 | |
 BeOS R5 | |
| Developer | Be Inc. |
|---|---|
| Written in | C++ |
| Working state | Discontinued |
| Source model | Proprietary |
| Initial release | October 3, 1995 |
| Latest release | R5.0.3 / May 26, 2000 |
| Available in | English, Japanese |
| Platforms | IA-32 PowerPC |
| Kernel type | Monolithic kernel[1] |
| License | Proprietary |
| Official website | beincorporated.com |
BeOS is a discontinued operating system for personal computers that was developed by Be Inc.[2] It was conceived for the company's BeBox personal computer which was released in 1995. BeOS was designed for multitasking, multithreading, and a graphical user interface. The OS was later sold to OEMs, retail, and directly to users; its last version was released as freeware.
Early BeOS releases are for PowerPC. It was ported to Macintosh and then x86. Be was ultimately unable to achieve a significant market share and ended development with dwindling finances, so Palm acquired the BeOS assets in 2001. Enthusiasts have since created derivate operating systems including Haiku, which will retain BeOS 5 compatibility as of Release R1.