This document answers questions regarding the BeOS, including hardware requirements, features,
file formats and compatibility, and interface issues.
General
Q: When will the BeOS
Preview Release be available?
A: Today! Get yours now:
Q: How can I get the
BeOS Preview Release?
A: There are a number of ways to get the BeOS. First,
you can order it from us:
Second, if you are a Power Computing customer who purchased a Power Computing
system after November 26th, Be will
send you a CD for free.
Third, other Macintosh clone vendors will be bundling the BeOS with their
hardware. Contact your favorite hardware manufacturer and ask them if they are
bundling the BeOS with their systems.
Fourth, if you're a registered Be developer, you'll be sent the Preview
Release automatically. You just need to make sure your developer record is
up-to-date.
Fifth, we are bundling the BeOS with a variety of magazines in the US,
Europe, and Japan. You'll get the BeOS Preview Release CD for the cost of the
magazine. See the press release
for more details.
Q: How much will the
BeOS Preview Release cost?
A: Our goal with the BeOS Preview Release is to
encourage mass trial and adoption. Many of the methods for obtaining the BeOS
Preview Release, detailed in a previous FAQ item, involve no cost at all.
If you are unable to obtain the BeOS Preview Release via one of those
methods, you can order it from us:
We have two packages, one for $10 and one for $49. The first package is just
the CD and an installation booklet. The second package includes the printed
version of the BeOS User's
Guide, and two free upgrades shipped directly to you as soon as they are
released.
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.
Q: Will the BeOS be
distributed outside of the US?
A: Yes. When you order the BeOS through our web site,
and specify a non-US address, we will ship it to you through one of our foreign
distribution centers.
We are also bundling the BeOS with magazines in 5 countries: the US, the UK,
France, Germany, and Japan. See the press release
for details.
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 many ways you can obtain released versions of the BeOS Preview Release, 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.
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: In addition to the free methods of obtaining the
BeOS Preview Release, detailed in a previous FAQ item, we have a very low cost
($10) option for people who just want to try the BeOS:
While we do intend to offer a downloadable version of the BeOS Preview
Release, we are still working on the technical details. If you're not inclined
to wait, the way to go is one of the options above.
Q: What was "Advanced
Access"?
A: Advanced Access was a developer-only, early
release version of the BeOS Preview Release that enabled 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.
The Advanced Access release of the BeOS is now obsolete, and is unsupported
by Be. You can get the real thing at:
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/support/index.html
There you will find a wealth of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs),
documentation, software updates, and even sample code. If the information you
require is not there, you will also 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 can 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.
US and Pacific Rim Customer Support (English language only):
(972) 389-3740
European Customer Support Lines :
| Country |
International |
National |
| France |
+33 155 212535 |
0155 212535 |
| Germany |
+49 619697 5036 |
0619697 5036 |
| UK |
+44 181 230 3134 |
0181 230 3134 |
| Sweden |
+46 8 402 8633 |
08 402 8633 |
| Benelux |
+32 70 233857 |
070 233857 |
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, there is at least one foreign language newsgroup, de.comp.os.be. This group is in German.
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.
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/
For BeOS software, there are two great places to go:
http://www.be.com/beware/
http://www.bedepot.com/
An couple of excellent "Be current events" oriented Web sites are (note that
these are not official Be sites):
BeOS 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
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
Q: I have thought of a
feature that I think the BeOS should have. How do I submit it?
A: The best way to suggest a feature for the BeOS is
to enter it into our Bugs database via the web form at:
http://www.be.com/developers/bugform.html.
The more detailed and specific you are in your feature request, the more
likely we are to consider it for a future release of the BeOS.
Hardware Requirements
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).
Q: Does the BeOS run on
machines based on IBM's Longtrail or Motorola's Yellowknife or Viper system
designs?
