BeOS Q & A

This document answers questions regarding the BeOS, including hardware requirements, features, file formats and compatibility, and interface issues.

This page was last updated on June 3, 1997

General

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Q: When will the BeOS Preview Release be available?

A: We shipped the BeOS Preview Release, Advanced Access to our developers in May to make sure we have the Preview Release done right.

After giving our developers a few weeks to test the Preview Release, and to recompile their code to work with the new features, we expect to ship the BeOS Preview Release to customers mid-year. This is the version that will be bundled with Power Computing machines.

You can sign up to receive information about the Preview Release via e-mail as soon as we release it.

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Q: How can I get the BeOS Preview Release?

A: Complete distribution plans will be announced when the BeOS Preview Release is available. Our goal is to make it as widely available as possible and encourage user trial.

We have already announced licensing arrangements with Power Computing. Power Computing has said that they will be bundling the BeOS Preview with all new systems shipped in 1997, and all customers who have purchased Power Computing systems since November 26th will be sent the CD when it becomes available.

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Q: How much will the BeOS Preview Release cost?

A: Our goal for the BeOS Preview Release is to encourage mass trial and adoption. While pricing will be announced when we ship the Preview Release, you should expect it to be consistent with our goal.

You can sign up to receive information about the Preview Release via e-mail as soon as we release it.

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Q: Will I be able to buy the BeOS through the chain computer stores like Frys, CompUSA, and Egghead? Will I be able to buy it through mail order houses like MacConnection or MacWarehouse?

A: We are exploring conventional distribution channels, but we have no announcements at this time.

Complete distribution plans will be announced when the BeOS Preview Release is available. Our goal is to make it as widely available as possible and encourage user trial.

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Q: Will the BeOS be distributed outside of the US?

A: Yes. We are finalizing our international distribution plans. These plans will be announced when the BeOS Preview Release begins shipping.

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Q: I thought the Preview Release was supposed to ship in or before March. What is taking so long?

A: Because many developers will ship applications based on the Preview Release, there were a number of features we wanted to deliver from the beginning. There have ended up being many more additions and improvements in the Preview Release than originally planned.

Just a few of the additional capabilities of the Preview Release are: OpenGL support, scripting, Elastic technology, a new Tracker, MIME types, and AppleTalk printing.

You can read many more details about this in a Be Newsletter article by Melissa Rogers, "DR9 Uber Alles," which also includes much information about which engineers did what, if that kind of thing interests you.

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Q: What is "Advanced Access"? How can I get it?

A: Advanced Access is a developer-only, early release version of the BeOS Preview Release that enables developers to recompile their applications, fixs bugs, and take advantage of new features prior to the BeOS Preview Release being released to the general public.

Advanced Access is for developers only and will be sent automatically to all registered and updated Be developers as well as to all BeBox owners.

The Advanced Access CD is not available to non-developers. Really. Even offers of limbs or offspring will be, reluctantly, declined. ;-)

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Q: I am not a developer but can I get a copy of Advanced Access?

A: As stated in the previous FAQ item, Advanced Access is strictly for developers, and will be sent to them automatically. Other individuals will need to wait for the customer release of the BeOS Preview Release, coming in June.

While the Webmaster has received many tempting offers of severed body parts (generally the right arm), and/or one or more offspring from individuals of superior intelligence (after all, they want the BeOS! ;-), it is with considerable reluctance that we must strictly observe this policy. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

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Q: Could I be a beta tester of the BeOS (or BeOS for Power Mac) or get a demo? I have lots of experience testing products...

A: Thanks for the offer, but we aren't in need of additional beta testers. We generally seed our developers first, then open it up to a wider distribution.

There are several ways you can obtain released versions of the BeOS for Power Macintosh, and all of them are described on the web site. Check back frequently, we will continue to make the most current information available on the web site.

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Q: I would like to try the BeOS, but I don't want to buy it yet. Do you plan to make a public beta or trial version available for downloading over the Internet?

A: We will announce distribution plans for the BeOS Preview Release when it ships. Our overall goal however is to get as many people trying the BeOS as possible, and therefore we are exploring many different ways of distributing the product.

You can sign up to receive information about the Preview Release via e-mail as soon as we release it.

You will at least be able to order the BeOS from our web site, once it's ready to be a stand-alone product. Watch for announcements on our web site (in very large text, no doubt!).

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Q: If I have problems with the BeOS, what do I do?

A: The place to start for BeOS support of any kind is the Be web site:

http://www.be.com/

There you will find a wealth of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), manuals, updates, and even sample code. If the information you require is not there, you will also (soon) find a BeAssisted form that can be used to submit questions to any of the Be support email addresses.

You can also email your question to Be. We have several addresses to handle your different questions:

• devsupport@be.com -- for registered developers who need technical and coding assistance from our developer technical support staff

• custsupport@be.com -- for questions regarding set up, installation, configuration and compatibility of the BeOS or other technical questions that are not about programming or coding

• custservice@be.com -- for assistance with obtaining any of our products, questions about an order, or for questions about maintenance and warranty of your BeBox.

• devservices@be.com -- for developers with developer-specific, non-technical issues including lost developer passwords, changing name or company information in the developer database, moving files in the BeWare section, and the like.

If all of this web searching and email does not do the trick, you will be able to call us. We are available Monday through Friday, between 6am and 6pm (Pacific time) for people in the Western hemisphere and 8am to 8pm GMT for those of you in the Eastern Hemisphere.

Our Customer Technical Support numbers are currently scheduled to be activated on June 15th in the United States, and July 15th in Europe. We will publish them (you guessed it) on our web site at:

http://www.be.com/support/index.html

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Q: How much of the BeOS is portable and how much is tied to the PowerPC processor line?

A: At Be, we believe there is no such thing as portable code, only code that has been ported. In other words, we believe in doing rather than theorizing.

With that in mind, more than 95 percent of the BeOS is portable. The PowerPC chip is the second processor the BeOS has been implemented on, the first being AT&T's Hobbit (also called CRISP) processor, which was the basis for our original (and never released) hardware design.

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Q: If the BeOS is so portable, does this imply that you plan to port the BeOS to other systems?

