239 lines
20 KiB
HTML
239 lines
20 KiB
HTML
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
|
||
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">
|
||
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /><title>Be Newsletters - Volume 1: 1995–1996</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="be_newsletter.css" type="text/css" media="all" /><link rel="shortcut icon" type="image/vnd.microsoft.icon" href="./images/favicon.ico" /><!--[if IE]>
|
||
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="be_newsletter_ie.css" />
|
||
<![endif]--><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.73.2" /><link rel="start" href="index.html" title="Be Newsletters" /><link rel="up" href="volume1.html" title="Volume 1: 1995–1996" /><link rel="prev" href="Issue1-27.html" title="Issue 1-27, June 12, 1996" /><link rel="next" href="Issue1-29.html" title="Issue 1-29, June 26, 1996" /></head><body><div id="header"><div id="headerT"><div id="headerTL"><a accesskey="p" href="Issue1-27.html" title="Issue 1-27, June 12, 1996"><img src="./images/navigation/prev.png" alt="Prev" /></a> <a accesskey="u" href="volume1.html" title="Volume 1: 1995–1996"><img src="./images/navigation/up.png" alt="Up" /></a> <a accesskey="n" href="Issue1-29.html" title="Issue 1-29, June 26, 1996"><img src="./images/navigation/next.png" alt="Next" /></a></div><div id="headerTR"><div id="navigpeople"><a href="http://www.haiku-os.org"><img src="./images/People_24.png" alt="haiku-os.org" title="Visit The Haiku Website" /></a></div><div class="navighome" title="Home"><a accesskey="h" href="index.html"><img src="./images/navigation/home.png" alt="Home" /></a></div><div class="navigboxed" id="naviglang" title="English">en</div></div><div id="headerTC">Be Newsletters - Volume 1: 1995–1996</div></div><div id="headerB">Prev: <a href="Issue1-27.html">Issue 1-27, June 12, 1996</a> Up: <a href="volume1.html">Volume 1: 1995–1996</a> Next: <a href="Issue1-29.html">Issue 1-29, June 26, 1996</a></div><hr /></div><div class="article"><div xmlns="" xmlns:d="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook" class="titlepage"><div><div xmlns:d="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook"><h2 xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" class="title"><a id="Issue1-28"></a>Issue 1-28, June 19, 1996</h2></div></div></div><div class="sect1"><div xmlns="" xmlns:d="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook" class="titlepage"><div><div xmlns:d="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook"><h2 xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" class="title"><a id="id487870"></a>IMPORTANT: Changes in the "Be Newsletter"</h2></div></div></div><p>
|
||
The "Be Newsletter" has been published weekly for seven months. In that
|
||
time, we've had a chance to review its presentation and content. You'll
|
||
notice a few changes in this week's edition:
|
||
</p><ul class="itemizedlist"><li><p>
|
||
The biggest change is in the weekly DEVELOPER PROFILE article. We've
|
||
changed the focus of the article to allow the developer's voice to be
|
||
heard more directly. Dispensing with the familiar journalistic
|
||
reportage, the profile is now presented "straight from the horse's
|
||
mouth." Even the name has changed: The profile is now called "BE
|
||
DEVELOPER TALK." Our first developer in this new presentation is Steven
|
||
Knudsen of Resolute Research Ltd.
|
||
</p></li><li><p>
|
||
A number of readers have asked that we provide more sales and
|
||
marketing information. Starting this week, you'll find a "BE MARKETING
|
||
MUTTERINGS" column that should help you understand Be's products and
|
||
marketing strategies. The column will appear biweekly.
|
||
</p></li><li><p>
|
||
Starting next week, we will provide a summary of the threads that are
|
||
taking place on the BeDevTalk discussion group. As many of you know,
|
||
BeDevTalk is an unmonitored forum where Be developers (and other
|
||
interested parties) exchange ideas, myths, suspicions, recipes, and,
|
||
occasionally, throw virtual brickbats at each other. In summarizing the
|
||
week's BeDevTalk traffic, we hope to provide a scorecard for new and
|
||
casual listeners. (To subscribe to BeDevTalk, visit the mailing list
|
||
page on our web site: http://www.be.com/about_be/mailinglists.html.)
|
||
</p></li></ul><p>
|
||
That's it! We hope you'll like the way we've revamped the newsletter. We
|
||
want to know what you think, so please send your comments and ideas to
|
||
newsletter@be.com.