A: The Longtrail, Viper and Yellowknife systems
designs are based on the CHRP (Common Hardware Reference Platform) / PPCP
(PowerPC Platform) specification. No one is shipping products based on these
designs.
When systems based on this specification are actually shipping, including
systems based on Longtrail, Viper or Yellowknife, Be will announce further
details of our plans to allow the BeOS to run on those systems.
Q: Does the BeOS run on
any systems based on the Exponential Technologies X704 processor (the super-fast
PowerPC chip)?
A: No, nor will it. Exponential Technologies has gone
out of business, so it is unlikely that anyone will ever ship systems based on
this chip. That would make it kind of hard to support with the BeOS...
Q: Does the BeOS run on
other PowerPC-based systems, like the IBM RS6000-series of workstations, or
Motorola's PowerStack systems?
A: No, nor do we plan to.
Q: Does the BeOS run on
Intel-based machines? Do you plan to port the BeOS to the Intel
platform?
A: The current release of the BeOS, the Preview
Release, is for PowerPC-based systems only. You can see which machines are
specifically supported on our BeOS
Ready Systems page.
Be is planning to release the next major release of the BeOS on Intel and
PowerPC platforms, simultaneously. You can read more about our Intel plans in
our press release,
and in the BeOS for Intel Architecture Q&A.
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 PowerPC- and Intel-based systems, and encouraging
people to try it and developers to write software for it. Once we have begun to
see the fruits of this work, we will look at the important features for
follow-on releases of the BeOS.
The BeOS has already run on four different architectures and three 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.
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.
Although we had originally intended to develop a driver for such cards, due
to Apple's acquisition of Power Computing, Be has curtailed development of a
BeOS driver for the Adaptec PowerDomain Fast and wide UltraSCSI PCI card. This
card has recently been bundled with some Power Computing systems such as the
Power Center Pro. Unfortunately the loss of on-going support from Power
Computing and a small installed base of these cards make it impractical for Be
to invest further resources to support the card.
Fortunately for customers with these systems there is a work around. The BeOS
will work with SCSI devices which are connected to the SCSI cable from the main
logic board (rather than the cable which connects to the Adaptec card). You need
not remove the Adaptec card as the BeOS will only recognize SCSI devices
connected to the logic board SCSI bus, and will ignore all devices connected to
the Adaptec card.
Features
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 journaling 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 user interface
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
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
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.
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.
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.
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), in a read-only mode.
You can also 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 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.
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, while Be plans to develop alternative technical solutions to this
issue.
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.
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 Be Newsletter
article, 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 in the
future.
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 Be
Newsletter article, Unicode UTF-8.
We still have work to do to support Japanese and other multibyte languages,
such as adding input methods, but this is a critical first step. Look for more
details on this issue in the future.
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, you must configure the
mapping for converting between the two schemes. Instructions for doing so can be
found in the BeOS User's
Guide, Chapter 5 "Using Internet
Services", in the section Document
Encoding.
You will also need to install a Unicode-enabled font, such as Bitstream's CyberBit, because
none of the fonts installed with the BeOS include the extended character sets
required to display kanji characters -- or other multi-byte glyphs, for that
matter.
(Note: Be was unhappy with the quality of the hinting in most such fonts,
including CyberBit, which causes characters at small sizes to look bad. We're
still looking, and we hope to make available such a font in the future.)
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.
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.
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 yet 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.
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 proprietary technology from Apple.
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.
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.
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 in the future
as well.
In the meantime, third-party NFS software is available in the BeWare section
of the Be web site:
http://www.be.com/beware/highlights/benfs.html
Q: Does the BeOS have
compute sharing?
A: Not at the current time. We are looking at it for
future releases.
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/
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.
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.
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.
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.
Q: Does the BeOS have a
scripting language similar to AppleScript or Frontier (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.
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.
Q: When the BeOS
supports multiple monitors, will I need a separate video card for each
one?
A: Yes, you will.
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.
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.
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.
Q: What is the maximum
hard disk size the BeOS can support?