A: While we aren't against porting per se, Be is a small startup company and are currently very focused on delivering the BeOS Preview Release and working to help our developers build great BeOS applications.

Technically the portability of the BeOS is inherent in the almost complete (95%) high-level code used to implement the BeOS.

The kernel portions that rely on our hardware are both flexible and isolated to allow crossing platforms. And we've done it before; the BeOS has already moved from one processor (AT&T's Hobbit processor) to another (the PowerPC processor).

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Q: Could Be ever adapt the BeOS to the set-top market?

A: Although not a primary design focus, it's certainly possible. As a clean piece of new system software, the BeOS is much smaller and less encumbered than other PC OSes (such as Windows or the Mac OS). But we have no announcements to make at this time.

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Q: Is there a Be/BeBox/BeOS newsgroup?

A: Yes, actually there are five of them!

• comp.sys.be.advocacy: the standard "our computers are better than their computers" group. Unmoderated.
• comp.sys.be.announce: announcements of new developments in the Be world, including new software (Be and third-party). Moderated (but not by Be).
• comp.sys.be.help: questions and answers to BeOS and BeBox difficulties. Unmoderated.
• comp.sys.be.misc: various topics not covered elsewhere. Unmoderated.
• comp.sys.be.programmer: technical discussions of programming problems and techniques for the BeOS.

Additionally, for the time being at least, there is the old comp.sys.be group. This group should age out and disappear in the near future.

Please note that these groups are not moderated by anyone at Be (though people from Be do read them regularly), nor is the information presented there verified by Be. They are typical free-form Internet newsgroups.

There are also a couple of Be mailing lists that your can subscribe to. See our mailing lists page for more info.

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Q: What Web sites are there about Be, the BeBox, or the BeOS?

A: Well, we definitely recommend you start with the Be Web site!

http://www.be.com/

If you are in Europe, be sure to visit the Be Europe Web site:

http://www.beeurope.com/

An couple of excellent "Be current events" oriented Web sites are (note that this is not an official Be site):

BeMacOS Central

http://www.fyi.net/~evgenius/be/

BeForever

http://www.laol.net/org/lamug/beforever/index.htm

Finally, we keep an up-to-date collection of links on our own Web pages:

http://www.be.com/usergroups/wwwlinks.html

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Q: I think I've found a bug in the BeOS! How do I report it?

A: The best answer to this question can be found in a Be Newsletter article by Melissa Rogers titled "Bugs!".

Ideally, you'll take the time to enter the bug into our database via the web form at:

http://www.be.com/developers/bugform.html.

This is the best way for you to report a bug to us, as it ensures that it gets into our tracking system.

Failing that, please submit bug reports to us via e-mail, at bugs@be.com.

The more detailed and specific you are in your bug report, the more likely we are to be able to track it down and fix it. Taking a few extra minutes to fully describe what you were doing, what happened, why this isn't what you expected, and to describe your system configuration is extraordinarily helpful to us, and we really appreciate it when you are able to do it.

You can see the fruits of your labors and learn even more about how Be handles bugs by viewing the BeOS Bugs On-Line database of public BeOS bugs at:

http://www.be.com/developers/bugs/index.html

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Hardware Requirements

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Q: What machines does the BeOS run on?

A: The BeOS runs on our own BeBox and various Power Macintosh and Power Mac compatibles (see our web site for a list of BeOS ready computers).

In the future, when the CHRP (Common Hardware Reference Platform)/PPCP (PowerPC Platform) standard becomes a shipping reality, instead of a paper specification, the BeOS will be made compatible with the standard, and should run on any CHRP/PPCP hardware.

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Q: Does the BeOS run on machines based on IBM's Longtrail or Motorola's Yellowknife system designs?

A: The Longtrail and Yellowknife systems designs are based on the CHRP (Common Hardware Reference Platform) / PPCP (PowerPC Platform) specification. No one is yet shipping products based on these designs.

Be intends that the BeOS will run on systems based on the CHRP/PPCP specification. When systems based on this specification begin shipping, including systems based on Longtrail or Yellowknife, Be will announce further details of our plans to allow the BeOS to run on those systems.

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Q: Does the BeOS run on any systems based on the Exponential Technologies X704 processor (the super-fast PowerPC chip)?

A: At the present time, no systems are shipping with this processor technology, nor has any manufacturer announced specific models or shipping dates.

However, it is as we say a "no brainer" to have the performance-oriented BeOS available running on the performance-delivering X704 and other Exponential chips.

When CHRP/PPCP systems using the X704 chip start shipping, Be intends to make the BeOS available on those systems, as it plans to make the BeOS available on any CHRP/PPCP-compliant system.

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Q: Does the BeOS run on other PowerPC-based systems, like the IBM RS6000-series of workstations, or Motorola's PowerStack systems?

A: At the present time, no. Once the hardware standard is finalized, we do intend for the BeOS to run on all CHRP/PPCP-compliant hardware, so any hardware that complies with that standard should then be supported. Check your hardware vendor to see if the hardware you have or are considering is CHRP/PPCP-compliant.

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Q: Does the BeOS run on Intel-based machines? Do you plan to port the BeOS to the Intel platform?

A: At the present time, Be is focusing on delivering the BeOS Preview Release for the BeBox and Power Macintosh compatible systems. Once we have completed this work we will look at the important features for follow-on releases of the BeOS.

The BeOS has already run on three different architectures and two different processors so we know how to port the system -- supporting Intel or any other platform is simply a question of demand by developers and users, and time.

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Q: Does the BeOS run on a Sparcstation? How about a DEC Alpha workstation? MIPS? What about the Geewhiz 2000?

A: At the present time, Be is focusing on delivering the BeOS Preview Release for the BeBox and Power Macintosh compatible systems. Once we have completed this work we will look at the important features for follow-on releases of the BeOS.

The BeOS has already run on three different architectures and two different processors so we know how to port the system -- supporting another platform is simply a question of demand by developers and users, and time.

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Q: Does the BeOS support high-performance SCSI cards, like the Adaptec Ultra SCSI card that comes in the Power Center Pro?

A: No. At this time, the BeOS supports only the built-in SCSI interfaces on both Power Macintosh and BeBox hardware.

