<p>Thank you very much for checking out Haiku! This is our third 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 <i>alpha release</i> 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.</p>
<p>We have been working hard to fix all possibly show stopping bugs, however, being an alpha release, there are bound to be plenty left undiscovered.</p>
<divclass="box-warning">We discourage using alpha versions as a production system. Your data could very well be altered, mangled or downright destroyed.</div>
<p>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:</p>
<p>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 <spanclass="app">Expander</span>) to <spanclass="path">/boot/apps/</span> and start the application from there.</p>
<p>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, <tt>installoptionalpackage</tt>. 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.<br/>
You'll have to run a command in Terminal: <tt>installoptionalpackage -h</tt> explains its usage.</p>
<p>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 <ahref="../userguide/en/workshop-wlan.html">Workshop: Wireless networking</a>.</p>
<p>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.<br/>
Deviations from the BeOS API and Haiku specific additions are collected in the Haiku Book.</p>
<p>Get in contact with other developers and users and join the discussions on IRC (<ahref="http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=haiku">#haiku</a> 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 <ahref="http://www.haiku-os.org/community/ml/etiquette">Mailing List Etiquette</a>.</p>