A: The BeOS Preview Release uses 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. ;-)
Q: What is the maximum
file size in the BeOS?
A: 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. ;-)
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, that is.
;-)
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").
Q: How big can the
attributes for a file be on the BeOS? What kinds of data can I store in a file
attribute?
A: The Be File System in the BeOS Preview Release
supports file attributes of any size or data type. The limitations are exactly
the same as for files themselves.
For an attribute to be indexable, and therefore searchable, it must be of a
more basic (and smaller) data type, such as integer or string (256 characters
maximum).
Plug-in "foreign" file systems mounted under the BeOS which do not support
attribute-adorned files (such as Mac OS HFS or DOS FAT) will obviously not be
able to have or use file attributes of any size or type.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Technical Tidbits
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 has been ported. 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. And we are in the midst
of porting again, to the Intel platform.
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), and is currently running on another (Intel) in-house.
Q: Could Be ever adapt
the BeOS to the set-top market?
A: Although not our original 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).
While we have no announcements to make at this time, you may find a recent Be
Newsletter column by our CEO interesting on this point:
Be Newsletter 89
Q: What is
"kernel_joe"?
A: "Kernal Joe" is a forthcoming action figure from
Mattel. He is GI Joe's smarter brother, and he is a BeOS programmer. Kernel Joe
is cool.
While we all wait eagerly for Kernel Joe to arrive in toy stores worldwide,
"kernel_joe" is the BeOS kernel for BeBox hardware. If you are running the BeOS
on a BeBox, this software is essential (while "kernel_mac" is unused). Vice
versa if you are running the BeOS on Power Macintosh hardware.
Q: Very funny. Why is it
named "kernel_joe"?
A: Maybe because the original action figure was named
"GI Joe". Or maybe because the logic board of the PowerPC-based BeBox was
designed by Joe Palmer, our former director of hardware engineering.
Files and Formats
Q: What video and motion
picture file formats does the BeOS support? OpenDML, Video For Windows,
QuickTime, OMF?
A: We currently ship with the system support for
playback of Cinepak-compressed QuickTime movies only.
A number of developers have and are creating modules that plug into the
Datatypes library that enable the BeOS system and applications to use a wide
variety of data formats, including QuickTime and MPEG.
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
the Datatypes library that enable the BeOS system and applications to use a wide
variety of data formats. So more formats will likely be added to the list.
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: With the BeOS Preview Release, screen shots are
stored in a more standard graphic format, the "targa" file format. You should
find accessing screen shots taking under the Preview Release to be much easier
than before.
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.
- Take a screen shot, by pressing the PrintScreen key (F13). The screen shot
file will appear in your /boot/home directory, with a file name like
"screen01.tga".
- FTP, or otherwise transfer the file to a Mac (or PC, if that's where you use
Photoshop).
- In Photoshop (or any other graphics application which can open Targa graphic
files), open the file by dragging it onto the application's icon, or by choosing
File/Open in the application and selecting the file in the Open dialog box.
You now have the screen shot open in a Photoshop window, which you can save into
native Photoshop format, or any other format that Photoshop supports, such as
GIF or JPEG.
Q: How can I read Adobe
Acrobat (.pdf) files on my BeOS system?
A: You can view and convert Acrobat files using the Ghostscript
utility, available in BeWare:
http://www.be.com/beware/Graphics.html#Ghostscript
Q: I downloaded a new
BeOS application, and there are a lot of files I don't know what to do with.
What kind of files have the extension ".h" or ".cpp"?
A: These are "source code files." Basically, they are
files that contain the programming code for or related to the application you
downloaded.
These code files are basically useless except to a programmer. You can most
likely delete them, though you might check the application's documentation to
make sure.
Networking
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.
Q: Does the BeOS support
TCP/IP configuration via DHCP?
A: DHCP support is not available in the BeOS Preview
Release. We hope to add it in a future release of the BeOS. 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...