We do intend to provide support for some high-performance SCSI cards in a future BeOS release. We would be interested in customer feedback regarding which cards we should support. If you have a SCSI card in a machine on which you plan to run the BeOS, please let us know the manufacturer and model of the card, by sending mail to devsupport@be.com.

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Features

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Q: Why is the BeOS so great? Why would I want to run or develop for the BeOS? What are the key features of the BeOS?

A: The BeOS is the only "Media OS," that is to say, a personal computer operating system designed from the ground up to support a new generation of multimedia creation applications. The BeOS is targeted to digital content creators who have high performance requirements that are not being well met by existing systems. Three of the main benefits are high performance, reliability, and integrated services.

Performance

• the BeOS was built from the ground up, without layers of legacy baggage
• the BeOS supports multiple processors (symmetrical multi-processing)
• the entire BeOS and Be apps are extensively multi-threaded to take advantage of parallelism on MP systems
• the BeOS offers preemptive multi-tasking to efficiently perform multiple tasks at once
• the 64-bit Be file system supports files vastly larger than the typical 4-gigabyte limit of 32-bit systems*
• the high-performance Be file system supports journalling which speeds booting after a power failure*
• OpenGL is supported in addition to the native 3-D Kit*
• DMA support for IDE hard drives provides very fast data transfer*

Reliability

• the BeOS supports protected memory, which prevents misbehaved applications from crashing the system or other applications
• the BeOS is built from the ground up with a simplified API, resulting in smaller and more stable applications
• the journalling feature of the Be file system makes disk operations more reliable, ensuring data integrity*

Integrated Services

• system database and queries
• system level messaging
• built-in Ethernet with FTP, Telnet and PPP support
• bundled email and web browser software
• scripting*
• elastic technology*
• MIME type file attributes*
• Unicode UTF-8 font encoding*
• datatypes libraries for integrated opening, saving, etc. media data like JPEG, AVI, QuickTime, etc.*
• improved and more flexible UI*

Compatibility

• Posix compliant layer
• AppleTalk printing*
• PostScript printing*
• Unicode UTF-8 font encoding*
• Mac HFS disk support*
• Java tools with the Metrowerks CodeWarrior for BeOS IDE* * new in the Preview Release

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Q: What is new in the BeOS Preview Release?

A: This question is answered in great detail in the "What's New in the Preview Release?" document in the Products section of the Be web site:

http://list.be.com/products/index.html

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Q: How does the BeOS compare to Rhapsody?

A: That is a difficult question to answer because Rhapsody is still in development, which makes it hard to guess what features it will have, and how it will perform.

We can say this -- Rhapsody and the BeOS have different target markets and take two very different approaches to operating system design. Rhapsody is based on a combination of established (aka older) technologies -- Mach as a microkernel, Objective C as a language, Display Postscript as a graphics language. These technologies are then melded into a whole using the OpenStep (aka Concert) toolkit.

The BeOS, on the other hand, was designed from the ground up following a concept we call the "Media OS." It's simply not enough to start with an existing OS, add a few features, and call it a media-oriented OS. The engineering team at Be didn't start with an existing OS and transform it, they started with the Media OS concept and optimized every portion of a new OS -- the BeOS -- for handling digital media.

The BeOS is designed to meet the high-performance needs of digital content design and Internet communications, removing the limitations and complexity of the aging architectures of current mainstream operating systems. The BeOS is the first new operating system designed to unlock the door to much more powerful personal computers, and extract more performance from the systems we use today.

The two systems also have very different target markets as their design centers. Rhapsody's design center is the enterprise business user. The BeOS's design target is interactive media, and the individual who sits down to design digital content. As Apple has stated, it bought Next in order to establish a better solution for Apple in the enterprise market, and converting the Next OS to Rhapsody will help them accomplish that goal.

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Q: How does the BeOS compare to Windows NT?

A: Actually, at Be we like Windows NT. We use some Windows NT systems as file and network servers interconnecting our BeOS systems, Unix systems, and even Mac OS systems.

But this points out a basic difference -- the two operating systems are designed to address two different sets of problems. Windows NT is designed to be a robust network backbone server. It was designed to compete with Novell Netware (and has been doing a good job at that), and is increasingly designed to compete with Unix on workstation-class hardware, such as Sun, SGI, and IBM RS6000 machines. New versions of Windows NT are focused on adding large numbers of network administration functions, and acting as communications hubs between clients of all types.

The BeOS, on the other hand, was designed from the ground up following a concept we call the "Media OS." It's simply not enough to start with an existing OS, add a few features, and call it a media-oriented OS. The engineering team at Be didn't start with an existing OS and transform it, they started with the Media OS concept and optimized every portion of a new OS -- the BeOS -- for handling digital media.

The BeOS is designed to meet the high-performance needs of digital content design and Internet communications, removing the limitations and complexity of the aging architectures of current mainstream operating systems. The BeOS is the first new operating system designed to unlock the door to much more powerful personal computers, and extract more performance from the systems we use today.

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Q: But what about all of the graphics and design applications moving from Mac OS to Windows NT?

A: Yes, this is happening. But it's important to examine the reasons why this is happening. When we talk to these developers, they tell us they are moving because they -- and their customers -- require modern OS services and stability, services which not being delivered by the Mac OS.

In fact, these services are not delivered by Windows 95 either, or developers would be moving to Windows 95 before Windows NT, in theory, because of the larger Windows 95 installed base. Windows NT provides developers and customers with a modern operating system platform, even though in many applications it performs less well than Windows 95 or, indeed, the Mac OS.

This landscape is changing with the introduction of the BeOS and, some time next year, Rhapsody. With the introduction of the BeOS Preview Release, there are multiple platforms which provide these basic modern services, and so the real question becomes on which platform can the digital design work be done faster and better.

At Be, we believe the answer is on an operating system written from the ground up to provide the kinds of features and performance that these applications demand. You can read more about the reasons why in our Media OS white paper.

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Q: What are Be's Mac OS compatibility plans?

