I see a lot of OS2/BeOS/Amiga/Commodore bashing going on here. As a former long-time BeOS user, I know how it feels to use a so-called "Legacy" operating system. It takes more love and dedication, more compromise, and more cojones to run an operating system like Be or OS2 than it takes to run even Linux. There are so many technical advances and unrealized potential in systems like BeOS that we all can learn from. If Linux developers can open their minds to the advances made by other operating systems, and not allow those advances to fade into the past with a "legacy" OS, the entire computing community would be better off. Yes, there are features in BeOS that even *gasp* our treasured Linux can't touch. My BeOS laptop boots in half the time of my Linux desktop despite the fact that its only a quarter of the speeed. The BeOS programming experience is amaizing; after only my 100-level college C++ class I was able to code my first GUI BeOS programs, with no experiance whatsoever. The file system is simple and stable, the GUI is sexy and uncluttered, and the "media kit", although crippled, is ingeneous and unmatched in any other operating system.
So why are Be and BeOS dying despite all these advances? If BeOS is so awesome, why don't we all use it? I can give lots of reasons, but thats not the point. Lack of "killer apps". Lack of driver support for a lot of newer hardware. Be's abandonment of BeOS for BeIA. I could claim a great Microsoft conspiracy, but I know that wasn't a factor... BeOS never even got big enough to show up on Microsoft's radar screen, so they had no reason to shoot us down. So why didn't it work out? Lack of users. Without people dedicated enough to put up with the few compromises for the many advances, Be simply didn't have the userbase to keep a closed source operating system alive.
But what a "minor-league" OS like BeOS does manage to do is create a very dedicated community. Not the evangelical, Linus is god mentality that much of the Linux community shares, but a very dedicated, down to earth mentality that is pleasant to be a part of. BeOS users hang on every word to come out of JLG's mouth, every tidbit of info we can find. "If we could just get X patch, or a driver for Y, or that OpenGL beta, we could own the world". The un-ending optimism, even as it seems that Be itself is spiralling towards the ground hoping for a big-money corporation to buy them out before they die, is amazing, and shows great dedication.
There are a lot of comments in this thread that say things like "BeOS/OS2/Amiga users are so shallow" for using an "outdated" operating system. I belive that the Linux community needs to stop being so short sighted, and embrace the advances made by these other operating systems. I'm not saying we shoud all go wipe our precious Linux installs off our hard drives and go buy BeOS Pro, but we should open our eyes and not let their potential die. We should look deeper into these OSes and say "wow... feature X is really cool, maybe we should find a way to build that into Linux". Maybe Be will die, maybe the BeOS user-base will shrink even further. But don't let great ideas die. If we do, we should all be ashamed.
As I write this using Netscape under Mandrake, I can't help but feel nostalgic. I just went and downloaded BeOS5 PE (http://free.beos.com). Even if Be dies, the OS it created will never dissapear. Don't let its potential be frozen in time. Krezel
Ok.. Internet access is tough get in out of the way places, but if E-Mail is all you want, you have several options:
SailMail, PinOak, or other SSB EMail: You'll need a Single Side Band reciever and a terminal node modem (a fancy accoustic modem) PinOak and several other companies provide SLOW email over the SSB airwaves for a low fee. If free (like beer, and kinda like speech) is what you want, look at SailMail. A network of volunteer HAM radio buffs around the world and a handful of free windows software make up a pretty good free solution
Satelite: Garmin's GSC-100 is a dandy little handheld GPS/Satelite EMail Gadget. Ususally theyre around $1000 but Garmin is selling them off for $99 plus like 3 years service. Check out West Marine and they'll hook you up (Yes, I work there). There are also some more expensive, larger satelite solutions like C-Sat which can also provide phone and data calls (At like $2/min!) but those require a greater starting cost.
Rob, Me and the rest of the geek community is standing behind you on this one. The moment is coming when companies (and the government) can censor speech simply because they find it undesirable, and somebody needs to take a stand.
Since the big media school shootings, my school has hired Pinkerton Security (yes the same guys) to "patrol" our school. Basically they kicked a couple nice teachers aides out in the cold and replaced them with fat, bumbling security guards who actually care LESS about what goes on in our school. I think Pinkerton is taking themselves a little TOO seriously.
Netplianc should work with the Linux community to come to a positive outcome that will be benificial for both parties. Maybe they could license the iOpener to a company like Penguin Computing, maybe even at a higher price to make up for the lost ISP revenue. Or maybe open up the ISP to Linux customers. Computers such as the iOpener will become an excellent foundation for Linux-based low-priced terminals
Get a life you stupid little script kiddie! Can't you take a joke? If you've got such a big problem with it, cut and paste it into babelfish and translate it yourself. Don't be lazy.