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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/
Q: Can we realistically
run a prototype commercial web site off the BeBox using the PoorMan Web
server?
A: PoorMan is intended as a personal web server
application -- not a production level server. Our developers have more robust
Web servers in the works.
At this time, three web server projects have been publicly announced,
Charlotte by Purity Software, Quid Pro Quo 2.0 from Social Engineering, 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 Quid Pro Quo 2.0 on the Social Engineering web site:
http://www.socialeng.com/index.html
You can read more about Netscape's plans to bring their FastTrack web server
to the BeOS in the press release covering the announcement:
Third-Party Software
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.
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.
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.
We have highlights of new applications on the BeWare section of our
website.
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 shipment of the BeOS Preview Release, 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 expected 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.
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.
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
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.
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 client and server, telnet client and
server, etc., but third parties will be producing the "high-power" versions.
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 or Quid Pro Quo 2.0 from Social Engineering:
http://www.purity.com/charlotte/
http://www.socialeng.com/index.html
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 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
Usage and Interface
Q: I have a lot of
software I downloaded to use with BeOS DR8 and Advanced Access:Preview Release,
but it doesn't seem to work with the BeOS Preview Release. Why doesn't my old
software run?
A: Many of the internals of the BeOS changed in the
Preview Release, and we also added considerable new functionality. As a result,
there are new libraries and APIs, and applications must make use of the new
interfaces.
Software which was compiled for previous versions of the BeOS, including
Advanced Access, will not run with the customer release of the Preview Release,
and may crash your computer.
To be compatible with the Preview Release, all software needs to be
recompiled and most need to be partially rewritten. For some applications
this is relatively trivial (the work of a couple hours), for others it is not
trivial (the work of days or weeks).
Note that applications recompiled for the Preview Release will not run
under previous versions of the BeOS.
Q: Is there a Desktop in
the BeOS? Can I put my files and folders on the Desktop?
A: Yes. 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.
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. Additionally
there is a mail status icon, and that neato digital clock.
Third parties are free to create applications which more closely duplicate
the old Browser Dock (at least one is already available). Check the BeWare
section of the Be web site to find utilities which might provide the
functionality you're looking for:
http://www.be.com/beware/
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.
See the BeOS User's
Guide, chapter 6 "Customizing the
BeOS", for more details regarding Workspaces and
how to use them.
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.
Q: Why doesn't the BeOS
save my screen settings?
A: Because we had a bug! Oops!
This bug primarily affected people using Power Mac systems with ATI graphics
card, or built-in graphics circuitry based on ATI technology. It has been fixed
by updates to the graphics drivers for ATI graphics systems.
Get the BeOS Preview Release Update
2 to install the fix for this bug.
Q: It sounds as if the
graphical Tracker isn't integral to the OS. If so, is it conceivable that others
could design alternative GUIs to manipulate the BeOS?
A: This is certainly possible. In fact, Be has done it
ourselves! The BeOS Tracker used to be the BeOS Browser; we completely re-wrote
and replaced the old interface for the Preview Release.
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
Tracker functionality is independent of the BeOS.
Q: Is there a way to
kill or "force quit" an application in the BeOS?
A: Yes. To kill an application (because it has crashed
or is otherwise unresponsive), select it's entry in the Trackbar (the dock-like
bar which lists all running applications) while holding down
Command-Option-Shift on the right side of the keyboard (or
Control-Alt-Shift on a BeBox).
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.
Q: How do I use PPP on
the BeOS under the Preview Release?
A: The Preview Release fully supports TCP/IP
connections over PPP. PPP is simply another interface option in the Network
preferences application.
Complete instructions for configuring and using a PPP interface are available
the BeOS User's
Guide, Chapter 4 "Connecting Your
BeOS System to the Internet", in the section Network
Interfaces for Modem Connections.