A: There are several different kinds, or levels, of Mac OS compatibility that we have identified as important to our customers:

• Dual-boot systems (multiple OSes on one computer system). This level of compatibility is already available in the BeOS, with a "launcher" utility to move from the MacOS to BeOS, and an integrated boot-time "OS Chooser" which allows you to select the operating system to boot into at system start up time.

• File and network access. This capability is in the Preview Release. Mac OS HFS volumes can be mounted and used from the BeOS, and BeOS applications, including the Tracker, have full access to those Mac volumes, just as if they were Be volumes (though without the database and other capabilities -- the BeOS cannot make up for the limitations of HFS).

  You'll also be able to print to AppleTalk laser printers, etc., and of course, the BeOS' integrated Internet services provide you access to Mac OS, Windows, and Unix machines via standard TCP/IP services such as http (Web) and ftp (file transfer).

• Virtual machine. This is the only part of Mac OS compatibility that fredlabs was working on for Be. We had talked about having this capability ready by the Fall, and are still on track to do so.

  We can't talk much about the specific technologies yet as the business arrangements aren't yet final (yes, that means we are working with someone outside).

  Not that this capability will be the "Blue" portion of the Mac OS (System 7.5, 7.6, and 8.0 are being examined) only. We have never announced plans to host Apple's Rhapsody "Yellow" services on top of the BeOS, and have no plans to do that in the future.

  Of course, the dual-boot system capability will still be there, even with Rhaphsody loaded on another partition (unless Apple does something odd) so, once Rhapsody begins shipping, your BeOS system would be able to play nicely with a Rhapsody installation.

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Q: What happened to the "VirtualMac" technology you demonstrated at Macworld Expo in January?

A: As fredlabs -- the developers of VirtualMac -- has stated, they are no longer working on VirtualMac. We had been talking with them for some time about the VirtualMac technology but unfortunately, as they also indicated, the two companies were unable to come to terms for the development of their approach to the virtual machine capability. We have encouraged them to develop the technology and bring it to market themselves.

Part of the reason for the parting of ways is that we at Be have chosen a different direction for delivering this capability. Actually, it is not a single direction, but a couple of technologies that we believe will be better suited for developers and users in the long run.

Part of the reason for the silence from Be on this issue is that not all of the contracts and agreements are in place to officially announce this. We are planning to talk about overall Mac OS compatibility within the BeOS at the Be Developer Conference, May 10-11.

While it would be great to work with fredlabs, we at Be believe that the directions we're pursuing will result in a better overall solution. We really appreciate the work fredlabs did with the BeOS, and the advice they have provided us.

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Q: Does the BeOS support foreign languages? How easy is it to localize the BeOS?

A: The BeOS is currently available only in English. In response to the overwhelming interest in the BeOS in Japan, with the Preview Release Unicode support appears throughout the system.

A feature originally planned for late 1997, the Preview Release utilizes the Unicode UTF-8 encoding format (the format used by Java) within all text objects and within the font system. You can read some of the details in a recent newsletter article, BE ENGINEERING INSIGHTS: Unicode UTF-8.

This support is a major step towards a fully international version of the BeOS, and further enhancements in this area will be introduced throughout 1997.

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Q: Does the BeOS support Unicode, or otherwise support double byte languages, such as Japanese or Chinese?

A: In response to the overwhelming interest in the BeOS in Japan, with the Preview Release Unicode support appears throughout the system.

A feature originally planned for late 1997, the Preview Release utilizes the Unicode UTF-8 format (the format used by Java) within all text objects and within the font system. You can read some of the details in a recent newsletter article, BE ENGINEERING INSIGHTS: Unicode UTF-8.

We still have work to do to support Japanese and other multibyte languages, but this is a critical first step. Look for more details on this issue in the future.

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Q: If you support Unicode, why do Japanese pages look bad in NetPositive?

A: The BeOS supports multibyte characters using the UTF-8 encoding format. Most web pages use the Shift-JIS format to encode Japanese characters. For NetPositive to display Shift-JIS encoded pages, it must support converting between the two schemes.

This support will probably be added in a second update to Advanced Access, and will definitely be present in the customer version of the Preview Release.

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Q: How well does the BeOS handle time-sensitive graphics (MPEG, AVI, QuickTime), or does this depend primarily on the graphics accelerator card?

A: The real-time nature of the BeOS, along with the Media Kit's fantastic buffer management tools, make the handling of time-sensitive graphics easier and more efficient than on other platforms.

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Q: Have you or will you be licensing Apple technologies like QuickTime or their new Sprockets/3D RAVE?

A: The BeOS is currently able to play "flattened" QuickTime movies compressed with the Cinepak compressor, but it does not support the full QuickTime API.

We have been talking to Apple for some time about QuickTime, as we would like to provide full QuickTime support on the BeOS. In the past, Apple's licensing requirements and costs made this impossible, but it seems that they may now be more open to realistic licensing costs and terms. We have no plans to support Sprockets or 3D Rave.

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Q: When I play a QuickTime movie, I don't hear any sound. Do you support sound in QuickTime movies?

A: The BeOS is currently able to play "flattened" QuickTime movies compressed with the Cinepak compressor, but it does not support the full QuickTime API. Part of what we don't support is sound inside movie files.

Various third-party developers have implemented more complete support of the QuickTime format (as well as other formats) through our DataTypes library. Check BeWare in the Libraries section for the currently available DataType plug-ins.

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Q: Do you support QuickDraw GX? Do you support QuickDraw3D?

A: The BeOS does not support either of these Apple-proprietary APIs, nor will it.

Be has a robust graphics model already, and QuickDraw GX is being de-emphasized by Apple.

The BeOS has both its own lightweight 3D Kit and an initial implementation of OpenGL, the industry standard 3D graphics API. We're much more likely to put effort into refining and extending our existing 3D software interfaces than in trying to license and implement Apple's.

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Q: Do you support DirectX? Do you support Direct3D?

A: The BeOS does not support these proprietary APIs, nor will it.

Be has a robust graphics model already, and plans for extensive support for hardware acceleration for 2D and 3D graphics. The BeOS has both its own lightweight 3D Kit and an initial implementation of OpenGL, the industry standard 3D graphics API.

We're much more likely to put effort into refining and extending our existing 2D and 3D graphics software interfaces than in trying to license and implement someone else's.

