BeOS_Diary_97-99

(Most recent entries first)



My history with the BeOS (Be, Inc.), up until recently (Dec. 1999), was one of squeezing in time on someone else's machine. I've used a PowerMac in my office that is the design department's main computer. So I've had to use removable media (thank goodness I've always had SCSI support — I first ran BeOS off a Zip disk) and my time on the machine at work has been very limited. I'd been holding out before buying my machine of choice—a Pios One from Pios Computer AG. This particular computer may well never be built, but maybe something like it will still come along.

Actually, when I think back on it, I was able to do a lot more with BeOS back in the Preview Release days, due to work schedules in the office then and hardware setups. I could even play around on our "intranet," opening BeOS apps from a Mac across the room (to the amazement of coworkers), etc. Lately often times either I am busy or the PowerMac is, so it's hard to find time, but the release of R4 got me more excited about it again. Now (2000) I mainly run BeOS at home on my x86 iToaster box.

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My main BeOS activities have shifted from running BeOS/PowerPC at work to using BeOS/Intel at home as I have come into possession of one of those infamous iToasters, which I hacked and expanded to run the full version of BeOS. I still follow developments on the PowerPC platform, though, hoping something will emerge that I will upgrade to. In the meantime, the iToaster shows that the BeOS can run well even on a minimal machine (US$199.00 — Cyrix 250MHz, 32MB ram, 3GB harddrive).


The boot procedure I use for BeOS is now pretty solid. When the PowerMac (the design department's machine — not mine) is running their software (KanjiTalk — MacOS8.1J), I insert my Preston/Ramsbottom MO disk and hit restart. The startup disk is set to be the MacOS8.5 partition on the MO disk. The OS Chooser extension there then lets me pick the MacOS or BeOS partition on the MO disk. This method gets around the incompatibility between the extensions in our Japanese Mac system and the BeOS launcher. The startup is pretty fast, and it also lets me choose an English MacOS when I want to use it. Most of my BeOS use has shifted to my home computer, though, because I have more time there, and because PowerPC is losing support of developers due to the dwindling installed base in the current circumstances.

Not much written through 1999 because I haven't really done anything very interesting with BeOS except try out different applications, fascinate people who pass by the computer at the time, and surf the web.


Had 15 minutes to play. Starting BeOS went flawlessly, but it's necessary to restart the Mac without extensions in order for BeOS Launcher to work. That's the longest part of the procedure. BeOS Launcher works fine from my English-language Mac hard drive so the conflict is with some extension in the Japanese system. Unfortunately I can't change anything there, so the restart is the only way. Opened a Terminal window first thing just in case the Tracker dies again. Downloaded and installed CL-Amp. Went to ShoutCast.com for info but didn't get any link to work. Now I'm thinking that I should have copied the URLs instead of clicking on them, which only opened a save-file dialog.


After installing BeOS on the external hard disk partition and being able to boot normally, I went ahead with installing it on an MO disk. The disk came "Mac formatted" but the BeOS installer couldn't identify it, and in fact a couple of garbage-text entries came up on the "install to" list when I inserted it. I reformatted it with FWB's Hard Disk Toolkit, which I heartily recommend to Mac users, and then only one "Unknown" item appeared when the MO disk was listed in the installer pop-up. Since it disappeared when I took the disk out, I figured this must be my MO disk (and not one of the designers' drives full of unbacked-up work for clients) and so I clicked "Initialize."

Anyway the install process was smooth as silk, as always, and fast. In fact I left out the optional items the first time and so I just installed again, since it only takes about 10 minutes and I was busy with other things too.

I downloaded the Gobe Productive suite to show a guy in the office how fast you can download, install, and run BeOS apps. The ISDN line helps make a good impression but even after the file arrives the process continues to be amazingly fast.

This morning I downloaded NetPenguin, BeInformed and Mail-It and configured them all and was checking this site (FTP), the news from Tokyo MacWorld Expo with Net Positive (apparently things went horribly wrong for Steve Jobs and Apple), and getting my email--all within 15 minutes or so. Slick.

The look of the BeOS screen and applications could be considered austere, but I think it's really clean. In contrast, the cluttered, fussy look of the MacOS desktop and, even worse, Windows seem dated. What I like most about the BeOS is — well, okay, *one* of the things I like the most — is the speed. Things just happen really fast. Want an application? Click. Bingo, there it is. And this is on a 180MHz 604PPC, not a particularly fast machine these days.

Occasionally an application quits suddenly with a "This application must terminate" message, but nothing else freezes. I can restart the application immediately (and of course it's back on the screen in seconds). A couple of times I've had the Tracker die. I didn't know how to remedy this without restarting. Now I'll keep a shell window open to try to restart it the next time it happens.




