BeGroovy Will Return Soon.

BeGroovy's Ryan, aka Nutcase, e-mailed me today with a status update on the BeGroovy situation. As i'm sure you're all aware, this past few months BeGroovy's been having problems staying up for long periods. The cause? Their host Site5 has been repeatedly hacked (by some dumb script kiddies with no life who have way too much time on their hands, when they're not doing some one-handed-browsing) since last November.

In the last attack, they destroyed their /var directory, which included (among other things) their database, so while they're rebuilding the site, the old posts (valuable in terms of knowledge) are lost.

They have moved to a new (and more secure) host, and hope to get the site back up and running in another week or two, if all goes well.

I'm sad about this... BeGroovy is (unless i'm mistaken), the oldest BeOS news site, still active, and to lose it would be a damn shame... Here's hoping for a speedy return, BeOS and the community needs them!

Correction: Ryan e-mailed me to let me know they only lost the very last posts, the ones from this month, i misinterpreted what i read. So, among the bad news, one bit of good.

Correction #2: Donovan (Deej) posted in our forum about BeGroovy (not) being the oldest BeOS news site. LeBuzz (of our buddy Dane) is older by a few months and the site that wins hands-down is BeForever. BeGroovy (which was supposed to be Audio oriented) was registered in November 98. A nice bit of trivia. Thanks Donovan (who had his birthday not long ago)

Apple Announces "BeOS like" Features Coming Soon.

It appears Apple is some "BeOS like" features into it's next rendition of MacOSX, since the hierarchy file system+ (hfs+) they are presently using is hitting a limit with today's large drives. It's not surprising that Apple is adopting some BeOS technologies, but a bit ironic, considering they choose NeXT [Next.z80.org] (also see: CNet's news.com) over BeOS, back in 1996.

For a basic gist of it in english, read the .

What does this mean for regular BeOS (and BeOS related OS's) users who value the future of development by openBeOS, YellowTab, and other groups?

Nothing much has changed, really. It's my opinion (and not necessarily that of The BeOSJournal), that Apple will continue to learn from their mistakes, and become more of a contender for the desktop market, which will apply even greater pressure on the market's dominator, Microsoft.

Microsoft should no longer fear just the open source movement such as Linux, FreeBSD, and openBeOS. They should re-include Apple in that list.

I foresee Apple really pushing their desktop this year as they start to apply their usual polish to more robust features of the operating system.

openBeOS and other BeOS developers should take heed. We're onto a good thing, we have known this for quite some time, but this news by Apple validates for many the concepts and ideals that Be Inc. came up with originally. We're onto a very good thing. Apple sees it, the linux advocates see it, and best of all, corporate investors such as Yollo, see it too. Now, it's just a matter of time.

To everyone working in the trenchs of development, I applaud you for your efforts and belief. Keep up the good work!

Ahoy Matey!

For those of you who are into the retro-gaming scene (I know I am) there's a review of a golden oldie over at BeGaming; Monkey Island 3

Ah, Monkey Island 3, I remember thee well. So many nights spent staring at the monitor, cursing at your latest riddle, wondering what you would put me through next. So many hours lost of sleep only for your sake, for just another game, just another try. Such a vile and treacherous mistress. No wait, I never played Monkey Island 3, or any game in the series for that matter. Must have been Doom then. I wish I had though but that's a different story.

At any rate, head on over there and check out the goods (no, not *that* kind of goods) then go and grab yourself a copy from your local bargain bin today. Now! Do it!

Now, if there only was a way to play Starship Titanic on BeOS...

Main BeShare Server Down.

The main BeShare server, Tycom Systems, seems to be down, so a whole lot of us are over on the beshare.beryllium.ca server. I'm going to send an email to Minox to see what's up, so check back with TBJ in any case for more news.

Blue Eyed OS ISO, ETA? RSN. FYI.

On the french mailing list, (), Guillaume Maillard of Blue Eyed OS today wrote an interesting response to someone's innocent question. I've translated as best as I could into English the email:

Is BlueOS could startup like BeOS ( Time of boot, hardware detection,...)