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Q: Does the BeOS have file sharing?

A: The BeOS supports logging in remotely via either telnet or ftp using the industry standard TCP/IP networking protocols. Currently, there can be only one user login/password, but we plan to add support for multiple users in a future BeOS release.

The BeOS does not at this time provide for Macintosh-style AppleShare/AppleTalk-based file sharing, though that is an interesting opportunity for Be developers. We are looking into supporting NFS as well. These are all features to be determined.

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Q: Does the BeOS have compute sharing?

A: Not at the current time. We are looking at it for future releases.

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Q: Is it possible to have applications running on remote sites with local display (like X11)?

A: Not yet. The architecture of the system is such that it could be possible and effective, since all GUI goes through the Application Server (analogous to an X server). But this feature is not planned for the next release of the BeOS.

In the meantime, at least one X11 project is in progress. You can check out the details of BeX (and the most excellent BeX logo) at:

http://humper.student.princeton.edu/BeX/

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Q: Will the BeOS support multiple users?

A: We thought long and hard about the issue of multiple versus single user, and have decided to focus on a single user with a single user's preferences for the initial shipment of the BeOS.

The underlying infrastructure for supporting multiple logins and multiple users' preferences is there, and the facility will likely appear in a future release.

In all, we're trying to keep to a personal computer's roots while not ignoring the utility and reality of multiple users, both local and remote.

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Q: Is there going to be any way of adding multiple users, groups, telnetd, for logins?

A: The BeOS actually makes use of password protection for ftpd and telnetd, but only allows for a single user. We do not yet have multiple users and groups implemented, but there is functionality in the BeOS to support it, and it is planned for a future release of the BeOS.

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Q: What security protection will the BeOS have?

A: We're planning to offer a security/encryption mechanism at the kernel level. However, we haven't nailed down the details of this mechanism, so your expert input would be appreciated.

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Q: Does the BeOS have a text/command line mode or is it completely graphical (even during boot)?

A: The BeOS does provide command line interaction via the Terminal application, which is a Bash shell. Many commands familiar to Unix users are available, including the familiar ls, grep, awk, etc. However, much of the BeOS environment (e.g., screen settings) can only be accessed using the graphical environment.

The boot sequence is completely graphical, although a text mode at boot has been under discussion.

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Q: Does the BeOS have a scripting language similar to AppleScript (on the Mac) or ARexx (on the Amiga or OS/2) or is there something similar planned?

A: The BeOS Preview Release provides a language independent scripting API, built into the Kits. Because the BeOS is inherently object-oriented and the messaging scheme in our system is extremely rich, we feel we provide some unique scripting opportunities.

Every application can easily fit into and extend this framework, allowing it to be scripted from any BeOS compatible scripting environment (e.g., a BeOS version of Frontier or Rexx). Applications can control other applications without being a "scripting environment". Any application can send any other application a scripting-like message.

In the BeOS, script messages are no different from regular messages (like a MOUSE_DOWN being reported by the system). In addition, pure interapplication communication (IAC) will use the same messaging and object model, allowing applications to communicate.

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Q: If I set up two monitors on one machine can two people use it at once?

A: No, we don't currently support more than one monitor nor more than one keyboard and mouse. While support for multiple monitors is planned, the BeOS is very much a single-user operating system at this time.

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Q: When the BeOS supports multiple monitors, will I need a separate video card for each one?

A: Yes, you will.

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Q: What is the maximum video resolution the BeOS supports?

A: Dependent on the capabilities of your graphics hardware, the BeOS is capable of supporting up to 1600 by 1200 pixels at 32-bit color.

If you have a specific question about specific video hardware, you should contact the manufacturer of that hardware to determine its capabilities under the BeOS.

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Q: Does the BeOS have the Amiga-esque ability to support each window at an independent bit depth?

A: Each BeOS Workspace can have its own screen depth, as can each offscreen bitmap. A BeOS window has no inherent bit depth, but uses the current screen/workspace depth setting.

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Q: Does the BeOS support "odd" bit depths, say 7 or 9 bits if I want to work with a 128 or 512 color palette?

A: No, not currently, nor is this planned for the immediate future.

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Q: What is the maximum hard disk size the BeOS can support?

A: The BeOS Preview Release introduces the 64-bit Be File System. BFS supports drives measured in petabytes (a thousand terabytes).

We would be very excited to hear about any customer who has a hard drive or other computer storage device which actually exceeds this limitation. ;-)

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Q: What is the maximum file size in the BeOS?

A: In the BeOS Preview Release the Be File System uses 64-bit addressing, and can handle volumes and files with sizes measured in petabytes (a thousand terabytes).

Even digitizing the entire "Friday the 13th" horror movie series wouldn't create a file this large. Of course, that could change if they make more movies. A lot more movies. ;-)

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Q: What is the maximum number of files the BeOS can support?

A: In the BeOS Preview Release, the number of files is limited only by the number of blocks on your drive, because each file takes up a minimum of one block (in other words, it's a really big number :-).

The Be File System uses 64-bit addressing, meaning that it can accomodate volumes that are measured in petabytes (a thousand terabytes). You could store a whole lotta files on a hard drive that large...if you could buy one. ;-)

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Q: What is the character limit for file/folder/etc. names on the BeOS?

A: The Be File System in the BeOS Preview Release supports file names of up to 256 characters. In other words, a file named "A letter I wrote and sent to my mother in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-seven" has a name which is actually less than half as long (96 characters) as it could have been.

Plug-in "foreign" file systems mounted under the BeOS may have more restrictive limits inherent in their design. For example, HFS (Mac) supports a maximum of 31 character file names ("Letter to Mom, sent 5/5/97"), and the inimitable FAT (DOS and Windows 3.x) restricts you to 8-DOT-3 character names ("LETR2MOM.DOC").

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Q: Does the BeOS support RAID (redundant array of inexpensive drives)?

A: At this time, the BeOS does not provide any support for RAID in software. If you have a RAID device set up by a software RAID toolkit, such as the FWB RAID Toolkit, it will not be accessible under the BeOS.

However, if you happen to have a hardware RAID device which pretends to be a single hard drive, that should work fine. These are rare, though.

