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VitruvianOS – Desktop Linux Inspired by the BeOS

v-os.dev

81–90 of 234 posts

Re: VitruvianOS – Desktop Linux Inspired by the BeOS

#81
post #3

25 years ago, I configured GNOME to run a BeOS-like tabbed window manager. On a sun workstation. But that's not what this is. Or not only: Nexus Kernel Bridge Nexus is Vitruvian's custom Linux kernel subsystem that brings BeOS-style node monitoring, device tracking, and messaging to Linux — making it possible to run Haiku applications on a standard Linux kernel. It claims to run apps from Haiku, the current open-sour…

[deleted]

Re: VitruvianOS – Desktop Linux Inspired by the BeOS

#82

I ran BeOS as a daily driver for a few months in the early 2000s. I had a winmodem and Linux couldn't connect to the internet for me, but for some reason, BeOS had drivers, so I used it. It was faster and the desktop environment felt more polished than KDE/Gnome. Of course, at that time, it was impossible to know which OS would win the wars, so BeOS became my favorite. However, Linux developed very quickly during tho…

+1. Even though it had limitations, it had this "clean polished feeling"

Re: VitruvianOS – Desktop Linux Inspired by the BeOS

#83
post #54

I bought an Amiga in the early 90's and enjoyed it immensely. Commodore went under and Amiga died. I bought BeOS in the late 90's and enjoyed it immensely like a breath of fresh air in a sewage pipe. BeOS died. With my track record I really, really should've bought Windows. Twice, to make sure.

I think we were on the same track. I absolutely loved the Amiga and was about to jump on board BeOS when it went under. I never got to use BeOS as a daily driver (just ran their demo disk). How did you find it?

Re: VitruvianOS – Desktop Linux Inspired by the BeOS

#84
post #3

25 years ago, I configured GNOME to run a BeOS-like tabbed window manager. On a sun workstation. But that's not what this is. Or not only: Nexus Kernel Bridge Nexus is Vitruvian's custom Linux kernel subsystem that brings BeOS-style node monitoring, device tracking, and messaging to Linux — making it possible to run Haiku applications on a standard Linux kernel. It claims to run apps from Haiku, the current open-sour…

Looks like this is a thin translation layer for BeOS/Haiku syscalls. I wonder why they aren't relying on Syscall User Dispatch https://docs.kernel.org/6.19/admin-guide/syscall-user-dispat... which would enable them to put this compatibility layer in user space. It's already being used by recent Wine versions.

Re: VitruvianOS – Desktop Linux Inspired by the BeOS

#85
post #54

I bought an Amiga in the early 90's and enjoyed it immensely. Commodore went under and Amiga died. I bought BeOS in the late 90's and enjoyed it immensely like a breath of fresh air in a sewage pipe. BeOS died. With my track record I really, really should've bought Windows. Twice, to make sure.

I think we were on the same track. I absolutely loved the Amiga and was about to jump on board BeOS when it went under. I never got to use BeOS as a daily driver (just ran their demo disk). How did you find it?

I ran it in a dual boot with linux install but I ended up using Linux more despite liking beos because of the ecosystem. There were just more software available on Linux, especially lightweight tui tools.

Re: VitruvianOS – Desktop Linux Inspired by the BeOS

#86
post #17

The important question becomes can you stack the window decoration "tabs" of different apps into a single stack of tabs like in BeOS? Demonstrated here (animated): https://www.haiku-os.org/docs/userguide/en/images/gui-images...

This is what we needed in our OSes instead of Firefox tabs.

How is it that different?

Re: VitruvianOS – Desktop Linux Inspired by the BeOS

#87
post #64

How about making Haiku frameworks OS independent?

There is a blog entry [0] on the web site mentioning that they needed a Linux kernel module for some missing filesystem pieces, and also configure the kernel to be realtime.

I wonder what they will do to support BeOS' MediaKit. It has packet streams with realtime delivery.

[0] https://v-os.dev/blog/2026/02/10/haiku-runtime-on-linux/

Re: VitruvianOS – Desktop Linux Inspired by the BeOS

#88

Is this a new window manager and tracker or something skinned for this use case? Wayland, X11? There’s a screenshots section but the details are sparse.

It is a native windowing system, probably a port from Haiku.

There exists at least one rootless X11 server for BeOS/Haiku that would run on top, that shouldn't be too difficult to port (knock on wood ...)

Re: VitruvianOS – Desktop Linux Inspired by the BeOS

#89
post #17

The important question becomes can you stack the window decoration "tabs" of different apps into a single stack of tabs like in BeOS? Demonstrated here (animated): https://www.haiku-os.org/docs/userguide/en/images/gui-images...

I used to run fluxbox in the early 2000s. I greatly miss tabbing any windows like that.

KDE had it. And I missed it a lot.

Re: VitruvianOS – Desktop Linux Inspired by the BeOS

#90
post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

why no X11?

Because everyone's going for Wayland, even though you still need XWayland to do anything useful on it because Wayland is comically incomplete.

well, I mean, why can't this ship with an X server? Or maybe it does and then I'm not sure why it is said that only Haiku apps are supported
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