OpenBeOS

OpenBeOS was an open-source project established by a community of BeOS enthusiasts with the aim of re-creating BeOS as a free, open-source operating system and providing a platform compatible with BeOS applications and APIs. The project emerged after Be Inc. ceased active development of BeOS and released portions of its code under open licenses, with participants attempting to implement BeOS's desktop environment, media stack, and API set in a modern, community-driven build. OpenBeOS produced a number of public releases, source trees, and architectural proposals that informed subsequent open-source efforts to preserve BeOS heritage.

The project eventually evolved into Haiku, a separate open-source operating system that inherits the BeOS design and API compatibility goals. Haiku preserves the BeOS philosophy of simplicity and responsiveness while introducing its own development paths, new features, and modern subsystem improvements. The Haiku project remains community-driven and has continued to develop the kernel, drivers, package management, and user interface, while maintaining a focus on BeOS API compatibility for existing BeOS software.

Today, Haiku is regarded as the living continuation of the OpenBeOS initiative, representing one of the more notable attempts to sustain BeOS's design principles within an open-source framework. OpenBeOS, as a distinct project, is typically described as the precursor to Haiku, whose ongoing work carries forward its goals.