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Another plus is the smooth and fast Internet networking built into BeOS.
  technofile
Al Fasoldt's reviews and commentaries, continuously available online since 1983

Be operating system, Part 2: Multitasking like you've never seen before



Be operating system, Part 1: Fascinating alternative to Windows

July 16, 2000

By Al Fasoldt
Copyright ©2000, Al Fasoldt
Copyright ©2000, The Syracuse Newspapers

   I run Linux at home and my wife runs Windows. Both PCs have a trait we've become very accustomed to. They take forever to boot up.
   Imagine, then, how surprised I was the first time I rebooted my test PC after I installed the Be operating system. This PC takes more than a minute to come to life under Windows or Linux.
   Under BeOS, it was up and running in 15 to 16 seconds.
   And that's just one of the striking differences you note when you install this unusual operating system. I explained the basics of BeOS last week, and this week I'll give you a plus-and-minus balance sheet.
   The biggest plus in BeOS has to be the amazing way it can do any number of operations at once. The Be operating system multitasks better than any other personal computer operating system. You'll notice that as soon as you try something silly, the way I did. I played 23 different MP3 audio songs at the same time while my BeOS PC was showing a video tape in a window and downloading files from a Web site. It never skipped a beat.
   The second big plus would have to be the journaled file system. Technically, this simply means BeOS keeps track of everything it's doing many times a second. If somebody pulls the plug on your PC, you can boot up again in less than 20 seconds without a problem. You're less likely to lose data and documents on a BeOS computer than on Windows or the Mac.
   Another plus is the smooth and fast Internet networking built into BeOS. I repeatedly crashed the firewall program on a PC the BeOS computer was connected to in my home office by downloading hundreds of files from scores of Internet sites at the same time. This is impossible to do under Windows or on a Mac and is almost unbelievable on BeOS until you try it.. (The firewall repeatedly crashed under the barrage of data packets from that single BeOS PC.)
   A feature that Windows users might find hard to believe is the way you uninstall programs under the Be operating system. You simply drag their folders to the trash. (That's how the Mac does it, too.) And installing software is a breeze. You can even try out programs BEFORE you install them just by running them from any folder.
   How about freedom from virus infections? As is Linux, BeOS is immune to every Windows virus. Using a BeOS computer for e-mail and Web browsing is very safe.
   Another asset: When things go wrong, as they did for me when I installed an upgrade version of BeOS that caused lockups, you just boot from the BeOS installation CD and tell it to put the operating system back to what it was before. You don't lose any of your own files and the operating system is cleansed in a short time.
   Another big plus is the program BeOS uses for command entry, a Linux program called bash. BeOS is not based on Unix or Linux, but it is able to run any of the thousands of shell programs designed for Linux if they are redone for BeOS. (The technical term is "recompiled.") A shell program in Linux and BeOS is like a DOS program under Windows, except for the fact that Linux and BeOS shell programs have much more power.
   The GUI (graphical user interface) is a huge plus, too. BeOS has a look and feel that seems to be a mix of Windows, the Macintosh and the orbiting space station. Operations always work the same way, but you are never forced to do crazy things with the mouse to get something done.
   A wonderful benefit is the way BeOS provides multiple desktops, called workspaces. You can have up to 32 of them. Each workspace can look different and have its own running programs or documents on the screen, and none of the workspaces interferes with any of the others.
   Linux does this, too. But where BeOS shines is in the way each workspace can have its own resolution and color depth. Your main desktop could have a resolution of, say, 1024 X 768 using 16-bit color (what Windows calls "high color") while your desktop for games could be 640 X 480 at 256 colors. You could have a desktop for Web browsing that's 800 X 600 at 16-bit color and a desktop for image processing that's 1280 X 1024 at 32-bit color.
   The software that comes with BeOS Pro is in the plus category, too. You get all the usual stuff (a notepad-style text editor, a few games and things like that) along with some surprising additions.
   You get a video recorder. It worked perfectly with my ATI All-in-Wonder Pro graphics card, recording either AVI or QuickTime videos (my choice) from TV signals and from my VCR.
   You get CD recording software.
   You get an MP3 ripper (a program that creates MP3 audio files out of audio CD tracks).
   You get an outstanding MP3 player.
   BeOS Pro comes with everything you need for Internet operations -- a surprisingly fast Web browser, a good e-mail program, a way to manage personal contacts, a great bookmarks system and more. The BeOS Web browser, NetPositive, is very fast and easy to use, but it can't handle Java, JavaScript or Shockwave. (This is odd, because Be's software engineers had enough time on their hands to write cute little haiku-style error messages into the browser, so they could have spent at least as much time getting Java to work.)
   Now for the bad news.
   First, BeOS is not Windows. This means, for example, that you can't run Quicken on BeOS. You also can't run Microsoft Office, Myst, Riven or any of the other programs or games designed solely for Windows. BeOS does not run Windows programs. It runs BeOS programs.
   But there are enough BeOS programs to make a lot of people happy -- about 2,000 programs in all. There are even Napster, ICQ and AOL Instant Messenger clones. Go to BeBits and look at what's available in shareware and freeware, then go to Be's main site at www.be.com and look at the descriptions of commercial programs available for BeOS. I installed a suite called GoBe Productive from www.gobe.com. It has a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation software and more, and handles Microsoft Office files well. It costs $80.
   Second, BeOS does not yet connect up very well to Windows networks or Linux networks. Beta software that is supposed to handle this didn't work at all in my network.
   Third, BeOS doesn't work with many printers. Check the printer list at the Be site before you buy BeOS Pro.
   Finally, check the BeBits site now and then for new software. Be users and programmers are extraordinarily enthusiastic, and they produce new software at an amazing rate for such a niche operating system. If you don't see it now, you might find it before long.