A new Ubuntu-based Linux distribution has arrived, aimed at both Linux newbies and content creators. Boasting “out of the box” multimedia codecs, the freely downloadable PC/OS incorporates the lightweight XFCE desktop, and is said to offer a similar layout to the groundbreaking, but ultimately doomed BeOS.
This ubuntu spin is poorly put together by Roberto Dohnert, who many of you may remember for his staunch defense of SCO in these forums.
There is nothing BEOS about what he is doing either. It’s simply Ubuntu with XFCE and a BEOS imitation of the window decoration.
Not very interesting. I would love to hear what does make it interesting. Finally, most one-man projects such as this one are bound to fail, particularly when they are put together by people whose only contribution to Linux has been to spread FUD on behalf of SCO.
Edited 2008-07-15 17:26 UTC
It’s “BeOS”. Sorry, that just gets on my nerves almost as much as /MAC/…
Its GNU/Linux
get it right!
sorry … I just had to
“Linux” vs “GNU/Linux”
FIGHT! (LOL)
=====
01. Oral Conciseness (syllables): Linux
02. Sounds better (catchy): Linux
03. Quicker to type: Linux
04. Less obscure/nerdy (aids adoption): Linux
05. Doesn’t contain a slash: Linux
06. Doesn’t make the orator sound like a mute: Linux
07. No ties to GPLv3 fanaticism: Linux
08. Doesn’t contain acronyms: Linux
09. Upon hearing doesn’t cause bowel disruption: Linux
10. Doesn’t make you look like a pedant: Linux
11. Doesn’t inflate Stallman’s ego any further (still waiting on Hurd): Linux
TALLY
=====
Linux: 11
GNU/Linux: 0
FATALITY! LINUX WIN!
love it
will need to remember this for fighting off the zealots on slashdot
A heck of a lot more made BeOS what it was, for good and for bad, but this is just plain silly and trying to grab attention. Go away, please, just go away.
yeah, it’s pretty darn easy to make almost any OS *look* like BeOS. Getting the same responsiveness is another thing, entirely.
This won’t work any better than Ubuntu Studio, and it’s sure a lot uglier.
Looks butt-ugly in general, and the pseudo tracker and pseudo pulse too.
Thanks but no thanks.
http://www.thecodingstudio.com/opensource/linux/screenshots/index.p…
This is a blatant ripoff of ZevenOS (all allowed due to the gpl ofcourse). Even uses their theme for the window decorations. And ZevenOS used to use Xfce too but nowdays the IceWM, have a BeOS deskbar and many other interesting features from the BeOS. look it up zevenos.com (used to be ZeBuntu)
Edited 2008-07-15 18:46 UTC
Speaking of GPL, both these distros seem to be playing fast and loose with the requirement to provide source code. Merely pointing to Canonical’s repos does not cut it.
well, if they are just using vanilla sources, why not?
As so many of you point it out to be ripoff, I guess they/he didn’t change much code on their/his own
There are several reasons why this is not kosher, good article here: http://www.linux.com/feature/55285
This reminds me of the VP debate between Senator Dan Quayle and Lloyd Bentsen when DQ compares his own lack lustre career to that of Jack Kennedy to which LB comes back with
“Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy: I knew Jack Kennedy; Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy.”
PC/OS, I used and still use BeOS, its my best and niftiest OS, PC/OS you are no BeOS.
This is rather annoying, the name Tracker was taken by another project for extracting meta data and was then renamed Meta Tracker. The BeOS Tracker has nothing to do with this even though the first bullet implies that BeOS Tracker is used as the desktop causing some confusion, it uses XFCE instead.
Anyway its not that difficult to hack KDE to look BeOS like, been there done that, but it still doesn’t begin to compare with the feel of Tracker. I almost wish OpenTracker could have been ported to Linux as a half way step to Haiku.
Still I may just give it a try to see if they got more BeOS’ness then I could.
“You can put a dress on a pig, but it’s still a server.”
To be fair, Xfce probably is the best place to start building a BeOS lookalike desktop. In fact, this has been my Xubuntu desktop for a couple years: http://xfce-look.org/content/show.php/Haiku-ish+Smooth?content=4224… . (spam warning: my custom theme)
Unfortunately, you still can’t really replicate the BeOS Deskbar, so I stick with a simple Win95 layout. The PC/OS Deskbar is a pretty poor attempt.
” PC/OS is not a “reimplementation” of BeOS, says the group, but offers a similar layout and a shared focus on multimedia, simplicity, and ease of use. Launched in 1991 by ex-Apple exec Jean-Louis Gassée and others, Be, Inc. developed a cube-like BeBox computer that ran the BeOS multimedia-oriented operating system.”