In one of those "been so long it came as a surprise" moves, BeOS R4 arrived in a box from my mom. She'd held onto it until she finished filling VHS tapes with Frasier and 3rd Rock from the Sun episodes. (This leisurely upgrade pace is a real contrast to guys posting "Where's my R4?" pleas. Well, this attitude is mostly due to my limited access to the machine I can run it on, and my delay in upgrading my own computer.) I planned to do a clean install on a 600MB MO disk now that we have a new, larger MO drive attached to the PowerMac 8500. Unfortunately, the BeOS installer couldn't identify the MO disk and I wasn't too keen on initializing and reformatting a volume whose name I can't read, especially since there are multiple volumes on this system (somebody else's) I'm messing with. So on to Plan Two.

I made a new partition on the external hard disk I bought to use at home. Today I brought the drive to the office and plugged it into the end of the PowerMac's SCSI chain, into the back of another external hard drive. The install process went great; it's so much easier to comfortably re-initialize a volume when you can read its name. I booted up from the internal drive and only got a black screen when I clicked on Launch BeOS, which was a step down from before, when I at least the BeOS CD-ROM would spin up and start the installer. On a whim I restarted with the English MacOS on the Mac partition of my external HD. This time Launch BeOS started the installer fine, although the startup logo was colored weird, with grey instead of red on the face of the "e".

Then I configured screen, workspaces, etc., and networking. I just had to specify on-board Ethernet, type in the two DNS numbers and a host name, indicate dynamic IP allocation, and restart networking, and BINGO, I was on-line! (The machine is connected by Ethernet to an ISDN TA/router.) Amazingly easy. I connected to www.cunningham-lee.com and saved a couple of pictures to play with on the 3DLive cube and book.

Yanagi-san, an account exec, came by when he saw the BeOS installer screen and said he was familiar with BeOS. He said he used to work for MacWorld Japan and covered MacWorld Expo in San Francisco. He even met Jean Louis Gassee, who gave him a BeOS T-shirt. He'd never actually seen the BeOS "live" though and said "it looks like Silicon Graphics...." as I dropped images on 3Dmov book pages while movies played and teapots tumbled. Then time was up; had to downshift to MacOS and give the computer back to the designers.


Same no-desktop problem as before. No apps, disk icons or trash. Second boot: The applications that are available run okay. Still no desktop icons, no direct access to boot directory although files from there can be opened with applications.

I reinstalled from the cd-rom but didn't overwrite "newer" files. This was apparently a mistake because the newer files seem to be the source of my trouble. Just did a query for "Trash." No results. Now "About BeOS" produces no window. Third boot: clean logo, found MO, booted. "No swap file space" alert pops up as usual (MO disk is only 217 MB) but the window isn't displayed quite right, something that never happened before. Not all the text fits. It's apparent that I'm going to have to do a fresh install, start from zero once again.


Plugged in the Zip drive to use SheepShaver. Maybe a mistake?: I inserted the disk before BeOS fully launched. The launch hung at the logo. Second try: Went to logo, then to boot menu, but the launcher can't find BeOS on the MO disk. Third try: Changed Zip SCSI terminator to on (correct position). MO seen (LED activity). OK, here we go! Pushed Zip disk in (too soon? I think in retrospect, or was it just a coincidense) before I checked BeOS to make sure it was fully functional. Hmm. Interesting. No icons on the desktop. No trashcan. No disks icon. Taskbar functions but no apps will open. Fourth try: Started Mac with no extensions (of course—this is always necessary because there's a conflict between an extension (I don't know which one) and the launcher) and no disks in. This time at least some apps work (I checked out these pages with NetPositive) but there's still no desktop icons. Can't get to /boot/ window. Drive Setup finds disks but I can't get to files. Shut everything down and removed the Zip drive. Launched BeOS again OK.


Boot went perfectly. I don't take these simple things for granted. Transferred some applications with no problems.


Today the boot logo appeared in all its glory—no weird color replacements. Encouraging. And my screen preference stuck, since last time. This is something I wasn't sure was happening right.

I installed the new Gobe Productive beta and the new Net Positive beta. Both installations went flawlessly (after I segmented the 4.5MB archive so it would fit on floppies—why can't my coworkers here get their networking together?) and both programs seem to work great. Granted, the PowerMac still doesn't have dialup capability, so I couldn't really give Net+ a workout, but it displayed the Gobe Productive docs nicely : ] .


