Compaq licenses BeOS for Net apps
Published: 21 Dec 1999 09:56 GMT
Alternative operating system maker Be Inc. announced on Monday that it had signed a licensing deal with PC maker Compaq to incorporate a BeOS-based information appliance platform, code-named Stinger, into the PC giant's next-generation Internet products.
"We think over the long haul the main part of our business will be Internet appliances," said Steve Sakoman, chief technology officer and general manager of Internet appliances for Be. "We think we have a very timely, very robust offering."
While Compaq does not guarantee it will eventually build Stinger into its products, the deal is a major second step along a new path for Be -- away from PCs and toward simpler information appliances.
During the Comdex/Fall '99 trade show in November, Be announced that it would cooperate with National Semiconductor on creating a version of its WebPAD Internet appliance that would run on the Stinger platform.
Stinger includes the core components of the BeOS as well as the Opera browser, the ability to play video and audio streams, and several application development services.
The software will be production-ready some time in the first quarter of 2000.
The focus on Internet appliances is a major departure for the company, which had bred itself to be an alternative to Microsoft's Windows for media-rich applications, like graphics design and audio/video processing.
Founded in 1990, the company evolved from largely the vision of its founder, ex-Apple Computer vice president Jean-Louis Gassee.
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