Yes, but wait 2 weeks maximum, and you could see a .iso for download on the web site, and then you could test yourself.

The CD will be bootable, nothing needed configured, nothing to install. With autodetection of video card with 1024x768 24Bits in 75Hz, With sound.

So there you have it. Hopefully in two weeks, we'll all be able to download an ISO and try it out for ourselves.

* emphasis mine.

One More Day To Register For BeGeistert.

Yep, you read it correctly. Tomorrow's the last day to register, if you want to go to BeGeistert 10, which will be held in Dusseldorf on April 26th and 27th.

It's a BeOS users (and friends) gathering, with lots of computers, lots of friendly faces and lots and lots of pizzas! Besides, this time i'm going, so who would want to miss a chance of meeting me? No answer required...

So get your act together, head over to the BeGeistert site and register. The more the merrier.

YellowTab Informs On Status.

YellowTab just update it's site with information on current status. They inform us they have reached Beta 4, which was decided (due to some bugs that surfaced) instead of moving straight to RC1. Despite this new step up the latter to final release, they still have the 4 to 6 weeks goal to reach, and they'll try their best to make it.

So, to read it all, start your engines, put in first gear and go right here, full throtle.

BeOS Radio Week, 2003.

It's snuck up on us all, folks! It's now BeOS Radio Week, 2003, and the start of an all out effort to get as many people listening to it as we can. Head on over to BeOSRadio.com and tune in!

This yearly event lasts until March 31st, so make every day count!

DarkWyrm Update.

And people ask why i say one of the reasons i love BeOS is the community... keep reading and you'll see what i mean.

Darkwyrm has updated his site once again, bringing us news of his ISP situation, Seeker coding hiatus and app_server's slow but steady progress. Here's the full monty:

Wow. Has it really been 2 weeks since I last posted? It hardly seems like that much time has gone by. A lot has happened, too. Just to show you how awesome the BeOS community is, someone who shall remain nameless has stepped forward and is providing me the funds to cover my internet access costs for at least the next 6 months, so I can still be contacted better-known e-mail address (bpmagic@...). I am also keeping my NetZero address, so take your pick. ;) I have also found in the midst of my financial difficulties that God provides. Abundantly.

Seeker has run into some developmental obstacles which are preventing certain features from working correctly, namely, the 'Send To Seeker' Tracker Addon, the Address Bar, and a newly implemented Favorites menu - similar to the feature found in BeOS file panels. I am working on it, but this could take a while. Also, despite the extensive testing which I and others had done on RC1 and previous versions, a fellow BeOS user has sent me a sizable bug list, mostly of bugs previously unknown. Looks like I've got my work cut out for me.

The app_server, as usual, is making progress slowly and steadily. This time it's because I've also had to make tweaks to classes on the client side, such as BApplication, BMessage, BHandler, and BWindow. I've also implemented a skeleton BView which I'm going to be putting time in on, as well. Infrastructure for BPicture support is in place. Also, a number of regular global function calls from client side like ui_color(), get_scrollbar_info(), and such have been done. At this point, there is not all that much work that has been done which can easily be seen - no major milestones passed yet. Patience, my friends. Soon enough, there will be something to download and play with. Until next time, may YHWH be merciful. :)

You see now what i meant at the beginning? At the risk of sounding biased (nah.. really?)... WE ROCK! Keep up the great work buddy.

Oh, one final question... YHWH?!? (small update: I was told what it means, thanks to Roberto from Brazil for the clarification).

APlayer No More?

APlayer just had a new release today. That's the good news. The bad news? It's the last. At least by coder Thomas Neumann. Available for both x86 and PPC platforms, what makes APlayer stand out the most is the ability to play more than 111 module formats. Here's his announcement made in the APlayer's mailing list:

Hi there,

I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that APlayer 4.0.1 has been released. The bad news is that this is the last version I will release. Why? Because I don't feel inspired anymore and my motivation is really low. I haven't coded a single line since Christmas, so I decided to release what I have done so far.

If anyone out there want to take over the project, they are welcome to contact me. I will still have my server running so APlayer can be downloaded and any future versions are welcome to be placed on my server.