We do intend to support RAID in a future BeOS release, but we do not have a schedule for that at the moment.

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Q: Is the BeOS database object-oriented, relational, or a mix?

A: In the BeOS Preview Release, the database has been integrated into the file system, and there is no separate database per se. Instead, what we have is an attribute adorned file system with a query engine for the attributes.

It is not intended to be an Oracle/Sybase/Postgres clone. What we're doing is not a fully relational SQL queriable object oriented super whiz bang database. What we are doing is a method of indexing additional information about entities in a file system name space.

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Q: Is the BeOS UNIX-based (or Mach-based), or is it a new design?

A: The BeOS is not Unix- or Mach-based. It is a completely new operating system, written from the ground up. While it's a new design, it does owe much to UNIX/Mach in some of the design decisions we made.

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Q: Is BeOS similar to Unix? Is there a GUI and command line, is it multiuser, etc.?

A: The BeOS was influenced by a number of operating systems, and Unix is certainly among them. To be very general about it, you might say that the BeOS is more similar to Unix at the lower levels and more like the Mac OS or Windows at the higher levels. There is a GUI and a command line interface. The BeOS is not currently multiuser in the Unix sense.

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Q: Are there any plans for the BeOS to support OpenDoc?

A: Given that Apple is de-emphasizing the OpenDoc technologies, and market acceptance has been low, we will not be supporting it.

We have developed a very light weight and simple model for application components called Replicator technology. One manifestation of is you can drag pieces of applications (like a "Check Mail" button or a "Clock View") onto a container like the desktop. This model is just a small extension to the existing powerful BeOS messaging/scripting system.

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Q: Is the BeOS a replacement for UNIX?

A: No, it's not, or at least not quite. Our system sports bash from GNU as a command line interface. With many of the GNU applications ported to the BeOS and available from the bash command line, we have what for some people is a reasonable replacement for UNIX.

We're hoping that enterprising developers will port and distribute all the other whizzy UNIX-derived commands we don't get to. We have a nearly complete POSIX layer to make this easier.

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Q: Are you POSIX compliant?

A: Our libraries contain all the Posix and most of the common Unix function calls. Not only have we paid close attention to the Posix standard but also to the de facto standards in the Unix community. The goal has been to minimize the pain in porting code.

However, we don't want to claim outright POSIX compliance because at this point we don't have the resources to dedicate to completing the implementation. We'd like to but, balancing that against our other priorities, full POSIX compliance will have to wait.

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Q: What parts of POSIX is the BeOS compliant with?

A: The idea behind Be's POSIX support is to make it easier rather than harder to port (compile and run) POSIX-style code that you may have lying around. To that end, we have a library which contains most of the "popular" POSIX calls.

Most Unix code compiles with little or no change, e.g., all of the 100+ GNU utilities included with the BeOS distribution compiled with no changes. Even more difficult programs, such as the GNU Bash shell, work.

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Files and Formats

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Q: What video and motion picture file formats does the BeOS support? OpenDML, Video For Windows, QuickTime, OMF?

A: We currently support playback of Cinepak-compressed QuickTime movies only.

A number of developers have and are creating modules that plug into our datatypes library that enable the Be system and applications to use a wide variety of data formats, including QuickTime and MPEG.

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Q: What sound formats can the BeOS recognize and support?

A: The BeOS currently supports AIFF, WAV, and Sun/NeXT audio.

It is possible, even easy, for developers to create modules that plug into our datatypes library that enable the Be system and applications to use a wide variety of data formats. So more formats will likely be added to the list.

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Q: When I take a file from my Mac/PC that is saved in OS/2 BMP format and place it in the /system directory, it does not become my background screen. What should I do?

A: This answer is specific to the DR8 release of the BeOS.

Detailed instructions for creating Desktop screens can be found in Chapter 4: Customizing the BeOS of the BeOS User's Guide.

Here are brief instructions:

1. Create a file in 24-bit, OS/2 BMP format.
2. Make sure the width of the picture is evenly divisible by 4.
3. Name the file "DesktopImage".
4. Place it in the /system folder.
5. Restart your BeOS computer.

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Q: How do I get a screen shot of the BeOS to my Mac? How do I use it in Photoshop on my Mac?

A: This question is answered more fully in Appendix A of the BeOS Users Guide, which includes screen shots.

The following is the method we use here in the Be office to move BeOS screen shots from a BeBox to a Mac, and edit them in Photoshop for placement on the Web. It's a bit cumbersome, but it works:

1. In the Screen preferences application, take note of your screen resolution settings, the height and width numbers.
2. Take a screen shot, by pressing the PrintScreen key (F13).
3. Open the screen shot file by double-clicking it.
4. Convert the file to Raw bitmap format, by choosing "Export to 24 bits" from the graphic's File menu.
5. FTP, or otherwise transfer the file to a Mac (or PC, if that's where you use Photoshop).
6. In Photoshop (or any other graphics application which can open Raw bitmap files), open the file by choosing File/Open and selecting the file in the dialog box.
7. In the "Raw Options" dialog that appears, enter the screen size settings for your BeOS system (e.g., 800 by 600). Make sure the Interleaved setting is checked, and the Depth is set to 8-bit.
8. Click OK.

You now have a Photoshop file you can save into native Photoshop format, or any other format that Photoshop supports, such as GIF or JPEG.

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Networking

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Q: Does the BeOS support TCP/IP? Any other networking protocols? Does it come with the standard TCP/IP utilities like FTP, telnet, etc.?

A: The BeOS Preview Release support TCP/IP and AppleTalk printing. FTP, ftpd, PPP, and telnet are included in the BeOS, as is a Web browser and server, and a POP/SMTP client for mail.

The network programming interface is sockets-based, so it is quite possible that developers will port software from the rich collection of Unix- and sockets-based network software available on the Internet.

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Q: Does the BeOS support TCP/IP configuration via DHCP?

A: It's on our list of things to do, and we want to add it. However, our list of things to implement is a long list. DHCP support will not be available in the Preview Release. We hope to add it in a future release of the BeOS.

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Q: Does the BeOS support TCP/IP connections over PPP?