We have also written some PPP troubleshooting
guidelines that may help you if you are having difficulties, and there are
additional PPP-related answers in the FAQ section of
the web site.
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 love visitors! ;-).
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.
This application window will appear automatically once you successfully
establish a PPP connection.
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).
Using the Connect application before attempting to connect via PPP can cause
a conflict for the modem's serial port. If you see an error message related to
the serial port being busy or in use, reboot your system and try again.
Q: I have my BeOS system
running the Preview Release and hooked up to the Ethernet at my company. Why
can't I see external Web sites in NetPositive?
A: Your attempts to surf the web are being blocked by
your company's firewall. You need to configure NetPositive to use your company's
http proxy server. Instructions for doing so can be found in the BeOS User's Guide,
Chapter 5 "Using
Internet Services", in the section Using
NetPositive with Proxy Servers.
Note that the ftp proxy support implied by the options in the NetPositive
configuration dialog box is not actually functional at this time.
Q: Why don't mail
messages I write get sent to their recipients? I can receive mail
fine...
A: There is a bug with the current release of the
Preview Release, which prevents the BeOS from sending mail messages if the
system's hostname is blank.
We've written a BeOS Tip of the
Week about this topic, which you can read for further details of how to
solve this problem:
System Hostname Cannot Be Blank
Q: I thought the BeOS
was supposed to be really fast! Why is my BeOS system so slow?
A: On BeOS Preview Release systems with large (greater
than 2 gigabyte) IDE drives, it is possible for a minor bug in the IDE disk
driver to cause slowdowns when accessing data on that drive.
The symptom is a performance slowdown only; there is no danger of data
corruption from this bug. You would usually see this if playing movies (more
than 1) seems overly slow.
This problem is fixed in a patch to the
BeOS Preview Release.
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/home/config/settings/NetPositive/NetCache/CacheLog"
file.
NetPositive should once again be zippy!
Q: I tried to visit a
web site with the URL "https://www.mysecuresite.com/", and it didn't work. Can I
use NetPositive to access URLs that start with "https://" or "shttp://"?
A: URLs that start with "https://" or "shttp://"
denote sites using one of the two different standards for secure transactions
over the Web.
NetPositive is not currently capable of handling secure transactions using
either of these standards. Contact the site's administrator
("webmaster@mysecuresite.com" is a good bet) to see if they offer an alternative
method for accessing their site.
Q: When I download BeOS
files from the Internet, they have the file extension ".tgz" (or ".tar" or
".gz"), and double-clicking them doesn't do anything useful. What do I do with
these files?
A: BeOS files and applications made available over the
Internet are generally stored in a compressed archive, similar to the
Macintosh's StuffIt archive in many respects.
Specifically, files are generally collected together into a "tar" archive,
and then compressed into a "gzip" file. The file extensions you will commonly
see are ".tgz" (for tar-ed and compressed files, ".tar" (for tar-only files), or
".gz" (for gzip-compressed files).
At this time there is no equivalent of StuffIt Expander for the BeOS (though
a reasonable substitute, Bplode, is described in a FAQ item below). Instead, you
need to use some of the Unix-derived utilities to decompress the files. For a
".tgz" file such as "X-FilesV2.1.tgz":
- Launch the Terminal application (from the Apps folder).
- Use the
cd command to change directories until you are
in the directory that contains the archive file.
- Type
gunzip X-FilesV2.1.tgz and press the Return key.
This will decompress the file, producing a file named "X-FilesV2.1.tar".
- Type
tar -xvf X-FilesV2.1.tar and press the Return key.
This will extract the file or files from the archive.
You should now have a folder containing the file(s) which were encoded into
the archive.
Note that the gunzip and tar commands
can be used by themselves to decode files with ".gz" or ".tar" extensions,
respectively.
Considerably more information about working with compressed and archived
files is available in the BeOS User's Guide,
Chapter 5 "Using
Internet Services", in the section Compressing and
Archiving Files.
