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Be Newsletter
Issue 100, November 19, 1997
Table of Contents
A Few Interesting Facts...
By Valérie Peyre, valerie@be.com
The other day, I was chatting with a few co-workers and one
engineer told me "Hey ValÚrie, if someone asks you how long
you've been working at Be, or how old you are, you can now
answer: 'I'm one hundred Be Newsletters old'"! Don't get me
wrong, I love to work with these guys, but I had never
thought to look at the past two years of my life in this
way. I do like this delicate and tactful approach!
The Be Newsletter is publishing issue 100 this week. To
celebrate this event, I invited a few guests to contribute
to this special edition. All have been important players in
the growth of the Be community. Taking initiative, helping
us to spread the word, taking part in our decisions,
criticizing, sending us feedback, creating for us and
supporting us in new challenges everyday. This issue gives
me the opportunity to thank them, as well as all of the
contributors at Be and in the developer community who have
been an important part of the Newsletter's success.
One hundred issues old. If this number is impressive to us
at Be, it's because we know that a lot has happened in 1996
and 1997, how much work it has taken to reach a few
milestones, and what we still have to achieve. 1998 is
looking very exciting!
The Be community is growing, and to give you a better idea,
here are a few interesting facts.
The Be web site has become quite popular lately, especially
with the release of the downloadable version of the BeOS.
Over 10,000 people downloaded the BeOS in the first four
days of its release. This took us a bit off guard, and
required some last minute scrambling to reconfigure our
servers for the high loads.
These folks are reading up on their BeOS software, too, as
the BeWare section of the web site had over 40,000 pages
viewed. Thanks to this, over 30,000 files flew off our FTP
site last week. So it looks like people who take the time to
download a 9 megabyte file are likely to try out the BeOS
and go hunting for the best in BeOS applications. Great news
for our developers!
The site had nearly 2 million hits last week (files
transferred, not page views), which is extraordinary,
considering it used to take us a few months to accumulate
that much traffic. Several months ago we were happy to see
250,000 hits in a week; now we handle that in a day without
breaking a sweat. The web and FTP sites transferred over 100
gigabytes of information last week, filling up hard drives
around the world; but we aren't done yet.
New applications appear every day on BeWare, and we're
coming up with better ways of alerting users to these new
applications, hopefully encouraging them to try the latest
BeOS software. Our goal is to get people around the world to
use the Be web site for all their information, application,
and support needs, and so far, our usage curves indicate
we'll need beefier servers in the future. That's a good
problem to have.
On the developer side, we are working on a few projects such
as Be Developer Programs, a BeOS bundling license
agreement, even better marketing positioning, more exposure,
and of course the first release of the BeOS on
Intel-architecture machines in the first quarter of 1998.
Some developers are working hard to finish their
applications, while others can't wait for the Intel release
so they can finalize their projects. Third party
applications are coming along every week; we should be able
to offer end users an ever-expanding set of Be applications.
The interest in the BeOS and the Be Developer community are
growing. We have to remain focused on the same goals: To
provide customers and developers with a good and stable
release, to constantly improve service, to offer easily
accessible information, and top quality technical and
marketing support. A lot to do, many more people to hire.
That's another good problem to have.
There are over 12,500 subscribers to our Newsletter. We now
offer developers the ability to send us topics they would to
see covered (http://www.be.com/developers/suggestion_box.html).
We have opened an ad section for Be developers. The Newsletter
is one of the many tools we use to serve you better and to
continue building the Be community. We welcome your feedback
on it, as well as on any of our other programs (please feel
free to send it to me at: valerie@be.com).
More and more end-users are reading the Newsletter and
looking for new applications for the BeOS. Most probably,
our readership will increase and change considerably within
the next few months. We will have to figure out a way to
respond to everyone's expectations.
But that is the best problem of all.
Thanks for your interest.
Valerie
Future or Now?
By Scot Hacker, ZDNet/BeHive
In the future, babies will be genetically engineereed to
perfection. Their parents' deficient genes will be stripped
out and replaced with SuperDNA, resulting in a race of
ultra-awesome beings with the kind of intelligence and
strength about which previous generations could only
fantasize. Oh,wait -- did I say in the future? I meant now.
But the experiment is being performed not on humans, but on
an operating system.
It's been almost a year since the first incarnation of
BeHive (http://www.behive.com/) hit the pages of ZDNet. At
the time, the exciting-but-obscure BeBox was the only
platform supporting this butt-kicking newcomer OS. Already,
the BeBox is in the minority of all BeOS installations out
there, and is soon to grow proportionally even more rare. I
feel privileged to have an example of one of computing's
brightest moments sitting on my desktop, even if it is
destined to be outstripped in raw performance by my Intel
clone in a few months. Nevertheless, the Blue Wonder hums
merrily along, eating upgrades for lunch, as this
genetically perfected OS grows more exciting with every
point release.
