Index
Welcome to Haiku!
Beware of Bugs
Getting to know the system
Installing new software
Wifi in Haiku
Getting to know the API
Getting in contact

Welcome to Haiku!

Thank you very much for checking out Haiku! This is our fourth public release. We hope to attract new developers to our project and give future users a chance to check out Haiku. We realize that this alpha release does not yet fully live up to the goals that we have set for ourselves and doesn't offer all the features and well-rounded end-user experience planned for the final R1 version. However, we hope that this release lets you discover Haiku's great potential and that you share our excitement.

Visit our project's website Haiku-os.org for the latest news and announcements.

index Beware of Bugs

We have been working hard to fix potentially critical bugs, however, being an alpha release, there are bound to be plenty left undiscovered.

We discourage using alpha versions as a production system. Your data could very well be altered, mangled or downright destroyed.

One of the main reasons for releasing an alpha version is to attract more people to test the system and discover bugs or provide suggestions for future enhancements. Please file bugs and enhancements in our bug tracker after using its search function to avoid duplicates.

index Getting to know the system

The first release(s) of Haiku will be very much like the BeOS R5, the operating system it is reimplementing. If you never experienced it, have a look at these links:

index Installing more software

Because of our binary and source compatibility, many BeOS applications run on Haiku (you may have to install the optional package "beoscompatibility" for some programs, see below). After downloading a package, simply unzip it (double clicking opens Expander) to /boot/apps/ and start the application from there.

Popular software repositories are:

There are also so-called Optional Packages, which are used by Haiku's build system. It is not intended for end users to manually extract and install them. Instead, a utility script is provided, installoptionalpackage. This script is meant to bridge the gap while Haiku's package management is still under construction. It will allow you to install most of the available Optional Packages.
You'll have to run a command in Terminal: installoptionalpackage -h explains its usage.

index Wifi in Haiku

Haiku supports wireless networks that are WPA/WPA2 or WEP encrypted and of course open, unencrypted connections. Due to several different licensing policies of different hardware vendors, a manual installation process for the firmware may be required. You'll find more information on supported hardware, firmware installation and how to join a wireless network in the Haiku User Guide's Workshop: Wireless networking.

index Getting to know the API

Since Haiku is a reimplementation, the API is still the same as for BeOS R5 (with some additions). Therefore the documentation in the Be Book is still a valid resource. Thanks to ACCESS, who owns the rights to former Be Inc. property, we are allowed to provide a copy of the Be Book.
Deviations from the BeOS API and Haiku specific additions are collected in the Haiku Book.

There are some resources that should help you getting started:

index Getting in contact

Get in contact with other developers and users and join the discussions on IRC (#haiku on webchat), in our forums or the mailing lists. When many different people come together, rules have to established to keep communication effective. Please respect our Mailing List Etiquette.