Editing BeOS (section)

==Development==
BeOS is the product of [[Apple Computer]]'s former business executive [[Jean-Louis Gassée]], with the underlying philosophy of building a "media OS" capable of up-and-coming digital media<ref>{{Cite web |date=1997-05-25 |title=Technical White Paper: The Media OS |url=http://www.be.com/products/beos/mediaos.html |access-date=2023-11-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970525183525/http://www.be.com/products/beos/mediaos.html |archive-date=May 25, 1997 }}</ref> and multi-processors. Development began in the early 1990s, initially designed to run on [[AT&T Hobbit]]-based hardware before being modified to run on [[PowerPC]]-based processors: first Be's own [[BeBox]] system, and later Apple Computer's [[PowerPC Reference Platform]] and [[Common Hardware Reference Platform]], with the hope that Apple would purchase or license BeOS as a replacement for its aging [[Classic Mac OS|Mac OS]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Tom |date=November 24, 2004 |title=BeOS @ MaCreate |url=http://macreate.net/reloaded/?q=node/view/149 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050324220739/http://macreate.net/reloaded/?q=node%2Fview%2F149 |archive-date=March 24, 2005 |access-date=November 16, 2006}}</ref>

The first version of BeOS shipped with the BeBox to a limited number of developers in October 1995. It supported analog and digital audio and [[MIDI]] streams, multiple video sources, and 3D computation.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1997-05-25 |title=Be Completes $14 million Financing |url=http://www.be.com/aboutbe/pressreleases/96-04-15_Financing.html |access-date=2023-11-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970525192033/http://www.be.com/aboutbe/pressreleases/96-04-15_Financing.html |archive-date=May 25, 1997 }}</ref> Developer Release 6 (DR6) was the first officially available version.

The BeOS Developer Release 7 (DR7) was released in April 1996. This includes full 32-bit color graphics, "workspaces" ([[virtual desktops]]), an [[File Transfer Protocol|FTP]] file server, and a [[web server]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=1997-02-18 |title=Be Releases BeOS Version DR7 |url=http://www.be.com/aboutbe/pressreleases/96-04-17_DR7.html |access-date=2023-11-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970218230625/http://www.be.com/aboutbe/pressreleases/96-04-17_DR7.html |archive-date=February 18, 1997 }}</ref>

DR8 was released in September 1996 with a new browser with [[MPEG]] and [[QuickTime]] video formats. It supports [[OpenGL]], [[Remote access software|remote access]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=1997-05-25 |title=Be Announces BeOS Version DR8 |url=http://www.be.com/aboutbe/pressreleases/96-08-05_DR8.html |access-date=2023-11-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970525193252/http://www.be.com/aboutbe/pressreleases/96-08-05_DR8.html |archive-date=May 25, 1997 }}</ref> and [[Power Macintosh]].<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=1996-10-21 |title=Be Demonstrates BeOS for PowerMac |url=http://www.be.com/aboutbe/pressreleases/96-08-06_BePower.html |access-date=2023-11-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961021003440/http://www.be.com/aboutbe/pressreleases/96-08-06_BePower.html |archive-date=October 21, 1996 }}</ref>

In 1996, Apple Computer CEO [[Gil Amelio]] started negotiations to buy Be Inc., but stalled when Be CEO [[Jean-Louis Gassée]] wanted $300 million<ref>{{cite web|last1=Tom|first1=Hormby|title=The Rise and Fall of Apple's Gil Amelio|url=http://lowendmac.com/2013/the-rise-and-fall-of-apples-gil-amelio/|website=Low End Mac|date=August 10, 2013|publisher=Cobweb Publishing, Inc.|access-date=March 28, 2015}}</ref> and Apple offered $125 million. Apple's board of directors preferred [[NeXTSTEP]] and purchased [[Steve Jobs]]'s [[NeXT]] instead.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://macspeedzone.com/archive/art/con/be.shtml |title=Apple Confidential: The Day They Almost Decided To Put Windows NT On The Mac Instead Of OS X! |author=Owen W. Linzmayer |year=1999 |website=Mac Speed Zone |access-date=January 18, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130624175316/http://www.macspeedzone.com/archive/art/con/be.shtml |archive-date=June 24, 2013 }}</ref>