A: Yes, the BeOS supports TCP/IP via PPP connections over both serial cables and modem connections.

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Q: Does the BeOS support PPP authentication via CHAP?

A: The BeOS supports PPP authentication via PAP and via a more traditional Unix-style authentication. It does not support CHAP at this time, and CHAP is not supported in the Preview Release. We hope to add it in the future, but we don't have a schedule for it yet.

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Q: How easy is it to add other networking protocols than TCP/IP, or support for other layer 1/2 stacks (token-ring, arcnet, ISDN, ATM,...)?

A: The BeOS Preview Release provides the ability to add support for alternative networking drivers and protocols.

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Q: If I set up some sort of Ethernet between my Mac 8500 and a BeOS-based computer (BeBox or Power Mac) will I be able to send files between the two.

A: Absolutely.

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Q: Will remote access (telnet, whatever) be available to the users of a BeOS-based computer?

A: We support telnet, ftp, and other forms of IP-based remote access. Passwords and user identities will still be required for this kind of access.

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Q: Is there any support for mounting a remote NFS drive, or mounting a BeOS drive over NFS?

A: That is not in the BeOS Preview Release. We are looking at NFS for a future release.

In the meantime, there is an NFS server, BeNFSServer, that was written by Andreas Huber. You can find it in BeWare, or check out his own web site:

http://www.barecode.de

Additionally, it is possible to write a BeOS file system plug-in that would mount NFS volumes, just as the BeOS can mount Macintosh hard drives. Be will be providing documentation regarding how to write file system plug-ins, so a wide variety of foreign file systems, including NFS, may become supported in the future.

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Q: Is there an X Window server available on BeOS?

A: There is indeed. BeX is a written from scratch, no legacy code X server implementation for the BeOS operating system. It translates X protocol requests into native BeOS Interface Kit messages, so X applications are seamlessly integrated into the BeOS environment.

You can find more information about BeX at its web site:

http://humper.student.princeton.edu/BeX/

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Q: Can we realistically run a prototype commercial web site off the BeBox now using the PoorMan Web server?

A: PoorMan is an demo app -- not a production level server. Our developers have more robust Web servers in the works.

At this time, only two such project have been publicly announced, Charlotte by Purity Software, and the FastTrack server from Netscape.

You can read more about Charlotte on the Purity web site:

http://www.purity.com/charlotte/

You can read more about Netscape's plans to bring their FastTrack web server to the BeOS in the press release covering the announcement:

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Third-Party Software

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Q: How many applications are available for the BeOS?

A: Our BeWare third-party developer web site has over 375 applications in it, ranging from small, simple demos to full-blown applications.

With the shipment of the BeOS for Power Mac release just before Christmas, literally thousands of developers who have been waiting to get their hands on the BeOS are now able to start development. There are currently over 3,300 registered Be developers.

Now that the BeOS Preview Release is available, we expect to see an increasing number of exciting applications coming out for the BeOS. Over 800 developers expect to be shipping their software by August 1997!

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Q: What applications are available for the BeOS?

A: In the BeWare section of the Be website there are over 375 BeOS applications. These range from small, simple demos to full-blown applications.

With the shipment of the Preview Release, we expect to see an increasing number of commercial, shareware and freeware applications available for the BeOS. Most developers have been holding release of their products until the BeOS Preview Release because it is the first release that guarantees forward compatibility for applications. In fact, nearly 800 registered developers expect to ship applications by August 1997.

We have highlights of new applications on the BeWare section of our website.

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Q: Are there any developers working on the BeOS?

A: There is a great deal of momentum behind the BeOS application development, and with the release of Preview, we expect to see a steady stream of products being released.

We currently have over 3,300 active BeOS developers. Over 750 developers attended our May developer conference from 30 states and 14 different countries. Nearly 800 developers expect to release a product by August of 1997. 60% of our developers are working on totally new applications rather than ports of products available on other platforms.

Our developers are experienced and understand the limitations of other platforms; 55% from have developed on Macintosh, 44% on Unix and 36% on Windows.

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Q: What large developers are supporting the BeOS? That is, what "big names" do you have working on BeOS software?

A: A number of large developers are registered Be developers but haven't announced plans for the BeOS at this time. At Be's developer conference on May 10th, Netscape and NeoLogic announced plans for the BeOS.

While large established developers are important, we believe the BeOS offers a unique and excellent opportunity for small innovative developers for several reasons. There are no established competitors, the API is lean so your don't need a huge team of engineers to create a product, and Be is aggressively investing in electronic distribution so even small developers can afford to get their products into customers hands.

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Q: Is Adobe going to port to the BeOS? When will Adobe Photoshop be available for the BeOS?

A: While many of the established companies, including Adobe, are registered Be developers, we expect much of the early development on the BeOS to come from smaller developers and new developers. New developers have several advantages in the BeOS compared to established developers:

• they have less legacy code to support
• they can start from scratch to take advantage of BeOS capabilities rather than having to rework existing code
• they don't have to steal resources from highly profitable existing products
• they are willing to take risks
• they have new ideas

It is important to note that most innovative new products come from new/small developers rather from the established companies. Photoshop, Video Toaster, and Electric Image are three examples of products that established whole new categories and came from the minds of couple of developers.

If there is a particular application you would like to see on the BeOS it doesn't hurt to ask for it, as it is customer demand that drives product decisions like this.

You can give feedback to Adobe at:

http://www.adobe.com/misc/comments.html

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Q: Is it possible to use the Macintosh version of Netscape as my web browser, or any browsers other than NetPositive?

A: No, the BeOS does not run Macintosh software. The BeOS is a new and different operating system, and requires new software. We bundle a web browser called NetPositive with the BeOS. Third parties are writing other web browsers as well.

On May 10, 1997 Be and Netscape announced an agreement to bring the Netscape FastTrack to the BeOS. Beyond that nothing has been announced at this time.

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Q: How does your Internet software compare to Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Explorer?

A: We ship many of the basic Internet tools, including a functional Web browser, Web server, ftp software, etc., but third parties will be producing the "high-power" versions.

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Q: I currently run WebSTAR and ListSTAR Software on a PowerPC server and need a second server. Will the BeOS platform be a great idea, or do I have to get Quarterdeck to port their software over first?