Anyway, I imagine Gobe will be the centerpiece of a lot of people's desktop "productivity" time. It works fast and has lots of features and functions. Of course there are things that it still can't do, compared to more mature apps on other platforms (for instance, I like to type or insert text in PageStream, then select it as an object and change its size or shape), but Gobe's still just getting underway. With the ability to manipulate images (something I didn't check out yet) and create graphics built in, it's sure to be even faster to put together a really nice document than with single-purpose apps. When I do get my own dedicated BeOS computer, I'm sure this application will see a lot of use—for letters, journals, etc.


SCSI problems with the Mac. Tried various extension changes. Nothing brings up the MO in B's Crew scan. Weird. Plugged the terminator into the scanner.

BeOS isn't working. It opens the windows that I had open last but they all say "Files = 0." Nothing works. Clicks are delayed. Shutdown hangs. Everything's f*cked. This happened before, didn't it?

It's never going to be very satisfying until I've got BeOS on a harddisk; the MO is too problematic. I can't believe other people with "normal" installations have to put up with these problems. This isn't supposed to be an alpha version.

(Later)
Installed BeOS from CD onto a "new" MO disk "Gromit" that passed the disk test. Then copied over the 3.1 updaters and ran them. No problems. Didn't even have to restart. Gromit's got BeOS 3.1 installed. Took about 30 minutes total.


Changed SCSI ID of Zip to "5". Icon shows up on desktop. Selected Zip as startup disk but it won't boot from it. OK, just let HD start up. Then started BeOS Launcher. No Be logo—Nothing. No indication that the MO was looked for (of course, that'd be premature).

Keypress reboot. Second time, the same. BeOS Launcher just stops the system. What's changed? This time I'll try launching it from the CDROM. Maybe BeOS Launcher is corrupted. Again, just a blank screen. No logo, no disk activity. Just a quiet black screen. Installed Launcher onto Zip disk and tried it from there—no go.

Disconnected Zip drive and powered up again. (Well, it's a variable....) No good. Didn't make a difference. The app "BeOS Launcher" no longer functions on this computer. No converging Be logo. No changing of screen.

What's happened? Changed? I changed the SCSI connections but now they're back to normal. I changed the startup disk choice, but it's back to original. Trying a no-extensions boot. It worked! The Launcher worked! But it can't find my MO disk. (Oh, I put the disk in too late. I tried again with the disk already inserted and it was OK.)

Now, as for BeOS again. "Identify" doesn't work. Just hangs (icon stays selected, but no dialog box comes up). DeposIt app won't launch. Like the first time—wait, it just did! It just took a long long time, like before.


Plugged Zip into back of scanner. Mac couldn't find it. Plugged it into MO SCSI out. Couldn't boot with four-finger salute (maybe wrong keys?). Booted HD. Zip icon appeared. I designated it startup disk. Rebooted. Various tries yielded a) hung boot process, b) HD boot with no Zip icon. Will try using SCSI ID "5" rather than "6". Changing " Iomega Driver" extension to "Iomega Driver".

Farther out—activating "OS Chooser" in HD Extensions and booting BeOS, then mounting Zip Mac.


Over lunchtime I installed MacOS 8.1 on a Zip disk, plugging it into the end of the SCSI chain in place of the scanner. This worked, booting from the CD, but MachHD wouldn't boot because of SCSI inconsistencies, I suppose. I have to check the SCSI chain settings and also get an adapter to plug the Zip drive into the scanner out, maybe (for easier plug-n-play). I didn't actually boot from the Zip because the CDROM kept intercepting the keyboard combo for alt. startup disk. I mean I could've done it but I ran out of time.

I set up PPP, etc. on MacHD but, like with BeOS, I can't get a peep out of the modem. Like it's not even plugged in. I'll try the printer port (after powering down to plug it in).


Today I thought I'd have to reinstall. I mean I was planning to after yesterday's flakiness. But lo and behold it worked, albeit strangely in the beginning. I put in the CD and the MO and it BeOS Launcher (the coloring of the logo was almost correct this time). I held down the shift key to get to the chooser, and the (only?) choice wasn't the CDROM but the MO, so I hit return and after a long (long) disk read BeOS booted very slowly. I noticed the initial opening of any app was slow, but after quitting the app and starting it up again it was quick. Tried the clock, pulser, Net+ (though with no images), kFTP, Software Valet, BeBounce, 3Dmov, etc. Tried to make a net connection again. No go. Need to try it in Mac first to see if it's a hardware problem (it fails so fast it seems like it may well be a bad link to modem, etc.).


Installation wen find after an MO disk was found that would work reliably. But, re preferences, "Can't resolve link" in all cases. Apps: Clock would start (only) once (with a funny display; the top half of the clock was normal, but the bottom two quarters were reversed(!) and had odd colors). Other apps wouldn't run at all. The icon would start to "expand" but the app would never launch.

The start-up logo is funny—red foreground color on the "e" is grey.