The final developer's release introduced a 64-bit [[file system]]. BeOS Preview Release (PR1), the first for the general public, was released in mid 1997. It supports [[AppleTalk]], [[PostScript]] printing, and [[Unicode]].<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |date=1997-05-25 |title=Be Releases BeOS Preview Release To Developers |url=http://www.be.com/aboutbe/pressreleases/97-05-10_AdvancedAccess.html |access-date=2023-11-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970525192506/http://www.be.com/aboutbe/pressreleases/97-05-10_AdvancedAccess.html |archive-date=May 25, 1997 }}</ref> The price for the Full Pack was $49.95. Later that year, Preview Release 2 shipped with support for Macintosh's [[Hierarchical File System (Apple)|Hierarchical File System (HFS)]], support for 512MB RAM, and improvements to the user interface.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1997-10-22 |title=Be Ships BeOS Preview Release 2 |url=http://www.be.com/aboutbe/pressreleases/97-10-07_Preview2Ship.html |access-date=2023-11-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19971022013950/http://www.be.com/aboutbe/pressreleases/97-10-07_Preview2Ship.html |archive-date=October 22, 1997 }}</ref>

Release 3 (R3) shipped in March 1998 (initially $69.95, later $99.95), as the first to be ported to the [[Intel]] [[x86]] platform in addition to PowerPC, and the first commercially available version of BeOS.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ATPM 4.09 - Review: BeOS Release 3 |url=http://www.atpm.com/4.09/page12.shtml |access-date=2023-11-24 |website=www.atpm.com}}</ref> The adoption of x86 was partly due to Apple's moves, with Steve Jobs stopping the Macintosh clone market,<ref>{{Cite web |date=1998-02-26 |title=Be boss offers OS to OEMs for free |url=http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/2944.html |access-date=2023-11-24 |publisher=The Register|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020221230648/http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/2944.html |archive-date=February 21, 2002 }}</ref> and Be's mounting debt.<ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |year=1998 |title=Be Newsletters, Volume 3: 1998 |url=http://www.haiku-os.org/legacy-docs/benewsletter/Issue3-24.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130722115320/http://www.haiku-os.org/legacy-docs/benewsletter/Issue3-24.html |archive-date=July 22, 2013 |access-date=January 18, 2014 |website=Haiku |publisher=Be Inc.}}</ref>

BeOS Release 4 had a claimed performance improvement of up to 30 percent. Keyboard shortcuts were changed to mimic those of Windows.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1999-04-27 |title=Be, Inc. Unveils BeOS Release 4 at COMDEX Fall 98 |url=http://www.be.com/aboutbe/pressreleases/98-11-10_beosr4.html |access-date=2023-11-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990427064350/http://www.be.com/aboutbe/pressreleases/98-11-10_beosr4.html |archive-date=April 27, 1999 }}</ref> However it still lacked [[Novell NetWare]] support.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=January 25, 1999 |title=A desktop alternative |url=https://www.forbes.com/1999/01/25/feat.html |access-date=2023-11-24 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref> It also brought additional drivers and support for the most common [[SCSI]] controllers on the x86 platform - from Adaptec and Symbios Logic. The bootloader switched from [[LILO (bootloader)|LILO]] to Be's own bootman.

