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Be and the BeOS

Have you heard about the Media OS? Here are a few good places where you can learn more:

• Where it all starts: Be, Inc.
• You can now buy BeOS 4.5, but BeOS 5 will be available for free download!
• The BeOS Tip Server, a service by Scott Hacker. Scott has a new book out—The BeOS Bible. If you already have this book, there's also a site where you can download chapters that aren't in the printed version.
• BeOSCentral is a good source of general Be-related news and software reviews.
• The Neo-Programmer's Collective, a great starting point for learning how to program for the BeOS
• There's also some BeOS programming info at BeGeek.com.

Here are some Be-related sites in Japanese.

• In late 1998 Hitachi announced the Flora Prius 330J, which comes with the BeOS preinstalled. Hitachi now also has a site with Be news.
• Masao Kawamura and Hiroyuki Musha have written a book on BeOS programming for Japanese users.
• Satoshi Sekiguchi's Be ginner's Luck site
• Some BeOS FAQs for Japanese users

The BeBox

Be, Inc. is now devoted exclusively to software (the BeOS), but they used to make hardware, too—the one-of-a-kind BeBox, with its twin PowerPC CPUs, GeekPort, and cool blinky lights.

Be, Inc. announced in January 1997 that it was discontinuing production of the BeBox in order to devote all its efforts to the BeOS. In April 1997, after weeks of searching by phone, fax, and Internet on three continents, I managed to lay hands on the last 133MHz BeBox on the planet.

The BeOS on an IBM ThinkPad

My BeBox runs the BeOS, of course, and now that BeOS R4 is out, I've also managed to install the BeOS on an IBM ThinkPad 380XD.

This ThinkPad 380XD is a Japanese model (IBM model No. 2635-8AJ), but the Japanese keyboard map that comes with BeOS R4 works just fine with it. Sound is also not a problem -- so far I've tested MIDI, .WAV, and AIFF files, audio CDs, and the sound and music with the game Doom. I've successfully used an external modem on the serial port. Next on the list is to try out USB and PCMCIA.

Here are the machine's basic specs:

• 233MHx Pentium MMX CPU (512kB L2 cache)
• Intel 430TX chipset
• 96 MB EDO RAM
• 3.5" 3-mode floppy disk drive
• 24x bootable internal CD-ROM (IDE)
• NeoMagic MagicGraph 128XD video chip (2 MB of video RAM)
• SVGA display (800x600)
• CS4237B audio chip (SoundBlaster Pro compatible sound system)

Be is a registered trademark, BeOS is a trademark and Be icons are copyright of Be, Incorporated and are used with their permission.