However, shortly after the acquisition, a community-driven project called OpenBeOS emerged with the goal of keeping the spirit of BeOS alive. In 2004, the project rebranded as Haiku and marked a fresh start with a new logo. Since then, the Haiku project has been steadily progressing, and it recently released Haiku R1 Beta 5, bringing it closer to its first stable release.
Haiku R1 Beta 5, which follows the previous release of R1 Beta 4, includes numerous bug fixes and enhancements. However, it is important to note that Haiku is still considered beta-quality software, which means it is feature complete but may contain known and unknown bugs. The Haiku team warns users to be cautious about potential data loss when using the software.
Both a 32-bit and 64-bit version of Haiku R1 Beta 5 are available for download on the project’s website. The minimum system requirements for the 32-bit edition are modest, with an Intel Pentium II or AMD Athlon processor, 384MB of memory, an 800×600 monitor, and 3GB of storage. The recommended specifications for the 64-bit version include an Intel Core i3 or AMD Phenom II processor, 2GB of memory, a 1366×768 monitor, and 16GB of storage. It is worth noting that the 32-bit version offers BeOS R5 compatibility, while the 64-bit version does not.
One notable addition in Haiku R1 Beta 5 is the simplified color selection in the Appearance preferences. Instead of having to choose from 30 different color options, users can now adjust three core colors, and the system will calculate the rest. This feature is particularly useful for those who prefer dark mode, as it dynamically adjusts text and background colors for better readability. Advanced users can still manually adjust the full set of colors if desired, but the new system makes customization more accessible for everyone.
Another significant update in Haiku R1 Beta 5 is the improved native icon editor, Icon-O-Matic. This upgrade includes the ability to import bitmap images as “reference images” and trace vector paths over them. The addition of perspective transformations and enhanced copy-paste functionality makes creating and editing icons more intuitive. Additionally, other notable improvements include enhanced battery detection and notifications in PowerStatus, as well as better visual cues for read-only volumes in the file manager, Tracker. Haiku now also supports basic input and output for USB audio devices and has made performance and optimization improvements to its TCP network stack.
In conclusion, Haiku R1 Beta 5 represents the ongoing progress of the Haiku project, which aims to keep the spirit of the BeOS operating system alive. Despite the challenges faced by the original BeOS and its subsequent acquisition, the Haiku project continues to develop and improve. With its recent release, Haiku R1 Beta 5 offers new features and enhancements, bringing it closer to a stable release. While Haiku is still considered beta-quality software with potential bugs and data loss risks, it provides an alternative operating system option for those interested in exploring the legacy of BeOS and its unique technical strengths.
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