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Go here Despite it's name the message boards are pretty OS agnostic

Personally I want a eVilla.

Maybe one day they might be useful, if they're cheap enough and have some actual use to them, but I don't see why I should spend $500 to connect my toaster to the WWW

Those aren't the kind of Internet Appliances being discussed in this article. The article references Sony's eVilla which is similar to 3COM's Audrey and Netpliance's I-Opener. Most people thought that cheap devices that offered only web browsing would be a hit with consumers who wouldn't then have to buy expensive and powerful machines just to use them as little more than dumb terminals.

Unfortunately these devices were neither cheap enough nor did they offer enough functionality to entice consumers.

That is, if they've had any time left-over from putting the eVilla together in which to work on it.

At this stage of the game, any action Be takes will have to be directly supported (or even initiated) by an acquiring company. (Probable case in point.) So if we see an R6, it will be because the new management wants us to see it. (Even more so for any possible open-sourcery.)

Some of the Slashdot discussion speculated that RedHat might be interested in buying Be. Others noted legal difficulties in opening the BeOS source, but the company recently registered some thought provoking domain names, so they may be planning to try it anyway.

A very interesting comment noted that BeOS and Linux complement each other nicely, with BeOS a great desktop system for end users while Linux works best as a server. It's a good point. We may be expecting a lot of an OS to make it do well on everything from high end mainframes & servers to desktop PCs & handheld PDAs & even small embedded controllers. While it's impressive that Linux can do all this, maybe allowing complementary systems to have complementary roles might be a better idea.

As the head of RedHat (chief hat wearer? ;), what do you think of such speculation? Do you think that Linux could stand to gain by using BeOS technology? Would it be worthwhile to purchase Be &/or get involved in opening their software? If Sony's BeIA driven eVilla internet appliance catches on, having a stake in that contract could be very lucrative, but of course that's a gamble at this point.

Or do you feel that, as much as things may seem superficially similar, that there is too much dissonance between the Linux & BeOS worlds to make a merger worthwhile? Do you disagree that having separate systems for desktop & server could be a good idea? If you feel that there should be "one OS to rule them all," could (indeed, should)Linux take a lesson from Be about how to make a really good, easy, slick desktop frontend for the existing excellent but arcane back end that Linux provides?

In short, should these two be wedded and can such a marriage work?

[Side Note: check out the Register for their April Fools edition of the website. It's a good poke in the eye with a sharp stick to some of our favorite people]

In any case, with that inflow of $$ from Sony, I do not think that the company is going to go under all that quickly, unless it is bleeding green really bad. The news story might not be be giving all of the details, unless it is one of those things of "well everyone is being careful with their money".

Sort of like saying to a man in the water "well rope is scarce, and we got to be careful on who we hand it out to"

Check out the Vinny the Vampire comic strip

Be's press release - Be Announces Development of BeIA Client Software for Sony's New e Villa Network Entertainment Center

Sony's press release - SONY SIMPLIFIES -- AND MAXIMIZES -- THE INTERNET WITH NEW e Villa(TM) NETWORK ENTERTAINMENT CENTER

CNET - Sony trots out Web-browsing eVilla with Be OS

BeNews - Sony's eVilla "Network Entertainment Center" Uses BeIA

It's just Sony's entry into the IA market, and it used BeIA. But then, Sony are just a little company after all.... :P