Maintaining BeHive in the midst of the ZDNet atmosphere has
been an interesting experience. Because ZD is a mainstream
publisher, editorial decisions are typically made on the
basis of potential to drive large amounts of traffic. To
champion an alternative operating system that has a smaller
audience than MacOs, smaller even than Linux, is to invite
speculation from colleagues. How do I cost-justify the site
to my boss? Easy: I do it for free, in my spare time, as a
labor of love. Well, I'm not totally without recompense: I
get to keep the BeBox at home <g>.
In the very first BeBox Journal
(http://www.behive.com/hacker1.html) I stated that I was an
early end-user, not a programmer, and that my mission was
"to stop using Windows 95 and the Mac OS and to turn the
BeBox into my primary work and play machine, a process I
expect could take from six months to a year." While it's
true that with every passing week I find more and more apps
and utilities that will help me get my daily work done,
there are still a few bridges to cross. It's not enough that
an HTML editor or imaging app for BeOS simply exists -- it's
got to be as good as or better than the tools I'm using now,
which is a tall order when you're comparing brand-new apps
on a beta operating system to well-evolved tools on grizzled
old OSs. An excellent tool needs time to move through the
upgrade cycle as users feed back to developers their needs
and desires.
Fortunately, thanks to BeOS' ease of development,
programmers are bringing their apps up to snuff with
incredible speed. One note here: end-users can help to
accelerate the transition by being vocal. Don't just sit
back and wait for the tools to arrive where you want them --
drop developers a line and tell them you support their
efforts, but can't wait to see feature X or shortcut Y.
The turning point for me is right around the corner, and my
enthusiasm for BeOS is mounting exponentially. I think many
of us are in this boat right now, eager to wear these new
shoes out of the store, but not quite ready to give up our
time-tested, beach-worn sandals. PR2's awesome stability
represents the crossing of a major bridge for me -- one less
reason to stay on NT -- and the Big Switch is right around
the corner, meaning my original forecast won't have been too
far off the mark.
The public is starting to get more curious about BeOS all
the time. As Microsoft becomes more frightening every week
and Apple continues on its wayward path, more and more of my
mainstream ZD co-workers are beginning to ask pointed
questions about BeOS -- questions I'm happy to answer with a
15-minute demo of RoColor messaging, the movie cube, 3D
StarChart, synthesizers, keyboard emulators, and more, while
cycling through a few independently churning workspaces.
BeOS isn't even a 1.0 release yet, and already the futurist
contagion is spreading. Here's to a new generation of
genetically perfect young Replicants.
Ain't Life Strange...
By Heidi Roizen, Be Board of Directors
Just before I took my job at Apple, Jean-Louis had lunch
with me and gave me some guidance. He wished me well, and
said that he still hoped Apple would succeed, but warned me
that Apple's new product "Copland" had, as he put it,
"cancer of the operating system." When I asked him what he
meant, he said, "You'll see."
A few months later, Copland was cancelled, and Jean-Louis'
path and mine crossed again, this time to discuss the
potential of Be and Apple working together. Also at that
time, my team moved into CC4, 7th floor. I had the corner
office, with the sleek black furniture which had been custom
built in rosier times. When I asked some old-timers whose
office that had been before me, they told me that the
furniture had been made for, you guessed it, Jean-Louis
GassÚe.
I called him and said, "Guess what, they just gave me your
old office in CC4!" To which he replied, "Well, be careful,
because three weeks after moving in there, you get shoved
out the door!"
That prediction wasn't perfectly accurate, but in fact, a
few months later I was packing my belongings, having
resigned my position. As I was packing, I ran across a
clipping from the San Jose Mercury News. There was a picture
of me, Jean-Louis, and Steve Jobs, under a headline that ran
something like "Apple Needs a New Strategy."
The article was not about Apple's acquisition of NeXT
instead of Be -- it was from 1986, and talked about what had
followed Steve's ouster, about Jean-Louis' desire to go
high-end, and about the developers (represented by me)
wanting a low-cost Mac for volume and market share. Ain't
life strange...
With our history of fateful overlap, I think it was
inevitable that I would end up working with Jean-Louis on
the Be Board of Directors, given how often fate has caused
our paths to cross.
The computer industry is about to experience rapid
proliferation into new categories of usage. And Be is
challenging the industry premise that "one platform fits
all" is the most effective strategy for developing new
classes of applications.
I think that Be is well positioned to become the OS provider
of choice for many of these applications. I'm pleased to be
working with Jean-Louis and the Be Board in helping to
identify, define, and deliver the best and most compelling
solutions to new markets, in concert with Be's vibrant,
entrepreneurial developer community.
