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EnigmA Amiga Run 1996 February
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EnigmA AMIGA RUN 04 (1996)(G.R. Edizioni)(IT)[!][issue 1996-02][Skylink CD III].iso
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faq
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beinfo.lha
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be_summary.doc
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1995-10-22
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stolen html from http://www.be.com and mutilated into text on 22-Oct-95
The BeBox: A Technical Summary
The BeBox
Moving beyond the limitations of today's computing architectures.
The BeBox(TM) from Be, Inc. combines supercharged hardware, an innovative
new operating system, and a host of powerful sound, graphics, and video
capabilities -- all at an extremely affordable price. It's the first true
real-time system that features multiple processors, preemptive
multitasking, fast I/O, and a wide range of expansion options.
The BeBox allows you to run multiple high-performance, graphics-intensive
programs, synchronize music and sound, view and edit videos, and access the
Internet -- all at the same time. It features a built-in database that's
always accessible, so you can continually store, retrieve, and update key
information from multiple sources. No other product on the market can
equal its performance in its price range. It's a system that has already
excited developers and is capturing the imagination of a wide spectrum of
computer users.
BeBox Hardware
Hardware specifications for the introductory model of the BeBox:
Microprocessors
2 PowerPC 603 CPUs, running at 66 Mhz
Fixed-point unit
Load store unit
Floating-point unit
8 K data cache
8 K instruction cache
Memory management unit
Memory
Supports up to 8, 72-pin SIMMs
Can accommodate up to 256 MB with 32 MB SIMMs
Disk Drives
1 PC-standard, 1.44 MB, 3.5" floppy disk drive
On-board support for both IDE and SCSI devices
Drive bays
2 internal 3.5" half-height drive bays
2 exposed 5.25" half-height drive bays for CD-ROM drives,
Syquest drives, etc. (can be used as a single, full-height bay)
Display Controllers
Supports PCI SuperVGA controllers, such as the #9 GXE 64
Networking
Supports industry-standard ISA Ethernet cards, such as the NE 2000,
3Com
3C503, or compatibles
Serial modems on serial ports
Interfaces
3 internal full-length PCI card slots @ 33 MHz
5 internal full-length ISA card slots
PCI SCSI II controller for connection of up to 7 SCSI devices
Internal 50-pin ribbon cable connector
External 50-pin SCSI II connector
IDE controller for PC-standard hard drives
Standard PC keyboard connector
PS/2 mouse connector
Parallel port
2 MIDI ports: one in and one out per channel
4 RS-232 serial ports with 16550 UARTs
high-resolution joystick ports
3 infrared controller ports
"GeekPort," supporting general I/O with A/D 16-bit sound system
RCA line-in jacks
RCA line-out jacks
3.5 mm stereo microphone jack
3.5 mm stereo headphone jack
Clock/Calendar
Standard PC clock/calendar chip
Electrical Requirements
100 to 240 V AC single phase line voltage
60 or 50 Hz frequency
110-220 switch
240 W max power (does not include external devices)
Switched display power convenience outlet
Size
Height: 15.68 in. (39.8 cm)
Width: 8.28 in. (21.0 cm)
Depth: 18.15 in. (46.1 cm)
Operating Environment
Operating temperature: 50 to 105 degrees F (10 to 40 degrees C)
Storage temperature: -40 to 116.6 degrees F (-40 to 47 C)
Relative humidity: 5 to 95 percent, noncondensing
Maximum altitude: 10,000 ft. (3,050 m)
Be System Software Specifications
Software specifications for the introductory model of the BeBox:
Fast Microkernel
Virtual memory
Preemptive multitasking (multithreading) on multiple processors
(up to 8 PowerPC CPUs in future BeBox models).
Automatic allocation of threads to processors for the most efficient
execution.
Protected address spaces
Shared memory areas for efficient interapplication cooperation
Loadable device drivers
Integrated Database
Extensible database coupled to the file system
Data stored in system-defined or application-defined tables
Query results updated as the data changes ("live" queries)
Client-Server Architecture
Servers simplify client applications by taking over low-level tasks
Increased performance and reliability
The Application Server handles user-interface work common to all
applications
The Storage Server makes the database available to every application
Real-Time Architecture for Processing Audio and Video Data
Transportation of media buffers through a pipeline of interested
handlers
Reliable real-time response
High-level, object-oriented access to audio and video drivers
Synchronization to an internal clock or to an external one
(for example, MIDI or SMPTE)
Prioritization to protect time-critical tasks
MIDI support
Graphical and Interactive User Interface (GUI)
Ready-made windows provided by the Application Server
Window-specific graphics environments
A graphical browser for operating the machine and viewing the
file system and database
Off-the-shelf modules for many graphical components (like buttons,
scroll bars, and editable text fields)
Networking
TCP/IP built in
Direct and dial-up PPP
FTP and TELNET protocols (ftp, ftpd, and telnet tools)
Object-Oriented C++ Application Framework
User Interface Kit, Multimedia Kit, MIDI Kit, Networking Kit,
Database Kit, and others for developing a wide variety of
applications
Interapplication messaging
Application architecture designed for multithreading (for example,
every window has its own thread of execution)
Development Environment
Bundled Metrowerks(R) CodeWarrior(TM) development environment
for the BeBox
Libraries, header files, and developer documentation provided with
every BeBox
Dynamically linked ("shared") libraries