Q: I have a file with a
".zip" extension, and gunzip and tar both give me an error message when I try to
use them on it. What kind of file is it?
A: ".zip" files are files compressed and archived by a
different utility, and tar and gunzip do not know how to deal with those kinds
of files. Instead, you will need to use another utility called "unzip".
Unzip is part of the BeOS distribution, so you can simply use it in a
Terminal session to extract the file (much like you use gunzip and tar):
$ unzip <myfilename.zip>
Considerably more information about working with compressed and archived
files is available in the BeOS User's Guide,
Chapter 5 "Using
Internet Services", in the section Compressing and
Archiving Files.
Q: Geez, this is all
very cumbersome. Isn't there a better way to handle downloaded files? On the Mac
it's so easy...
A: Indeed, the current methods do cry out for a BeOS
version of the marvelous StuffIt Expander,
don't they?
Be will be including an application with the next release of the BeOS which
does on the BeOS much of what StuffItExpander does on the Mac, and we will be
including file type information for the various file archive formats. These two
things should make handling downloaded files dramatically simpler.
In the meantime, there are a few utilities which can make the process
easier. The best that I've seen is called "ExpandMe", which adds a menu command
to the Tracker for decompressing and de-archiving all sorts of compressed and
archived files (the archive includes directions for installing the Tracker
add-on, and usage, etc.):
ExpandMe
0.6.2
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 StyledEdit! 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 BeOS Tracker 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 mimeset the file or on
your entire file system at once, catching all the files which might not be set
correctly:
- Launch the Terminal application (located in the /apps folder).
- To mimeset a particular file, at the "$" prompt, type "mimeset
<myfilename>" and press Return.
- To mimeset all the files on your system, at the "$" prompt, type "mimeset
-all" and press Return.
It will take a minute or two for mimeset to touch all of your file system, then
you should be all set, custom icons and all.
Q: When I try to use a
Tracker add-on (such as "ExpandMe"), 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
Tracker tries to load them, they are failing in some way (perhaps they were
written for an earlier release of the BeOS), and returning an error to the
Tracker. The Tracker is only sharing the grief. :-\
Other add-ons require extra installation steps, like modifying your
"/boot/home/config/boot/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!
Q: How can I create
"Person" records, so that I can drag-and-drop them onto BeMail to automatically
create a message addressed to that person?
A: In a forthcoming upgrade to the BeOS, there will be
a "Person" application that will let you do this much more easily. In the
meantime, here is the (very clumsy, we know) way to do it:
- In Terminal, type "touch 'Alderete, Michael A.'" (omit the double-quotes,
but the single-quotes are important)
- Select the resulting new file in the Tracker (it should be in your /home
directory), and from the File menu choose Add-Ons/FileType.
- Change the file type to "Person" by clicking the "Select..." button in
the FileType dialog and choosing "Person" in the resulting list. Close the
window and save changes if asked.
- Put the file in it's own folder, named i.e. "People", "Contacts",
whatever. Choose "List View" from the Window menu of the People folder to set
the folder to display in list mode.
- You can now choose to show Person-specific attributes from the Attributes
menu of the "People" folder's Tracker window, by selecting them from the Person
sub-menu of the Attributes menu.
- If you show the e-mail attribute, for example, you can select the single
(very small and hard to select) dash, and type in the actual e-mail address
("alderete@be.com"). Do the same for Contact Name ("Michael Alderete").
- Drag this file onto BeMail to create a new message to the person, or drag
it to any e-mail field in an existing message to add them to that field.
Note: You can now duplicate this Person file, and skip steps 1-5.
Note: Naming the file in a "lastname, firstname mi" format, and
entering the contact name in "firstname lastname" format lets you view and sort
by either first or last name in the Tracker window, and has utility elsewhere.
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.
Q: What is the BeOS
command shell?
A: It's based on bash, the "Bourne-Again Shell."
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