BeOS - dead or alive?

by Ed Sawicki - President
Accelerated Learning Center
Tailored Computers

PANUG has been planning to expose its members to BeOS - the Be operating system. BeOS seems to be a promising alternative to Microsoft Windows. It has an efficient Linux-like kernel and a user interface that would make Macintosh enthusiasts feel comfortable. It comes with a web browser that seems to be more stable than Netscape on Linux and, like Windows, has Microsoft (SMB) networking built-in. Unlike the crude file associations of Windows and the resource forks of the Macintosh, BeOS uses MIME types to associate data files with applications.

These are just a few of the benefits of Be. BeOS is what happens when you have the freedom to start over and don't have to carry around the downward compatibility baggage like Windows.

When I contacted the company to see what support PANUG could get, they responded thusly:

"Because of a change in focus at Be, Inc., from the operating system to the internet appliance, the company is no longer supporting user groups."

The company's focus is now on Internet appliances with its product called BeIA. Instead of trying to convince folks to run BeOS on their existing computers, the company is now focused at having manufacturers, such as Compaq, build BeOS into new computers called Internet appliances.

I question the wisdom of this strategy. There are already quite a few vendors courting Internet appliance vendors with operating system and application offerings. Microsoft is one of them. Lineo is another. Most people who use Windows on their PCs are likely to buy Internet appliances that use the same operating system. Since Lineo's products are based on Linux and there are plenty of Linux enthusiasts and user groups around, they can capitalize on the popularity of Linux and not have to spend a lot of time and money trying to build mindshare for their product.

>Be is different. They lack the mindshare and will have to work hard obtaining it. It seems to me that a successful strategy for Be would be two-pronged. Get users to run BeOS on their personal computers so they'll be more likely to buy Internet appliances with the same OS.

What's a great way to get people to give BeOS a try in a world dominated by Microsoft Windows? User groups. The proper care and feeding of a user group can do a lot to spread the word and rally the enthusiam for a technically superior product when you can't match the market leader's advertising dollars.

Given that Be no longer supports user groups, I interpret this as the beginning of the end for BeOS. I've removed it from my machine since there's little point in growing more fond of a dying product.