From MacOS to BeOS
By Leland Raymond, MacSurfer
When I first started using the MacOS the choice was very
easy. DOS or a GUI? It did not take a geek to figure out
which was better. Sure the MacOS didn't have any software,
but who cared?
Today the choice to use BeOS is almost as easy. You can go
with the masses to Wintel/Internet Explorer or join
BeOS/Netscape. It's about that easy. The major advantage is
that BeOS is just an awesome OS company. They are not in bed
with Microsoft and they are not trying to control
everything. But if that is not enough, BeOS runs on
computers with both PowerPC and xxx86 CPUs. How cool!
So look out world. Here comes BeOS! I am just happy to Be
getting in with Be at the Beginning. :-)
Awake with the BeOS
Fumihiko Shibata
I'm very happy to be here to celebrate the 100th issue of
the Be Newsletter. The reason why I was invited here is, I
believe, because of my contribution to the "overwhelming"
popularity of the BeOS in Japan. I have written many
articles about BeBox and BeOS for computer magazines, and I
wrote a book, too. I don't know exactly why I devote myself
so much to Be, but I know I cannot help doing so.
I started my career in personal computers with the Apple ][,
more than 15 years ago. It's not difficult to remember that
using a personal computer at that time meant programming it
too. Especially with the Apple ][, we had all the circuit
schematics and even firmware source code. And although it's
just 2 KB of so-called "system monitor," we were able to
learn a lot from the code. We felt as if there were infinite
possibilities to explore.
Of course there was lots of good third-party software, but
we felt a real satisfaction when we were able to program our
machines in exactly the way we imagined. There were many
empty slots to fill, and by filling them we found other one
to work with. By exploring the possibilities of personal
computers, we were actually exploring the possibilities of
ourselves.
This attitude began to change after the introduction of
Macintosh. It's the first personal computer that is a
"software player" with which we can satisfy ourselves only
by being given something. I don't have to mention what
follows. Recently, the diffusion of the Internet seems to
put the tendency forward. There is too much information and
software unilaterally given to us.
Then there is the BeOS. It breaks away from the PC the
trend. In a way, it's a very old-style personal computer,
because it comes with rich system software documentation
and with a programing environment in native language. In
other ways, it's a very new personal computer, armed with
all the modern OS technologies. So we see it as a very
different system >from what we've experienced prior to Be.
There are many empty slots open to us. If we cannot see
these possibilities, it means we are just immune to see
something new. We might be able to be satisfied only by
being drowned in the flood of information. It's time to take
another look at what personal computer really means to us.
In Japan, I believe the "to be given" syndrome is
conspicuous. The reason is simple. There is a lot of
excellent software written in the US, and fresh information
flows in beyond the Pacific Ocean. This is a trade
imbalance, and must be fixed.
I assume the BeOS is a key. It can give people a chance to
reconsider what they can do with personal computers and how
they use it. I expect people to reawaken to the possibility
of the PC with the BeOS.
The BeForever Adventure
Jody Sweeton, BeForever
I was first introduced to the BeOS back in fall of 1996 when
Be appeared on the scene as a potential buyout candidate for
Apple Computer. I remember thinking how cool it would be to
have a multiprocessing, preemptive multitasking OS on my
Power Mac 8500. I jumped on the opportunity to sign up for a
one-year subscription to MacTech magazine to get a preview
copy of DR8 for Power Mac. Of course, I was immediately
impressed by the early release's responsiveness and
stability.
That week, I e-mailed ValÚrie at Be about starting a BeOS
User Group in Lake Charles -- LAMUG'BUG. Remembering my
experiences with Apple, I could not believe how helpful Be
was and how quickly I received my start-up kit. So I decided
to create a UG web site, which soon grew to include daily
news. Much to my surprise, people actually started to look
at the web site. Before long, I had to separate the daily
news from the UG. A small personal investment, some free
time, and friendly competition from Ephraim (formerly Be
Up-to-Date) and Jay (formerly BeOS Central) helped create
BeForever and the Developer Depot.
BeForever has had its up and downs. In the beginning, I
spent a considerable amount of time collecting news and
meeting developers. It was at this time that I managed to
post news as often as five times a day, and Developer Depot
entries were rolling in. I made contacts throughout the
International Be Community. Ephraim, Jay, and I became good
friends and even worked together briefly.
Unfortunately, each of us realized the impact that a daily
news site can have on one's personal life. Now, Be
Up-to-Date is no more, BeOS Central has changed ownership,
and even BeForever was close to disaster. BeForever gets as
many as 1000 hits a day, and I am trying to keep going.
