BEOS

BeOS - the operating system developed by Be Inc. as a new generation of multimedia systems. To benefit from the differences between BeOS popular at the time systems are multithreaded, micronucleus, support for multiprocessor architectures, 64-bit journaled file system, it is convenient and simple user interface.

Creation of Be, Inc.

Corporation Be, Inc. was established in 1990 by former Apple executive officer Jean-Louis Gasse to create a new generation of computer system (note that Gasse went on the road the previous director of Apple Steve Dzhobsa and its platform NeXT). At the rise of enthusiasm Gasse and his colleagues have joined together to make a simple to use, reliable computer, free from remnants of the past. The plan is to create a computer operating system was only adverse effect. For example, the file system should not contain any directories, all files were lying on the disk without the distribution of directories, and membership in a particular program is determined on the basis of attributes - information about the file, not stored in the file.

Age BeBox

The first version of BeOS to work only on a specially created computer BeBox, which is also made by Be, Inc .. Distinctive features of these computers were multiprocessors (in one version of the computer stood 7 processors in the other - 2), a dual-Edition - CPU usage indicators on the front of the system unit (also known as Blinky Lights), a deep blue color of the system unit and 52 -bit port on the rear panel, known as «Geek Port», with a simple and intuitive control for the programmer - to encourage the creation of external devices under BeOS. BeBox called «Silicon Graphics for the poor» because of their power to work miracles with the graphics, and a relatively low cost. BeBox first prototypes are built on AT & T Hobbit processors, but their production was stopped. Then Ve decided to use PowerPC processors. From 1995 to 1997 there was sold about two thousand computers BeBox, most of whom are working to this day. One of them can be seen in the computer museum in Boston. January 30, 1997 Be, Inc. announced that it leaves the hardware business and BeBox production was halted.

Age PowerPC

Once was minimized production BeBox, BeOS operating system needed a new platform. Since she had already worked on the PowerPC, as the new platform was selected a Macintosh computer company Apple Computer, Inc. Porting to BeOS Macintosh took two days. Then, however, Apple has stopped sharing with Be, Inc. specifications of its new computers, and, therefore, BeOS does not work on all Macintosh `s.

Age Intel

Then, Be, Inc. reassigned to the conventional processors Intel, and BeOS since version 3 (approximately 1997), this operating system runs on standard IBM-compatible computers. Minimum requirements for installation (not changed since then) - Processor Intel Pentium, 32 MB RAM, 500 megabytes of hard disk, keyboard, mouse. (The mouse is a system requirement, because without it you can not work in BeOS - unlike, for example, Microsoft Windows, which without a pointing device input to work hard, but possible.)

Then went versions 4, 4.5 and 5. Version of BeOS R5 was the most recent version of BeOS, released by Be, Inc .. Unsuccessful management led to the free version (BeOS 5 Personal Edition) to successfully compete with the toll (BeOS 5 Professional). Under the influence of Microsoft Corporation, virtually all computer manufacturers refused to supply computers, which would have been preinstalled two operating environments - BeOS and Windows. Without this little operating system and did not become popular among users. Attempting to Be, Inc. to release a free version fails with a marketing point of view: a free package (BeOS 5 Personal Edition is distributed as Windows-program that is installed in a logical partition on a disk and suggested only for promotional purposes, but included all the tools necessary for the breakdown disk, install the system in a separate partition and install the bootloader, allows you to select booting Windows or BeOS) was such that almost completely duplicated paid (BeOS 5 Professional) and sales fell last sustained. As a result, the company Be, Inc. declared itself bankrupt and sold all of its intellectual property firm Palm, which also shifted the bulk of the former workers of Be, Inc. As a former Palm BeOS developers worked on the 6 th version of PalmOS operating system for handheld computers (PDA), on the basis of a further developments in the BeOS operating system BeIA for a device of its kind. 6-th version of Palm OS, known as the PalmOS Cobalt, came in light, but has not yet been established nor a PDA that uses this operating system. After the division of Palm to PalmOne and PalmSource, with the subsequent acquisition of the latter by ACCESS Co., Ltd., Works to develop future versions of PalmOS were terminated, and is currently being developed for Palm OS devices based on Linux. However, the company bought back rights to Palm modification PalmOS company Access, therefore, hope to see the PDA with BeOS successor has not yet disappeared.

Today

Despite the huge number of advanced and even unsurpassed ideas and solutions, «ideal OC» was not able to gain sufficient critical mass of users and applications for continued existence. Company Be, Inc. ceased to exist in 2002, the development of BeOS were overbought Palm Source. Currently, several groups of enthusiasts try to revive the success of this operating system. One of the most well-known projects - Haiku-OS - BeOS is trying to rewrite from scratch, without using a code Be Inc. (currently available prealfa version, expected release in 2009)

Shortly before the absorption of Be Inc. Palm'om German company yellowTAB (as she herself states, but still remains a dark history) obtained from Be, Inc. source BeOS. Probably known only that there is a license from yellowTab Be, Inc. Resale and modification of BeOS. Soon there developed an operating system yellowTab Zeta, which is actually a modified version of BeOS 5.1 - or the operating system, created on the basis of obtained from Be, Inc. BeOS source code for the new generation (it also remains unclear). In early 2005, in Hanover at CeBIT was shown the first version of Zeta. Zeta successfully sold, at the mid-2005 was sold to more than 80000 copies of Zeta - is more than were sold copies of BeOS for all years of the existence of Be, Inc.

In 2006, the company yellowTAB subjected to bankruptcy proceedings, and the right to distribute Zeta moved to the German company magnussoft, which in 2007 abandoned its further spread and support Zeta because of insufficient sales volume and potential problems with the legality of the OS.

BEOS