In 2000, BeOS Release 5 (R5) was released. This was split between a Pro Edition, and a free version known as Personal Edition (BeOS PE) which was released for free online and by CD-ROM.<ref name=":7"/> BeOS PE could be booted from within Windows or [[Linux]], and was intended as a consumer and developer preview.<ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |year=2000 |title=Be Newsletters, Volume 5: 2000 |url=http://www.haiku-os.org/legacy-docs/benewsletter/Issue5-13.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101217034633/http://haiku-os.org/legacy-docs/benewsletter/Issue5-13.html |archive-date=December 17, 2010 |access-date=January 18, 2014 |website=Haiku |publisher=Be Inc.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=BeOS/Zeta |url=http://www.yellowbites.com/beos.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131127165851/http://yellowbites.com/beos.html |archive-date=November 27, 2013 |access-date=January 18, 2014 |website=YellowBites}}</ref> Also with R5, Be [[open source]]d elements of the user interface.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2001-04-12 |title=Be Opens Source Code to Desktop Interface of BeOS 5 |url=http://www.be.com/press/pressreleases/00-03-27_open.html |access-date=2023-11-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010412102646/http://www.be.com/press/pressreleases/00-03-27_open.html |archive-date=April 12, 2001 }}</ref> Be CEO Gassée said in 2001 that he was open to the idea of releasing the entire operating system's source code,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2001-02-03 |title=Be getting ready to open source BeOS? |url=http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/17975.html |access-date=2023-11-24 |publisher=[[The Register]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020203000829/http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/17975.html |archive-date=February 3, 2002 }}</ref> but this never materialized.

Release 5 raised BeOS's popularity<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |date=2000-08-15 |title=Be Goes Platinum with BeOS 5 |url=http://www.be.com/press/pressreleases/00-05-09_platinum.html |access-date=2023-11-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000815093516/http://www.be.com/press/pressreleases/00-05-09_platinum.html |archive-date=August 15, 2000 }}</ref> but it remained commercially unsuccessful, and BeOS eventually halted following the introduction of a stripped-down version for [[Internet appliance]]s, [[BeIA]], which became the company's business focus in place of BeOS.<ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |year=2000 |title=Be Newsletters, Volume 5: 2000 |url=http://www.haiku-os.org/legacy-docs/benewsletter/Issue5-17.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130722101638/http://www.haiku-os.org/legacy-docs/benewsletter/Issue5-17.html |archive-date=July 22, 2013 |access-date=January 18, 2014 |website=Haiku |publisher=Be Inc.}}</ref> R5 is the final official release of BeOS as Be Inc. became defunct in 2001 following its sale to [[Palm Inc.]] BeOS R5.1 "Dano", which was under development before Be's sale to Palm and includes the BeOS Networking Environment (BONE) networking stack,<ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |year=2000 |title=Be Newsletters, Volume 5 : 2000 |url=https://www.haiku-os.org/legacy-docs/benewsletter/Issue5-5.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130722105220/http://www.haiku-os.org/legacy-docs/benewsletter/Issue5-5.html |archive-date=July 22, 2013 |access-date=January 18, 2014 |website=Haiku |publisher=Be Inc}}</ref> was leaked to the public shortly after the company's close.<ref>{{cite web |author=Jake Daniels |date=January 23, 2002 |title=More Information on the BeOS Dano Version |url=http://www.osnews.com/story/552/More-Information-on-the-BeOS-Dano-Version |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140314090430/http://www.osnews.com/story/552/More-Information-on-the-BeOS-Dano-Version |archive-date=March 14, 2014 |access-date=January 18, 2014 |website=OSNews}}</ref>

=== Version history table ===
{| class="wikitable"
!Release
!Date
!Hardware
|-
|''Developer Release 4''
|[[Prototype]]
|[[AT&T Hobbit]]
|-
|Developer Release 5
|October 1995
| rowspan="7" |[[PowerPC]]
|-
|Developer Release 6
|January 1996
|-
|Developer Release 7
|April 1996
|-
|Developer Release 8
|September 1996
|-
|Developer Release 9
(Advanced Access Preview Release)
|May 1997
|-
|Preview Release 1
|June 1997
|-
|Preview Release 2
|October 1997
|-
|'''Release 3'''
|March 1998
| rowspan="6" |[[PowerPC]] and [[X86|Intel x86]]
|-
|R3.1
|June 1998
|-
|R3.2
|July 1998
|-
|'''Release 4'''
|November 4, 1998
|-
|R4.5 ("Genki")
|June 1999
|-
|'''Release 5''' ("Maui")
Personal Edition/Pro Edition
|March 28, 2000<br>May 26, 2000 <small>(5.0.3)</small>
|-
|''R5.1 ("Dano")''
|[[Leaked source code|Leaked]]
|[[X86|Intel x86]]
|}