Response from the developer community and BeOS users has
been very positive. Several people have even volunteered to
help out and I appreciate each and every offer. My goal is
to increase the BeForever staff and provide a wider variety
of content, but all that takes time to coordinate (I have a
day job too :-). For anyone out there looking to create a
BeOS web site, there are opportunities and niches galore. On
the web, even a small-towner has a voice.
Maintaining a daily news site is hard work. I can only
imagine that creating an operating system can be
overwhelming, but Be has managed to meet or exceed most of
its deadlines and create a powerful base for developers to
present their wares.
Not that it's been easy.... Many developers were frustrated
when Be announced that they would no longer sell the BeBox,
but Be obviously had to get focused on what was important to
its business...the BeOS. User loyalty was also tested when
fredlabs cancelled the VirtualMac project because of
insufficient funding.
Looking back, there was simply no way a company Be's size
could afford to finance this effort. Instead, Be looked
forward and spent resources funding a port of the BeOS to
the Intel platform. Down the road, I think the Intel port
will benefit Be, developers, and users far more than
VirtualMac ever could.
Speaking of the future, I recently received a new UG
start-up kit that included Preview Release 2. What impressed
me most was the depth of applications that were included.
Developer efforts are finally paying off, but there is a
long way to go. I am waiting for the application that puts
the BeOS into the spotlight. Only time will tell, but my
hopes are high because the BeOS developer community is
young, bright, and imaginative. Overall, 1998 looks
bright...the first official release of the BeOS, a shipping
Intel port, and lots of cool new apps. I can't wait...
Be Leading Edge
Thijs Stalenhoef, Be Leading Edge
Recently I moved to another apartment. Along with new people
to live with, I got something called Cartoon Network on my
TV now. Toons 24 hours a day! One of my favourite cartoons
is "Dexter's Laboratory," about a boy-genius who has a
secret lab under his parents' house. He is really small, and
since nobody knows about his lab and his achievements, they
pat him on the head or squish his cheeks when he says
something scientific. "Aaaaw! Isn't he cute?"
That's the way a lot of people seem to think about the BeOS:
"It's cute", but they don't see the real power the system
provides. They have yet to find the secret lab and Be amazed
by the wonders it holds. Yet the tide is turning rapidly.
The people in my new appartment where amazed by what it
could do, but were not initially interested in running it.
Now I get the "where's the Intel-version?" question every
day.
It's ironic, considering how things started for me with the
BeOS. I saw a BeBox for the first time last year at the
Amsterdam Apple Expo. Immediately afterwards I enrolled as a
developer and bought one. This year I was in the same
building, same hall, same stand, but this time it was *me*
amazing people instead of being amazed myself.
After buying my BeBox so many things happened! One I will
mention is the reason for this little piece of text. As many
of you may know, I run Be Leading Edge, a BeOS daily news
site, at: http://subway.student.utwente.nl/edge.html
Not alone, mind you! The Edge wouldn't be what it is today
if it wasn't for my friends Frederic Tessier, Mikael Hjerpe
and Erwin Wessels, who keep me constantly provided with news
and who update the site when I'm not around. Together with
all the people sending us their bits of news, we make Be
Leading Edge worth reading (so stop by and check it out!).
When I started it, though, I had no idea it would take off
like this. I did some cheesy graphics and HTML, just so I
could start posting news items. The first posting actually
said something like "I plan to improve this site a lot over
the coming weeks"!
The problem was that from the moment I started The Edge I
stopped having time to do anything of the sort, it's almost
a full time job! Well, that's not entirely true. Soon Be
Leading Edge will receive a major facelift, about which I
won't tell you anything. We hope to do what Be does: Under
promise and over deliver.
One Hundred Newsletters...
By Jean-Louis Gassée
This week, my task was simpler than usual: I just had to
step aside and leave room for guest contributors. But I
still get to say thanks to all who made this Newsletter
possible, from my colleagues at Be to correspondents who
offered questions, encouragement, and criticism.
The goal of this Newsletter is to bring you personal
perspectives on all facets of our business -- engineering,
marketing, and technical support -- the Be staff discussing
the why and the how of their work. I hope you enjoy reading
their contributions every week as much as I do. I realize
that for some of us, writing newsletter articles can
politely be described as an acquired taste and I thank them
especially.
Professional writers such as Doug Fulton occasionally
produce pieces that remind us of the difference between a
Sunday cook and a chef. They - Doug, Michael Alderete
or Linda Ackerman - discreetly perform cosmetic or even
prosthetic surgery on our prose, thus sparing us too
much embarassment. This is much appreciated.
Last but not least, this Newsletter would not exist but for
Valérie Peyre. For the past two years, she has worried,
cajoled, scheduled, chased, and edited contributions, while
juggling other tasks such as demo tours, user group
meetings, and developer conferences, to name a few. My
special thanks to Valérie for producing Be's first 100
newsletters.
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