A: A number of companies are working on various Internet tools for the BeOS, but it sure wouldn't hurt to ask Quarterdeck about their product plans for the BeOS ;-).

You can give feedback to Quarterdeck/Star*Nine by sending them mail at:

suggest@starnine.com

In the meantime, you might want to check out Purity Software's Charlotte web server:

http://www.purity.com/charlotte/

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Q: How do I get the BeSpecific CD-ROM you were selling at Macworld Expo, the one with all that great BeOS software on it?

A: The BeSpecific CD is a CD-ROM containing almost 400 megabytes of software, taken from the Be, Inc. ftp site and other software repositories, and represents the vast majority of freeware and shareware available for the BeOS at the time it was pressed. The current version is the second release.

The BeSpecific CD also includes several months of messages from the comp.sys.be.* USENET newsgroups, sorted into complete threads, and named and indexed for easy access.

You can get more information and order the CD from the BeSpecific web site:

http://www.bespecific.com/marketplace/bespecific.shtml

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Usage and Interface

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Q: Is there a Desktop in the BeOS? Can I put my files and folders on the Desktop?

A: In the BeOS Preview Release you can have files, applications and folders on the Desktop.

More information about user interface improvements to the BeOS Tracker (the desktop interface formerly known as Prince--, er, the Browser) can be found in the Media OS, What's New in the Preview Release, and the Tour of the BeOS documents available on the Be website.

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Q: I liked the way I could put anything onto the old Be Dock. Can I drag applications or files onto the Deskbar?

A: No, the items in the Deskbar are automatic, and dynamic. It shows the currently running applications only, while also providing you with a way to hide and show the windows in each application. And that neat digital clock. ;-)

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Q: Does the BeOS support a "virtual desktop" like the Mac, with multiple screens being "stiched together" to make a single virtual screen?

A: The BeOS has "workspaces," which are multiple virtual desktops that you can switch between. Multiple monitor support is in the works for a later release.

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Q: Why does my background screen not display in the Preview Release?

A: Unfortunately, due to time and resource constraints we're not supporting the background screen feature in the Preview Release. We'll do our best to re-enable this feature as soon as possible.

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Q: It sounds as if the graphical Browser isn't integral to the OS. If so, is it conceivable that others could design alternative GUIs to manipulate the BeOS? Do you think it's foreseeable, assuming the product does well?

A: This is certainly possible. In fact, Be has done it ourselves! The BeOS Browser has given way to the Tracker, a new way of viewing your disks, folders, and files.

Different graphic front ends can certainly make the BeOS more accessible to some audiences. The main point here is that it can be done, and easily. The Browser/Tracker functionality is independent of the BeOS.

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Q: Will the BeOS have drop shadows on windows? It would be really cool...

A: This is something that's been under consideration for years, as it's very easy to do. The problem is that drop shadows result in window regions that are nonrectangular, and this affects performance in clipping calculations, if only a little. There are no current plans to implement drop shadows in the BeOS.

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Q: I can't find a button or application that will let me initiate a PPP session. How do I start a PPP connection?

A: In the BeOS, there is no manual way to start a PPP connection. Instead, it happens automatically when you need network services.

So to start a PPP session, simply do whatever it was that needs the network, like using NetPositive to visit the Be web site (please! we're lonely! ;-). The connection process will begin, and you'll connect to your ISP.

Note that there is a small applet that will allow you to disconnect your PPP session, by clicking the Disconnect button, so that you don't have to reboot your machine to disconnect from your service provider.

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Q: If it doesn't start a PPP session, what does the Connect application do?

A: The Connect application is for serial communications sessions. This can be over a direct serial connection, perhaps debugging your application using the serial debug output, or it can be over a modem, perhaps to a remote telnet server, or to a bulletin board service (BBS).

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Q: I've been using NetPostitive for a couple weeks now, and it seems like it has gotten much slower. Why?

A: NetPositive keeps track of all the sites you visit, in something called the cache log. As you visit more sites, this list gets longer. When it gets very long, the current version of NetPositive slows down. For some people it slows down quite a bit.

The simple fix is to delete the cache log file. Be sure you have quit NetPositive, and then delete the "/boot/tmp/NetCache/CacheLog" file.

NetPositive should once again be zippy!

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Q: Why doesn't my downloaded file have a groovy icon? And when I double-click it, the BeOS asks me if I want to open it in Edit! What's wrong?

A: Some of the BeOS archiving utilities which are used to compress and archive files for transmission over the Internet do not automatically set certain file settings that the Browser expects to see before it will show a custom icon, or treat the item as an application. Instead, it makes the file look like a generic document file.

There is an easy way to fix this, you just do a setfile on the file or files. Even easier, you can do a B>setfile on your entire file system at once, catching all the files which might not be set correctly:

1. Launch the Terminal application (located in the /apps folder).
2. At the "$" prompt, type "setfile -r" and press return.

It will take a minute or two for setfile to touch all of your file system, then you should be all set, custom icons and all.

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Q: When I try to use a Browser/Tracker add-on (such as "Setfile"), by selecting files and then choosing the add-on from the File/Add-Ons menu, I get an error message saying "add-on could not be loaded." What's wrong?

A: Some add-ons are not written properly. When the Browser or Tracker tries to load them, they are failing in some way, and returning an error to the Browser/Tracker. The Browser/Tracker is only sharing the grief. :-¥

Other add-ons require extra installation steps, like modifying your "/system/UserBootscript" file. Be sure to read the add-on's documentation to make sure you've covered all the steps.

Contact the author of the add-on you're having problems with (hopefully their e-mail address is in the documentation for the add-on), and determine if you have the latest version. If you do, they may have more specific questions for you that can pin-point the problem.

Good luck!

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Q: Your database query system uses comparison and conjunction operators (like "greater than" and "and") as it works through a query. Can I add my own operators, or change the way any of those operators function?

A: No. The only operators supported are those built in to the file system. Additional operator will be added as warranted by demand and usage. However, at the present time, developers cannot add their own custom operators.

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Q: What is the BeOS command shell?

A: It's based on bash, the "Bourne-Again Shell."