It's hard to get the Launcher to find the MO disk the first time. I put it in when the Be logo appears, as I had before. No good. Second time, I put it in early and it booted okay but there were no apps, etc. Third time, put it in early. Steady disk activity lights, then rapid regular flashing. Fourth time I will try for steady disk lights, then hit BeOS Launcher. This time, all grey. Same light activity. Launch hangs at logo. It checks the drive but doesn't recognize the disk.

Come to think of it, during the install, I was never asked about installing third-party software as before (is this a new bug or feature?).


Launcher couldn't find the BeMO (PR2) disk. I booted from the CD-ROM and it could see the disk but didn't recognize it as BeOS. Restarted. This time the disk was in the drive from the beginning. BeOS booted. Tried PPP connection. Same result as before—no modem. Cancelled PPP. Screen refreshed became extremely slow. Some windows (disks) remained empty. Icons were gone from the desktop. Windows dragged erratically. I quit with the keyboard command.

Then, to my shock, there was no happy Mac on the MacOS restart, only a white screen. Serveral reboots. No change. Turned off power manually (button on case). No change. Turned off MO drive and restarted. Finally a happy Mac. This all took 20 minutes. Decided to hide my BeOS disks and go outside. Bad experience. Later there's talk in the office that the Mac won't start up. I see that the MO's on again. That's the reason why. Jeff asks me if I know about SCSI's, which I don't, much. He speculates about DIP switches and terminators. I don't know how that could be it, if nobody's been messing with them. Did I do it? I don't know how. All my tinkering's been in BeOS. I didn't touch the hardware. I did turn on the MO with the Mac on (risking power surge), but they do that routinely.

Turns out that if the Mac is started with a disk in the MO drive, the startup process gets stuck at that point; it never makes it to the system folder on the hard drive. So don't have a disk in that drive and it'll start up okay.


Copied over files from Be_dnld folder on Zip One ZIP disk.

Progs: Flipper installed. Change workspaces by moving mouse to screen edge. Put a picture (Drew in golf balls) on desktop with replicant. Still can't dial out even after checking cable and port.

Crashed the machine, closing one of the demo programs. Everything locked up. I guess these should be copied from the CD to another disk if I want to run them(?). Also had to restart earlier when I closed the desktop image app. Only the mouse was responsive.

SineClock works. Nerdkill works StarChart works. Fontisuite and Interface Elements were interesting.


Launcher couldn't find BeMO the first time. I almost reinstalled but then I ran Launcher again—after a MacOS restart—and it loaded fine. MacOS didn't reject BeMO, which it had done before (with PR1). It was in the drive from the beginning.

Tried PPP connection but it couldn't find the modem, apparently. No dial tone, no dialing, no modem activity at all. Cable is okay.

(Big gap in time here. I have to look to see if I kept notes for these months.)


Installed and played with DeposIt. Put some apps, folders, text files on it Neat. Played with replicants, made a bunch of them.

But I was surprised to find that a replicant placed on one workspace desktop was also on others. I need to check this out again. I wish the workspaces were more independent. I wish the deskbar could be configured seperately for heach one, that stuff (icons) placed on one didn't appear on another (I have to check this out).

I was thinking it'd be neat if there was a workspace preference so you could tell the computer where to boot up in first. And certain apps would be prominent in one and not in another A "kids" workspace.

Anyway, I'm getting more familiar with the heirarchy, and where things are (Be folder of home/config. etc.). It's neat how the pop-up menues make a screen-top menu bar unnecessary (in DeposIt, etc.).


Today BeOS booted from the MO. Hmm.
Set up email (Adam and BeMail), sent and received test message to and from Kiki. Net Positive's use of bookmarks seems weird. Going to bookmark pulled the page from the cache, rather than going to the web. Links also loaded the cache page, not the new one.
Downloaded h.Scribe, installed it (pkg w/SoftwareValet). Unzipping went fine.

"Checked in" as a user at Be, Inc.

Re the office "intranet": I successfully pinged from the Mac LC575, and successfully telenetted to Be shell, opened Clock and NetPositive apps remotely. Couldn't get Poorman to serve any pages, though. NetPositive could access Poorman but Poorman's directory selection wasn't honored. Got the boot directory instead.

Installed Blanket. Double-clicking once didn't work. Typing commands in Terminal did the trick on the second try. Kind of underwhelming modules so far. Couldn't get "Bots" to do anything. Obviously I don't know how.

Played with HelloWorld in CodeWarrior. Made a ``HelloWorld from Gary'' by adding to the string and changing the window size. Hey, I'm a programmer—my first BeOS programming success! I didn't know how to make the window resizeable, though; I'll have to look that up.

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