Be Inc, the high-profile Mac clonemaker, is shipping its new operating system, BeOS, in a preview release that developers say offers 10 times the power of MacOS on similar hardware. The new system is designed for Internet operations and communications and Be has ramped up its digital design capabilities. The Menlo Park, California-based company is widening its sales channels, ramping up its Web site ordering facilities and opening new distribution channels. Not least, it hopes that worldwide agreements with key Macintosh publications to distribute BeOS Preview Release will get the system out into as many hands as possible, building a solid foundation for new development work. BeOS is a 64-bit, multithreaded system that handles terabyte volumes and multi- processing. Its journaling capabilities are designed to ensure that files are not corrupted, even after power loss, and the new graphics capabilities include a software-version of OpenGL 3D libraries. Inter-application and Internet facilities include MIME type identification and native TCP/IP support with integrated FTP server and remote access capabilities. A feature originally planned for future release, the Unicode UTF-8 format used by Java, is included in the Preview version, making the system more attractive on the international stage, particularly Japan, where Be claims to see huge interest in the new system. The range of supported hardware is expanded, including PowerPC 603 and 604 from Apple, Motorola’s StarMax and a range of multiprocessor dual and quad systems. Orders can be placed directly with Be at www.be.com.