It was fun to create APlayer, but anything have to end sometime. This is where APlayer stops.

Enjoy the new version.

-Thomas

This is bad news indeed... APlayer is a very good app and BeOS needs all good apps and developers. Like Thomas says, if anyone wants to take over, you can him. Or if you just want to say thank you, feel free to do so.

Zathros Update.

I know many people in the community have been quite concerned about our good friend, Ted "Zathros" Leeuwesteijn, and how he's progressed over the past few months.

Well, I can say that he's doing absolutely awesome! I dropped by his place last nite, and we had a great conversation about all things BeOS (of course.) He really misses being online, but it's just not time yet for him to be able to sit long enough to concentrate. He has come quite a ways in the past six months, and is far from the depressed state he was in.

I asked him if he checks his email these days and of course, yes, this he tries to do, but that's about the extent of his computing. Slowly... he's fighting the condition he has, bit by bit.

He has been to the hospital a few times in recent months, and now patiently sits on the waiting list for the treatment program. The netherlands medical system is not as advanced as it used to be, so delays, delays, and more adminstrivia.

Ted told me he's quite happy to receive letters, postcards, and kind emails, so if you wish to , please do so.

If you're feeling a bit in the mood for a nice letter, or postcard of where you live, send them to:

Ted Leeuwesteijn,
Jean Monnetstraat 1,
Rotterdam,
3066VR
Zuid Holland,
The Netherlands.

I'm sure he'll appreciate it. Best wishes to all, from Ted, and thanks to a friendly community that really cares.

Got Doc?

Just thought I'd pass on a friendly request from , a new administrator at Neo-Programmers.com. He wants to ask the community for any and all important documentation about programming on BeOS, and if you could contact him.

More, from the man himself:

Hello everyone , While trying to gather a fair amount of beos-releated Programming tutorials (for http://www.neo-programmers.com) , got to thinking about asking everyone to upload any Tutorial / Programming documents they might have that can be helpful for others while learning BeOS programming for the first time, or when doing more advanced stuff.

Also, while surfing around, I saw a number of links to an ancient site called BeGeek.com (mentioned as a site that used to include a ton of tutorials and such). If anyone happens to have this site's archives/mirror, or anything useful, please feel free to mail me about it or upload it to the ftp:

Uploads: ftp.mimic.ca/pub/OpenBeos (anonymous/email)

Thanks in advance to all!

- .

So, get those search queries started, find all that you can, and help him out. Thanks to all in advance!

Poll: Buying Zeta or Not?

I was reading some posts over at yT's forums and got curious. I'd like to know who, among TBJ readers intends to buy Zeta once it comes out. And if so, which of the 3 different solutions you'll buy.

No comments needed if you don't feel like it, just click and vote. So start working those mice overtime and vote like there's no tomorrow, right here . Don't worry, this won't be a rerun of Florida's vote.

OpenBeOS Newsletter.

Well, i couldn't let Technix hog all the news posting could I? Despite all that's happening a few thousand kilometers (yes, i use the metric system) from here, life goes on ticking and this is true of course for the OpenBeOS world.

OpenBeOS just came out (not in that sense) with Newsletter #38. In it we have Erik Jaesler talking about BMessages, Darkwyrm talks about... BMessages and Michael Phipps talks about... no, not BMessages, but about his new toy, a Palm III XE he bought on eBay (i'm still waiting for my toy=laptop... hate the waiting) recently, and which he's getting more and more attached to. As always, a good read. So point your browsers this way and have fun (while learning).

Don't Panic.

I thought I should let you know that BeTips.net is not currently experiencing any more trouble than exceeded bandwidth. Guess it's just too popular. ;) The issue is being taken care of, and hopefully Mike @ Complexero (our super webhost) will be able to raise the bandwidth limit shortly.

