There have always been operating systems outside the big three (Linux, Windows, and macOS) for personal desktop computers, but Haiku is one of the more distinctive ones. Originally known as OpenBeOS, it is a community-driven continuation of the now-discontinued BeOS.

Haiku has evolved far beyond what BeOS used to be, while still maintaining binary compatibility with it. It’s always been a fascinating operating system to look at, and I finally took the plunge recently by installing it on a virtual machine to test its many quirks and features.

What exactly is Haiku OS?

Haiku is fundamentally different from Linux

Haiku is not Linux (or even Unix, for that matter) and uses its own custom modular kernel. It does not use the Unix codebase in any way either.

Linux is far more modular in design, utilizing a monolithic design. In other words, Linux is optimized for a far wider range of hardware, and each section is built piece by piece.

In contrast, Haiku is a unified project. Everything is packaged together and developed within the same source tree. This means there are no Haiku distributions, making it similar to Windows or macOS in this regard.

Interestingly, Haiku began life as OpenBeOS, before transitioning into what it is today. Haiku is largely BeOS with a fresh coat of paint, even though it adds a few extra niceties, like the Deskbar.

To put it simply, Haiku is an open-source operating system that is its own thing — and isn’t related to Linux.

Installing Haiku on a virtual machine

And taking a look into the system

Installing Haiku on a virtual machine was quite straightforward. All I had to do was download the latest version of Haiku from the official website (making sure to get the x64 version) and then boot the ISO in QEMU.

The ISO immediately booted in the virtual display, and I was given the option to either try a live disk image or proceed with the installation. I chose the latter, and it barely took over a minute to get Haiku up and running, even with all the optional packages queued for installation.

One reboot later, I was immediately logged in to the Haiku desktop. Interestingly, Haiku does not require a user or root password to get things done, unlike Windows.

The default Haiku desktop is reminiscent of the Windows XP days, with a similar color scheme (and, to an extent, icon scheme). Unlike Windows, though, it lacks a default bottom taskbar and has only an app launcher on the right side of the user interface.

The Tracker and Deskbar are the two most prominent sets on the desktop, making it very similar to Xfce or a traditional Linux desktop environment.

There are a bunch of bundled apps for various uses, including a rather interesting section dedicated to testing tools for graphics and CPU performance. The Teapot app, for example, is a GPU stress tester that renders a 3D teapot in real time.

There is also your usual selection of default apps, including a text editor and a surprisingly capable desktop browser. And yes, you can use it to connect to the internet and get some real, light work done.

Of course, Haiku does run on actual x86_64 and ARM hardware, outside of just being stuck in a virtual machine. Make no mistake, though — it is still considered to be in “beta”, even if it is surprisingly usable for beta software.

This particular virtual machine had two cores and 2GB of RAM, all of which Haiku used quite efficiently. I still had over 430MB of RAM free, and it’s safe to say that this is a very lightweight operating system. It’s also surprisingly feature-complete, and when compared to something like ReactOS, it’s a night-and-day difference. Which makes it a perfect pick for older systems and general “E-waste” PCs.

Who is Haiku for?

So who exactly is this operating system for? Clearly, judging by its beta software status and generally mediocre app support, it’s not a very popular choice amongst the masses.

That’s not to say it’s bad, though — far from it, and Haiku is a genuinely impressive operating system. It’s just that Haiku is not the go-to choice for most folks. This is also thanks to its limited hardware support, which makes it a tough recommendation as a daily driver OS.

Haiku is not Linux, and that is part of the appeal for me. I’d very much like to see alternative operating systems take center stage, and this is definitely one of the more well-maintained ones out there. It is remarkably stable and perhaps even a choice to consider for a much older and now outdated PC or laptop.