Post Magic Interview.

We bring you today an interview with Nathan, of Post Magic fame. A very interesting read in which he talks about Post Magic's past, present and future. Note: This interview was conducted by e-mail.

TBJ: To start of our interview, why don't you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

Nathan: Sure. I like to think of myself as a normal person, but let's be honest... I'm a geek. :-) I have loved playing with, and programming, computers ever since middle school. During high school I began to get interested in computer graphics, and I wrote a few graphics manipulation programs in Windows and DOS (none of them were ever polished up and published).

However, as I learned more about it in university and as I began to create and edit my own short movies for course work, I discovered that I really liked playing with this sort of stuff. So, I ended up graduating from university with a Computer Science and Media Communications degree. Currently, I do pre-press work for a small company and love working with graphics and print. I love music and film, and some of my hobbies are photography and, of course, developing software.

TBJ: And your BeOS background? How/when did you start using it, your first impressions, etc.

Nathan: My favorite Computer Science class in university was Operating Systems. So, when I heard about this new OS (BeOS), and I read the specs for it, I almost died. I thought, "Finally!". Then it croaked. It has been around two years since I started using BeOS on and off. However, after using BeOS this long, I believe that it still contains features and design techniques that no other major OS has yet to match. That's not bad for an OS that hasn't been in developement for a few years.

TBJ: For those who aren't aware (shame on them), tell us what is Post Magic, and your objectives for it in the future?

Nathan: In short, Post Magic is a video editor and compositor that aims to be incredibly stable, reasonably fast, and small (not a lot of bloat). It is being written using the BeAPI under the Post Magic Open Source License. (Editor's note: To find out about Post Magic Open Source License, read PM's FAQ at it's site)

The application is being developed with professional use in mind. The editor tracks are much like a combination of Adobe Premier tracks and After Effects layers. Through the use of plugins, its render engine will be able to composite just about anything. Most importantly, I expect it to just simply work (like everything should on BeOS).

TBJ: Why did you start this project? Was it to fill a gap left by, for example, Adamation's Personal Studio? Or simply because, as you state in the FAQ available at your site, there is no similar open-source application?

Nathan: I started this project for many reasons. Primarily, I have wanted to try a project like this for quite some time. I figured I had enough experience to get something useful written, and the rest would come over time. I also started it in hope of resurrecting BeOS in some form. In a way, I am both filling in the gap that Adamation left and also helping rebuild the community and provide a tool that can be used by a wide range of technical professionals.

TBJ: And speaking of Personal Studio, did you use it? And if yes, was it a source of inspiration for you to make Post Magic?

Nathan: Unfortunately, I have never used it.

TBJ: Which unique features will Post Magic have, features that you would use if you were trying to sell it to a potential client? If it wasn't open-source of course.

Nathan: For the first release, the major concentration right now is getting a good, solid, and flexible design down, and then implementing it well. I have already mentioned the features I would sell: speed, stability, and size. These are things that are expected, but unfortunately, most editing systems I have used do not live up to this.

Other features that I would sell are that a) it's open source so companies can track and find bugs themselves instead of waiting for the provider to issue a new release b) the render engine is simple, expandable, and powerful c) it is being developed on a modern OS that was actually meant for this exact type of work.

A last, but very important "feature" that I would sell is Post Magic's user interface. I have been working with Simon Fenton on a new, professional UI, and I believe that we are going to come up with a very functional design (Sorry, there aren't any screenshots yet :-( ).

TBJ: And after your initial release, which features would you like to see implemented in the future? Any that would make the end-user gasp in awe?

Nathan: I am trying to keep focused on the present, but I do have a few things I would like to see implemented down the road. One would be distributed rendering. Writing a client/server application that would distribute compositions across a network and render them on MANY processors would be a fun (oh, yeah - and very useful) feature. I have also toyed around with the idea of making a completely separate database-driven EDL server. Then, videographers could connect to the server (or server farm) from clients and work on the same timeline together.

TBJ: BeOS is the "Media OS", though with some new patches (latency patches), Linux has closed the gap. In your opinion, what could be done to "re-open" the gap between BeOS and Linux?

Nathan: Linux has come a long way in the last few months, and I love watching it develop. That being said, BeOS's architecture still has some really useful "features" that aren't built into Linux and won't be for a while. BeOS has an integrated translation kit, a solid media kit, an application server that makes use of the underlying pre-emtive kernel, and little bloat. Learning the BeAPI is actually pretty simple.

What separates BeOS from Linux (and most other OSs) is that it was designed from the kernel up to handle high-bandwidth media. It doesn't, and shouldn't, pretend to be a do-everything OS. Some things I think would separate us more from Linux would be newer-looking tracker (I love this one, but I'm fully confident the OBOS Creative Design Team is going to blow us out of the water some day), some very professional media creation tools (with free versions, of course), and a unified community that won't fight over different GUIs, dsitributions, and ... you know what I mean.

TBJ: Zeta will bring more hardware support to BeOS, among which DV Cameras, TV Cards, which could benefict Post Magic. Have you talked to them torwards total compatibility between Zeta and Post Magic?

Nathan: No. It's hasn't been a large priority so far. My main concern is getting a useful application working first. :-)

TBJ: And to finish our interview, do you have a future project on your mind, after Post Magic is released and up to cruise speed?

Nathan: Of course. There is a need for desktop publishing apps (something like Quark), 3D modelling tools (Maya), and more. But, in all honesty, supporting, expanding, and making Post Magic into a top-class editor will be enough to keep me busy for years. I'm hoping someone else will step up to the plate and start projects for these other applications before I have a chance to. :-)

TBJ: Thank you so much for taking time out to answer our questions Nathan, i'm sure our readers have enjoyed reading the interview and we're looking forward for future Post Magic updates.

Nathan: One last note. For all you people that are interested in, but not committed to BeOS and its future OSs - seriously consider supporting the community in some way or another. If you have programming skills, there are lots of projects to join (OpenBeOS, B.E.O.S., and of course Post Magic). If you do graphic design work, there are plently of websites and GUIs to practice on.

If you are a journalist, consider writing about this community. If you have money, donate to BeUnited. If nothing else, write encouraging e-mails to developers that offer their skills for free. We would love to have you be part of a community that will certainly offer a very exciting future in the world of computer science.

TBJ: A very good recommendation from Nathan. And don't forget everyone, for now you can download the Post Magic Media Player right here, and as usual (and like Nathan stated), provide feedback. YOU are important too.