Did any of you miss that in the article? Same focus, different toolset. Im not trying to be BeOS, never my intention. In fact I played with different panel and shelf layouts and other cosmetic looks before and I picked the most popular from my user base, gave them the decision and they chose it. Like it, hate it, call it what you want its here to stay. If interested visit the developers blog and forums. If not, thank you all for reading the article.
To answer specific questions, here you go
http://pcos08.wordpress.com/2008/07/16/a-few-more-questions-answere…
All of these crappy knockoff OS projects are doomed to failure. If you want to really clone an OS at least do what gnustep did with mac osx/nextSTEP and write a clone of the API. Otherwise you’re just going to end up with a mac/beos looking app that works like a crummy linux app. Linux apps should look like linux apps. Beos apps should look/work like beos apps etc. Skins are weak and the novelty wears off quickly.
These “look-alike” OS’s really get on my nerves when they mention BeOS because it gets my hopes up, only to dash them when I see what the project really is – Linux with a Be theme.
Anyone who REALLY knew anything about BeOS understood that the interface was only the interface – it was the platform’s responsiveness that made it shine. My issues with Linux’s performance are similar to my issues with Windows’s performance – the sludgy experience. Now I DO like Linux (btw, CompizFusion totally spanks Vista and OSX’s “eye candy”), but Linux does lots of mysterious things in the background just like Windows (insert flavor here), Macs, and just about every non-microkernel OS out there (I know BeOS isn’t technically a microkernel, but it feels like it is). A few minutes after I’ve booted the machine, I don’t expect it to still be ‘thinking’ about crap – I have yet to find an OS that was so quiet after booting like BeOS. So throwing together a Be-dupe means nothing if you are just sitting it on the GNU/Lin kernel…
..it just puts a tear in my eye.
A ‘Haiku’ for the slow boot:
You take forever,
yet I’ve asked nothing of you.
I almost miss DOS.
Edited 2008-07-16 13:51 UTC
Talk to the authors,
Edited 2008-07-16 16:01 UTC
” PC/OS is not meant to be a ground up reimplementation of BeOS. I use the BeOS as symbolism. BeOS was a very simple system that was just enough to hit the right spot. I did the same with PC/OS, I hope. I have the BeOS theme and look because basically I loved it as did one of my users when he recommended it and I made a theme for him.”
My words. If you want to go knock on someones door and tell them how clueless they are for trying to recreate the BeOS with a Linux kernel, go talk to ZevenOS and tell them how cluessless and stupid they are. You all seem educated, how about you go, learn to read, read the entire site, blog and forums, ask questions instead of shooting off uninformed opinions and hate mail.
“go talk to ZevenOS and tell them how cluessless and stupid they are”
tragically, I don’t speak German..
..but you shouldn’t take it personally. The idea behind PC/OS isn’t bad, it’s just misleading when the name “BeOS” is mentioned. I think it’s safe to say that any time an OS (or desktop/wm for that matter) brings up the “Be” name, it raises expectations of a real BeOS clone (or api). Especially when the name “Tracker” is involved, eyebrows raise – then tilt to the side – then lower. Mine did.
And I go through great PAINS to clear up the mess. I have never claimed to be a be clone. Its never been my intention to be a Be clone, like I said, those are big shoes to fill. The press sees a yellow WM and they think, “BeOS”. This has happened since PC/OS’s inception. And if people read the blog, read the site and TALK to me instead of calling PC/OS a lame attempt at something it isnt even trying to do the confusion and their disappointment would be curbed. Im happy to hear people think PC/OS is a lame attempt at cloning BeOS since thats so far from what my goals are. Just a note though, I do know of several users who are Be fans and Be users who told me, they liked what I was doing and that PC/OS is very good. If you go into PC/OS expecting to find BeOS, you will be disappointed, sorry. v2 which is coming out in the fall will have more of the focus on multimedia creation and content creation which is what I want and what I strive for.
” tragically, I don’t speak German.. ”
Dear ZevenOS developers,
Die Bemühungen Ihrer Gruppe sind ahnungslos und unbrauchbar
Herzlichst
(Whoever is writing them)
I don’t think so
ZevenOS and PC/OS have a different approach thats true.
We are aiming for a Distro with a BeOS Touch.
Some may find this idea stupid or simply not good.
But I believe in it. It makes fun developing and there are lots of users who like to use it. So why stop it !?
robertojdohnert on your blog you are writing:
“Im just sharing what I find useful. Isnt that what Linux and Open Source is about? sharing ideas?”
Thats exactly the point. I totally agree
PS: We aren’t just a Linux with a BeOS Theme. We have take a lot of time in developing tools to make the Distro better than any other one. Take MAGI 2, videtis and gencoder for example.
Or the newly introduced Deskbar. (a optical clone of the BeOS Deskbar)
So if you want a Linux-Distro with a BeOS Touch then you feel absolutely fine in using ZevenOS.
If you want BeOS then use BeOS or Haiku or Z***.
Edited 2008-07-17 17:41 UTC