BeOS was the most innovative OS of the '90s—here is how it lives on today
If you don't run Windows or macOS, you will probably have some flavor of Linux on your system. Or maybe even one of the BSDs if you're brave. If things had gone differently in the late '90s, you might be running something else: BeOS. BeOS still changed computing history, even though it was a flop. You can also install a successor today.
What was BeOS?
A new OS from an Apple alum (no, not that one!)
BeOS was an operating system created by Be Inc. Former Apple executive Jean-Louis Gassée founded the company. BeOS was designed as a "media OS" that would focus on the growing needs of multimedia computing in the 1990s (a later open-source clone, Haiku , is acting as a stand-in for BeOS in the above screenshot. More on Haiku later).
The system was initially designed to run on the company's own BeBox computer. The machine was one of the first desktop machines to sport dual processors. This indicated the focus of Be and BeOS. BeOS was designed specifically for multiprocessor systems. This was meant to increase performance for internet and multimedia work.
The company eventually abandoned the BeBox to focus on its operating system. They focused on porting it to Mac hardware (as well as the Mac clones). This was an apparent attempt to make BeOS an attractive acquisition target for Apple, as the company was having trouble coming up with a replacement for its classic macOS, or what was then called the System software. Apple's Copland project to replace the old OS was mired in cost overruns and delays.
What made BeOS special?
Smooth multimedia and multi-processor support
As previously mentioned, what made BeOS stand out from the other operating systems of the era was its emphasis on multiprocessor support and multimedia performance. In the '90s, most desktop computers only had a single processor that just had one CPU core. Multiprocessor systems existed, but they lived in machine rooms as servers with price tags far out of the reach of normal users.
The system was also optimized for multimedia work so that it would stay responsive even when video or audio was playing. This was quite a feat in the '90s, as seen in a promotional video for developers that Be produced in the late '90s.
BeOS was written from the ground up to avoid what Gassée, in the promotional video, called the "sediment" of years of patches and bug fixes that made other operating systems bloated and less responsive. Even in the '90s, "code bloat" was an issue among developers.
Be pitched BeOS to developers creating applications like video editing or music production applications, both of which were and continue to be core markets for the Mac.
One thing that BeOS had that the Mac operating system of the era didn't was a terminal. This ran Bash and other GNU tools, but it was not a Unix-like system. BeOS didn't allow for multiple logins out of the box, similar to other consumer desktop OSes of the era.
What happened to BeOS?
No match for Windows, Mac, or especially Linux
While BeOS was getting acclaim in the computing community, it was far from a commercial success. BeOS was competing against the more established Windows and Mac operating systems.
While Mac clone makers like Power Computing and Motorola offered it as a pre-installed alternative to the Mac system software, there just weren't a lot of applications available to convince users to switch. It probably didn't help that BeOS needed systems with multiple processors to take full advantage of its features. As mentioned before, few desktop users would have such a machine in the first place at the time.
While BeOS aimed to challenge Windows and Apple, it was another upstart that was capturing the imagination of users as an alternative operating system: Linux. Linux was even attracting commercial support. Red Hat was marketing its brand of Linux and was on its way to becoming the premier enterprise provider.
The biggest impact on BeOS was Be's failure to be acquired by Apple. Apple ended up acquiring NeXT, headed by another former executive: Steve Jobs. Jobs would return as CEO and stake the company's future on the technologies developed at NeXT, which would form the heart of the modern macOS as well as the iPhone and iPad.
With Be racking up debt as its commercial failures mounted, the company was acquired by Palm, makers of the Palm Pilot line of PDAs. Despite attracting a cult following, BeOS faded into history after the Personal Edition was released as freeware.
BeOS' successor: Haiku
The ideas of BeOS live on in a new open-source OS
Despite the failure of BeOS and Linux rising as a challenger to Windows and macOS, some developers tried to create open-source OSes inspired by BeOS, encouraged by Palm's open-sourcing of some BeOS components.
The most prominent BeOS clone is Haiku, with the current available version being R1 Beta 5. Despite being officially a beta, it's surprisingly usable. It's downloadable from the website and works great in a VirtualBox machine. The interface seems little changed from the BeOS days.
The look and feel, like the original BeOS, is similar to the classic macOS. This design similarity is no surprise, as the original BeOS was created by Be Inc., a company founded by former Apple executive Jean-Louis Gassée. Haiku comes with some demos from Be, and you can install some popular open-source applications.
The default web browser is WebPositive.
The legacy of BeOS
BeOS might have been too ahead of its time
While BeOS was a commercial failure, it seemed to point the way toward the future of computing. Multiprocessor systems are ubiquitous. Even the cheapest computer you can buy today will have multiple CPU cores. While most of the media is streamed, multimedia is also part of routine computing. Even command-line shells are more accepted, though power users never forgot them. macOS comes with a terminal, and you can easily install Linux on Windows with WSL.
BeOS was clearly ahead of its time, implementing features we take for granted. Maybe it was just misunderstood. It could be the Velvet Underground of operating systems, influencing a lot of work that came later despite being a commercial flop.
BeOS lives on through Haiku
BeOS had a cult following, and Haiku seems to be following in BeOS' footsteps. It seems that even failed projects will never die with open-source software. Linux might be the top open-source OS, but it's always good to see what could have been. Maybe in another universe, HTG would have a BeOS section instead of a Linux section.
