3 ms·

How usable is Haiku OS in practice?

by bmurphy1976 5mo ago

jonhohle 5mo ago
I was trying to set up an install for my HS age some to learn programming this summer with minimal distractions. I was surprised to see IntelliJ runs and they’ve integrated GNU core utils. A hello world program ran fine.
altairprime 5mo ago
On M1 on specific? or on any platform in general?
- bmurphy1976 5mo ago
  The platform itself. Like, can it run Firefox? Can I actually do normal stuff in the browser like watch a YouTube video or join a Zoom call? Can I run VSCode? Can I run Docker?
  - lproven 5mo ago
    It is not a Linux distro. It is not a Linux at all; it is a completely different, independent OS. It is not a Unix at all: it's an independent ground-up C++ OS that implements a lot of POSIX-type APIs to make it easier to port Unix apps. Docker is literally a Linux native tool that is for Linux only. The only way Docker works on anything that isn't Linux is by running a Linux VM, containing Alpine. It is not a Linux and no you cannot do Linux things with it like run Linux containers, because to run Linux containers you need Linux and this is not a Linux. I am trying to emphasize this because your question seems to be asking "what kind of Linux is this?" and this is a category error. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category_mistake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category_mistake Or, as ESR originally put it, it's an X/Y problem: https://mywiki.wooledge.org/XyProblem https://mywiki.wooledge.org/XyProblem Yes, a Firefox port became available recently. I don't know if it can run Zoom. I go out of my way to avoid Zoom if I possibly can.
    - ranger_danger 5mo ago
      > The only way Docker works on anything that isn't Linux is by running a Linux VM, containing Alpine. Sorry but this is demonstrably false. Not only is Alpine not a requirement in the slightest, Windows Server's own containers work as a backend for Docker just fine.
      - lproven 5mo ago
        Sure, but you can't run your Linux containers in them. But you can on FreeBSD. Which was my point.
easeout 5mo ago
It's a delight to use, if a little esoteric at first. After the experiment phase, the software ecosystem comes up fairly limited. But I recommend visiting. Here are some more impressions: https://kconner.com/2025/03/09/haiku-os-study-path.html https://kconner.com/2025/03/09/haiku-os-study-path.html
- freedomben 5mo ago
  What kind of hardware do you run it on? Has driver support been an issue?
  - easeout 5mo ago
    I briefly emulated it with UTM (QEMU) on macOS; the host was an M1 series chip. This story is the first indication that I might run Haiku on that machine's bare metal someday.
  - HerbManic 5mo ago
    I run it on an old Optiplex that is a 3rd gen i3. No issue with drivers but that comes from its old (well seasoned) age.
- OhMeadhbh 5mo ago
  +1 The window manager might look a little old-fashioned, but it seems solid as a dev workstation.
makz 5mo ago
Lack of applications is my main problem
BirAdam 5mo ago
It’s effectively a different kernel and window system for GNU at this point. Tons of GNU ports. Most targets cannot run original Be software for the obvious reason.
LeFantome 5mo ago
Haiku is surprisingly usable in practice with Firefox, Falkon, and other browsers available. LibreOffice is there too. There are not that many native applications. But there are a number of GTK and Qt apps that have been ported (like GIMP). It depends what you need from your OS.

How usable is Haiku OS in practice?

I was trying to set up an install for my HS age some to learn programming this summer with minimal distractions. I was surprised to see IntelliJ runs and they’ve integrated GNU core utils. A hello world program ran fine.

altairprime 5mo ago

On M1 on specific? or on any platform in general?

bmurphy1976 5mo ago
The platform itself. Like, can it run Firefox? Can I actually do normal stuff in the browser like watch a YouTube video or join a Zoom call? Can I run VSCode? Can I run Docker?
- lproven 5mo ago
  It is not a Linux distro. It is not a Linux at all; it is a completely different, independent OS. It is not a Unix at all: it's an independent ground-up C++ OS that implements a lot of POSIX-type APIs to make it easier to port Unix apps. Docker is literally a Linux native tool that is for Linux only. The only way Docker works on anything that isn't Linux is by running a Linux VM, containing Alpine. It is not a Linux and no you cannot do Linux things with it like run Linux containers, because to run Linux containers you need Linux and this is not a Linux. I am trying to emphasize this because your question seems to be asking "what kind of Linux is this?" and this is a category error. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category_mistake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category_mistake Or, as ESR originally put it, it's an X/Y problem: https://mywiki.wooledge.org/XyProblem https://mywiki.wooledge.org/XyProblem Yes, a Firefox port became available recently. I don't know if it can run Zoom. I go out of my way to avoid Zoom if I possibly can.
  - ranger_danger 5mo ago
    > The only way Docker works on anything that isn't Linux is by running a Linux VM, containing Alpine. Sorry but this is demonstrably false. Not only is Alpine not a requirement in the slightest, Windows Server's own containers work as a backend for Docker just fine.
    - lproven 5mo ago
      Sure, but you can't run your Linux containers in them. But you can on FreeBSD. Which was my point.

easeout 5mo ago

It's a delight to use, if a little esoteric at first. After the experiment phase, the software ecosystem comes up fairly limited. But I recommend visiting. Here are some more impressions: https://kconner.com/2025/03/09/haiku-os-study-path.html https://kconner.com/2025/03/09/haiku-os-study-path.html

freedomben 5mo ago
What kind of hardware do you run it on? Has driver support been an issue?
- easeout 5mo ago
  I briefly emulated it with UTM (QEMU) on macOS; the host was an M1 series chip. This story is the first indication that I might run Haiku on that machine's bare metal someday.
- HerbManic 5mo ago
  I run it on an old Optiplex that is a 3rd gen i3. No issue with drivers but that comes from its old (well seasoned) age.
OhMeadhbh 5mo ago
+1 The window manager might look a little old-fashioned, but it seems solid as a dev workstation.

makz 5mo ago

Lack of applications is my main problem

BirAdam 5mo ago

It’s effectively a different kernel and window system for GNU at this point. Tons of GNU ports. Most targets cannot run original Be software for the obvious reason.

LeFantome 5mo ago

Haiku is surprisingly usable in practice with Firefox, Falkon, and other browsers available. LibreOffice is there too. There are not that many native applications. But there are a number of GTK and Qt apps that have been ported (like GIMP). It depends what you need from your OS.