What Be Your Choice?

I don't normally post about such controversial subjects, but the Be Operating System is a little different. The ideas and opinions expressed here are solely my own.

Morale

Every large project needs to be aware of itself while it grows through to maturity. This includes the usual organizational and work-oriented direction as handled by various leaders appointed to the project, and permeates down to the lonely coder assigned to work on something as simple as a single class. Nonetheless, the most overlooked aspect of any project is the ability to maintain a high morale, a sense of accomplishment, and the general feeling that everything is going according to plan.

A large part of the logistics and standards management duties are already handled by the OpenBeOS group, and supported in part by the beunited.org group as well, although not as directly as might be perceived by some. These aspects form the tangible components of a good design, a design that can help with work flow, and bring the myriad details into focus allowing one to see the big picture.

Morale however becomes overlooked as time marches on. The morale of a project will ebb and flow according to how life goes on, and will be experienced differently by the people involved. That is all a part of life. It's not the same for everyone, and this is not just a good thing, but it is an important aspect, crucial to the success of the project.

Without a fluctuation of morale, we would never realize our station in life, and judge how far we've come. By contrasting the highs and the lows, and moving on with the next step in our own development, we have a character foil to compare against our own worldview; a way to measure how much of an effect we have on everyone else around us. The same holds true for our involvement with a project. When we break down the tasks into 'baby steps', and continuously measure our progress, we can maintain a sense of morale, and feel glad to be involved. This is what is known as positive reinforcement, and is crucial to achieving our goal(s).

Life

They say that the only thing in life that stays the same is change. I believe this deeply, and believe that people do change over time, often for the better. I would be lying if I told you that my life was a bed of roses, and has not contained it's share of mistakes, heartache, and pain along the way. I suspect this is true with everyone I know, wherever they are at in their journey through life.

But time moves on, and it's up to us to truly decide whether we want to change, or stay the same. We must harness the primal urge inside us to carry forward, to hold high the ideals that we believe in, that makes us much different than the animal kingdom. It's this very notion that allows us to work together on a grand project such as this, the idea of re-creating an operating system we have come to cherish.

Besides, isn't life too short to waste so much time arguing over petty semantics? I am not outright abolishing having an argument on important issues, I am merely suggesting that life is too short to squander it. Having a discussion, and having an argument that leads nowhere are two very different things. The problem with today's society is that this line is very blurred, making it hard to realize the truth that lies beneath the facades presented in the argument.

Truth

It is a powerful word. It is a word that has been abused more often in the quest for it's symbolic and devine nature than most of the ideals we hold dear combined. Once found however, it can set you free.

The truth of this issue is the following:

• There are many people who desire to re-create the Be Operating System.
• There are many people who desire choice in the field of Operating Systems.
• There are many people who do not believe things until they have tangible evidence.

Some of the people in these groups overlap, and that is what it is, neither good nor bad. The real issue here is our willingness to put aside petty differences, and get the job done. The longer we take at dancing around the truth, the more we let it slip away.

Choice

It is true that re-creating the Be Operating System is a very hard, and thought-provoking challenge. But it is not impossible. No matter how many people will say to you that it can not be done, remember that through adversity comes progress.

There are so many instances in history that have proven this mantra.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Mohammad Ali.

These are people who fought for something, and proved the world wrong. These are people who decided that the world they lived in could not and would not dictate to them how it should be. They serve as inspiration to us all, knowing that nothing is impossible, given enough time.

That is what it really boils down to isn't it? Time.

Has anyone ever said that this project was going to be done be such-and-such a date, ready to go, a perfect clone (if not better) than the target after which is is being fashioned? I realize that yes, many people have delivered hype. I agree that there has been mild boasting and exaggerations of the truth when describing this project to outsiders. But this is not as detrimental as it appears to be.

This brings us back to the issue of morale. It is only natural to be proud of a great project such as this, and possess much enthusiasm when showing someone new the whys and wherefores of what is the Be Operating System.

Take pause though, and think about this last bit carefully.

"Does it harm anyone in showing someone that there exists a choice in the field of operating systems, showing that by allowing a dream to flourish it will someday create a real choice?"

I answer with a resounding no, and urge more people to spread the good word.

At this point, it will only bring about more interest, and help foster growth and postive feedback for which we should be thankful. It's not about deadlines and design goals. It's not about how much you can code in a weekend, or even 6 months. It's about following a dream, realizing a goal, and participating in a project that will become fruitful.

To all the naysayers out there who continue to scoff at our enthusiasm in reporting the small things, the small updates and accomplishments in the project, I ask this:

"How much free time do you have on your hands while you struggle with the choices in the field of operating systems?"

Perhaps you can harness some of that unspent energy and help foster a dream.

References

Please be kind enough to pursue the following links and share with others seeking a choice the information you find here:

• beunited.org
• Blue Eyed OS
• Cosmoe
• OpenBeOS
• Zeta

Thank you for reading this piece. I could not allow the degradation of a dream to continue even further than it already has, mostly due to the FUD being issued as fact at certain news sites. (You know who you are.)

-Chris Simmons,
Avid BeOS User.
The BeOSJournal.