CeBit Video. There is now a short video of the YellowTab booth available on BeShare, and a few url's around the web, which I'm sure will morph, and grow as expected. I'm not going to link directly to them, as I'm sure our traffic would produce a mini /. effect, and that is not a good thing. ;)

As for the video footage that I shot at CeBit, well, let me just state that it's MUCH larger than expected, and will be converted into divx form after CeBit is over, and mailed to me on a CD by Bernd, most likely by the weekend. We at TBJ and on BeShare will let you know when it's available, and will likely be sharing it via BeShare since it's so large, unless there is a serious bandwidth offer for hosting it. Anyone? Contact us.

Zeta. The burning question on everyone's mind seems to be when... when when when... ;) Well, I can tell you with 100% confidence that by July, you will be able to purchase Zeta R1. I asked both Bernd, and the new developer (unnamed at this time) directly, and their reply was four to six weeks, 99% sure. I'm going to be a bit more pessimistic, and say July, for sure. That's not horrible, since really, we all have waited so long anyhow for anything. ;)

I will also get the full specs of the machine that it was demo'd on, and post that here when I can. Also, I wanted to let you know that yes, the MacOS emulator was able to run fullscreen in that workspace, and it's Basilisk II, with updates. As for the decors, there are still a number of changes being made to those as we speak, so everything you've seen is likely to change by the time R1 rolls around.

Pictures. I didn't plan on taking any pictures, since I knew the digicam was available. I will ask if a few pictures of the booth, and more, can be taken, when I next speak to Bernd. We'll try to get them online asap. Thanks to everyone who has expressed their interest the past few days. It's encouraging to know that our efforts are having an impact with the great members of the BeOS Community. Till next time...

Impressions of CeBit, Zeta, and Germany.

Well... where to begin?

I guess I'll start by covering the five W's.

Who. YellowTab, developers of Zeta, lead by Bernd Korz, with investment funding by Yollo.

What. CeBit 2003. It is THE event for computers, the world's largest, and is absolutely huge. So huge, I was forced to cover just a small overview using the digicam, which also features a bus ride. ;)

Where. Hannover, Germany, Europe, Planet Earth, Sol system. ;)

When. CeBit itself runs from March 12 - 19, 2003, but I was there from the 13th to the 15th, (saturday nite I simply HAD to come home.) and really enjoyed my stay.

Why. Because dammit, computers can be fun too. But seriously, there was -so- much excitement at CeBit, it was verging on insanity. Every hall on campus was jam packed with visitors, developers, investors, and even yes.. members of the German Government were in attendance. (They passed within 15 feet of the YellowTab booth, with full entourage. ;-)

So, "more details please.", I can hear you asking... It was a hectic couple of days while I was there, so if I start to ramble on, forgive me. ;)

Read More...

OpenBeOS Seeks Network Coders.

This is straight from the OpenBeOS site, they are asking coders with network and kernel experience to dig in and get their hands dirty, here's the (non) scoop:

Our networking team is, right now, a team of one. We need some serious help. If you are "into" the whole low level coding lifestyle, especially if you have kernel experience, and want to do some serious work with the BSD Network stack and the kernel of OBOS, this is the perfect opportunity for you. See the Networking Team page for more details and contact info.

If you fit the profile, what are you waiting for? Head over to their site and start coding, the more the better.

BeGeistert 10 Announced.

To those who haven't heard about it (and if that's the case, where have you been hiding?), BeGeistert is a bi-anual meeting of BeOS users and fans, held in Düsseldorf. BeGeistert is up to number 10, the wheels are already turning, and this time there's a few changes.

The main change is the place where it'll be held. The new "crib" (yeah, i'm such a hiphop fan...) is the Düsseldorf Youth Hostel, in the Düsseldorfer Straße 1 (you can get the directions for it right here). Also, due to the change, attendants will have a buffet, so the pizza dependency days are over (not that pizza dependency is a bad thing).

Attending it costs 20 Euros and if you want/need to sleep over, it's costs an additional 25 Euros, including breakfast. Then are already taking names and the limit date is March 27th, so if you intend on going, you better hurry up and sign in.

Among some regulars, they point out a few new attendants, one of them is Sergei Dolgov, best known in BeShare as Fyysik (which now developed a strange fascination with the Russian band Tatu) and for his work in Stripzilla. So don't forget, if you want to know all the details and register, head over to the BeGeistert site and get ready.