I find myself saying "Why do the good guys lose out all the time?", but we all have to realize that the good guy only loses out until he finds a good girl. In high school the shorter, smarter, deeper guys often get screwed over in favor of the football players, but that only lasts until they find a short, deep girl of their own. I've got mine, and I'm not letting go! BTW, I too dated a shallow, large breasted hottie for 4 months this spring... Don't follow in my footsteps. Good lay, but a very expensive, headache causing, annoying, arrogant lay..:)
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I see a lot of OS2/BeOS/Amiga/Commodore bashing going on here. As a former long-time BeOS user, I know how it feels to use a so-called "Legacy" operating system. It takes more love and dedication, more compromise, and more cojones to run an operating system like Be or OS2 than it takes to run even Linux. There are so many technical advances and unrealized potential in systems like BeOS that we all can learn from. If Linux developers can open their minds to the advances made by other operating systems, and not allow those advances to fade into the past with a "legacy" OS, the entire computing community would be better off. Yes, there are features in BeOS that even *gasp* our treasured Linux can't touch. My BeOS laptop boots in half the time of my Linux desktop despite the fact that its only a quarter of the speeed. The BeOS programming experience is amaizing; after only my 100-level college C++ class I was able to code my first GUI BeOS programs, with no experiance whatsoever. The file system is simple and stable, the GUI is sexy and uncluttered, and the "media kit", although crippled, is ingeneous and unmatched in any other operating system.
So why are Be and BeOS dying despite all these advances? If BeOS is so awesome, why don't we all use it? I can give lots of reasons, but thats not the point. Lack of "killer apps". Lack of driver support for a lot of newer hardware. Be's abandonment of BeOS for BeIA. I could claim a great Microsoft conspiracy, but I know that wasn't a factor... BeOS never even got big enough to show up on Microsoft's radar screen, so they had no reason to shoot us down. So why didn't it work out? Lack of users. Without people dedicated enough to put up with the few compromises for the many advances, Be simply didn't have the userbase to keep a closed source operating system alive.
But what a "minor-league" OS like BeOS does manage to do is create a very dedicated community. Not the evangelical, Linus is god mentality that much of the Linux community shares, but a very dedicated, down to earth mentality that is pleasant to be a part of. BeOS users hang on every word to come out of JLG's mouth, every tidbit of info we can find. "If we could just get X patch, or a driver for Y, or that OpenGL beta, we could own the world". The un-ending optimism, even as it seems that Be itself is spiralling towards the ground hoping for a big-money corporation to buy them out before they die, is amazing, and shows great dedication.
There are a lot of comments in this thread that say things like "BeOS/OS2/Amiga users are so shallow" for using an "outdated" operating system. I belive that the Linux community needs to stop being so short sighted, and embrace the advances made by these other operating systems. I'm not saying we shoud all go wipe our precious Linux installs off our hard drives and go buy BeOS Pro, but we should open our eyes and not let their potential die. We should look deeper into these OSes and say "wow... feature X is really cool, maybe we should find a way to build that into Linux". Maybe Be will die, maybe the BeOS user-base will shrink even further. But don't let great ideas die. If we do, we should all be ashamed.
As I write this using Netscape under Mandrake, I can't help but feel nostalgic. I just went and downloaded BeOS5 PE (http://free.beos.com). Even if Be dies, the OS it created will never dissapear. Don't let its potential be frozen in time.
Krezel
Ok.. Internet access is tough get in out of the way places, but if E-Mail is all you want, you have several options:
SailMail, PinOak, or other SSB EMail: You'll need a Single Side Band reciever and a terminal node modem (a fancy accoustic modem) PinOak and several other companies provide SLOW email over the SSB airwaves for a low fee. If free (like beer, and kinda like speech) is what you want, look at SailMail. A network of volunteer HAM radio buffs around the world and a handful of free windows software make up a pretty good free solution
Satelite: Garmin's GSC-100 is a dandy little handheld GPS/Satelite EMail Gadget. Ususally theyre around $1000 but Garmin is selling them off for $99 plus like 3 years service. Check out West Marine and they'll hook you up (Yes, I work there). There are also some more expensive, larger satelite solutions like C-Sat which can also provide phone and data calls (At like $2/min!) but those require a greater starting cost.
Feel free to email me if you have questions!
Rob, Me and the rest of the geek community is standing behind you on this one. The moment is coming when companies (and the government) can censor speech simply because they find it undesirable, and somebody needs to take a stand.
Since the big media school shootings, my school has hired Pinkerton Security (yes the same guys) to "patrol" our school. Basically they kicked a couple nice teachers aides out in the cold and replaced them with fat, bumbling security guards who actually care LESS about what goes on in our school. I think Pinkerton is taking themselves a little TOO seriously.
Netplianc should work with the Linux community to come to a positive outcome that will be benificial for both parties. Maybe they could license the iOpener to a company like Penguin Computing, maybe even at a higher price to make up for the lost ISP revenue. Or maybe open up the ISP to Linux customers. Computers such as the iOpener will become an excellent foundation for Linux-based low-priced terminals
Um... APRIL FOOLS?!?!? or is it that youre just the fool?
Get a life you stupid little script kiddie! Can't you take a joke? If you've got such a big problem with it, cut and paste it into babelfish and translate it yourself. Don't be lazy.
Awesome article, rules every geek should live by.
:)
I find myself saying "Why do the good guys lose out all the time?", but we all have to realize that the good guy only loses out until he finds a good girl. In high school the shorter, smarter, deeper guys often get screwed over in favor of the football players, but that only lasts until they find a short, deep girl of their own. I've got mine, and I'm not letting go! BTW, I too dated a shallow, large breasted hottie for 4 months this spring... Don't follow in my footsteps. Good lay, but a very expensive, headache causing, annoying, arrogant lay..