BeOS 4.5 with BeOS Bible

Neal Stephenson, in In the Beginning... Was the Command Line, describes the Be operating system as "an extremely well-thought-out GUI built on a technological framework that is solid." He's not the only fan. A speedy, stable system for power-users and hardware tinkerers, Be may yet give Linux a run for its open-source money.

Be delivers on its promise of providing high-end or dedicated multimedia hardware for audio or video editing at a consumer-level price. Another considerable plus: Be actually installs in the time the manufacturer says it will (15 minutes). A system that can coexist with Linux, Mac, and Windows, it can also be your primary system if you want to create a dedicated "BeBox."

Be can run QuickTime and MPEGs, has accessible Mediaplayer and Webcam applications, and contains its own Web browser, NetPositive. The OS supports Universal Serial Bus (USB) and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption. As with other alternative operating systems, new free and shareware applications are constantly in development. An excellent realization of key operating system ideals--reliability, speed, and functionality--Be is worth the attention of any power users who haven't yet discovered it. --Jennifer Buckendorff