|
||
</p></div><hr class="pagebreak" /><div class="sect1"><div xmlns="" xmlns:d="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook" class="titlepage"><div><div xmlns:d="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook"><h2 xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" class="title"><a id="Engineering1-28"></a>Be Engineering Insights: Investing in CDs</h2></div><div xmlns:d="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook"><span xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" class="author">By <span class="firstname">Robert</span> <span class="surname">Polic</span></span></div></div></div><p>
|
||
Nope, sorry—this article doesn't contain advice on where to stash your
|
||
money for the highest return. But it does contain advice on making a
|
||
smart purchase of a SCSI CD-ROM drive for the current BeBox system
|
||
software.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
The ANSI SCSI II specification does an excellent job of providing
|
||
commands for extracting data from CD-ROMs. Following the specification,
|
||
we've been able to extract data from every drive we've tested with our
|
||
SCSI CD-ROM driver.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
Unfortunately, it appears that the standards committee ran out of time in
|
||
the process of providing the same level of commands for accessing audio
|
||
tracks. While the specification does provide audio commands for playing,
|
||
pausing, accessing the table of contents, and adjusting the volume
|
||
(though different vendors have different interpretations on this), there
|
||
are no standard commands for stopping, scanning (fast- forward,
|
||
fast-reverse), and reading audio tracks. Because of this, each vendor has
|
||
chosen to implement these commands in a unique way.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
Be's current implementation of the SCSI CD-ROM driver only offers full
|
||
support (data and audio) for the Toshiba family of drives (the 3401,
|
||
3601, and 3701). The driver only offers data and limited audio support
|
||
for other drives. If you need to extract digital audio from a CD, then
|
||
you'll need a Toshiba drive. Disregarding audio, any SCSI drive (the
|
||
cheapest you can find) should be sufficient.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
In the future we'll provide support for more drives and make it simpler
|
||
to add support for others. We'll do this by redesigning our current
|
||
driver to use "add-ons" for audio access (currently, all audio access is
|
||
done in the driver, which is linked into the kernel and not easily
|
||
replaceable). We'll publish the API for CD-ROM add-ons so developers and
|
||
vendors can also add support for additional drives.
|
||
</p></div><hr class="pagebreak" /><div class="sect1"><div xmlns="" xmlns:d="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook" class="titlepage"><div><div xmlns:d="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook"><h2 xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" class="title"><a id="DevProfile1-28"></a>Be Developer Talk: Resolute Research Ltd.</h2></div><div xmlns:d="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook"><span xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" class="author">By <span class="firstname">Steven</span> <span class="surname">Knudsen</span></span></div></div></div><p>
|
||
All I could think when I first saw a BeBox was, "Gee! It sure would have
|
||
come in handy for my Ph.D.!"
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
My wife, Katherine, and I started Resolute Research in 1994. We develop
|
||
custom scientific and engineering solutions including signal processing,
|
||
data analysis and manipulation, communications, and embedded
|
||
microsystems. It's pretty much right down our alley, because I've got a
|
||
Ph.D. in multidimensional signal processing and Katherine's a petroleum
|
||
engineer.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
Be has me as excited as the day my first full-blown Mac application ran.
|
||
For an electrical/computer engineer, the BeBox is a "must-have" platform.
|
||
Its combination of a brand new OS and development environment, a
|
||
flexible, open hardware architecture, and accessibility to the entire
|
||
system from the external signal/board level on up is unique.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
Like all developers, I want to see the BeBox achieve a significant
|
||
customer base in the long run, but for now, for the markets we serve, I
|
||
see it as a very practical platform upon which to base powerful, new,
|
||
vertical market solutions. The <span class="trademark">GeekPort</span>™ in particular is ideal for
|
||
prototyping electronic circuits in signal processing and robot projects.
|
||
I'm dying to try some of my nonlinear adaptive filtering algorithms in
|
||
real-time!
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
The more I work with the BeBox, the more ideas spring to mind. The
|
||
problem is deciding what to focus on first! Right now, I'm spending most
|
||
of my time learning the system. And I've started on a port of the NCSA's
|
||
Hierarchical Data Format (HDF), with an eye toward using it as the basis
|
||
of a multidimensional data manipulation and analysis library and
|
||
application.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
Further down the road we'll be working on microcontroller development
|
||
tools, primarily for the PIC family of microcontrollers. The GeekPort is
|
||
a natural fit. A possible first application would involve the control of
|
||
household electronic equipment and monitoring household functions using
|
||
the BeBox's IR ports and an IR transceiver, built around a PIC. It's also
|
||
the first step in developing and controlling autonomous and
|
||
semi-autonomous mobile robots.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
Longer term? We're looking at projects centered on signal processing
|
||
applications. Initially, some sort of basic DSP framework, and after
|
||
that, some state-of-the-art, one- dimensional and multidimensional signal
|
||
processing algorithms. Motion detection and tracking in digitized video
|
||
are particularly interesting.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
Our database libraries should be available by mid-summer 1996, with the
|
||
DSP environment and associated applications coming in late 1996. We wish
|
||
it were sooner, but, like so many small consulting companies, we've been
|
||
busier satisfying customer contracts than developing our own products.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
Actually, that's not entirely true. Katherine has, after nine months of
|
||
development, produced our finest product to date: Baby Knud Soren
|
||
Knudsen! I lobbied for a name that included "Be-something," but being
|
||
only Vice President , I was voted down...
|
||
</p></div><hr class="pagebreak" /><div class="sect1"><div xmlns="" xmlns:d="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook" class="titlepage"><div><div xmlns:d="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook"><h2 xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" class="title"><a id="Marketing1-28"></a>Be Marketing Mutterings</h2></div><div xmlns:d="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook"><span xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" class="author">By <span class="firstname">Alex</span> <span class="surname">Osadzinski</span></span></div></div></div><p>
|
||
The lifeblood of any company is communication, between its customers,
|
||
partners, suppliers, employees, friends, and shareholders (with, we hope,
|
||
significant overlap among these groups). The primary function of a
|
||
marketing organization is CONNECTION: To lubricate, stimulate, and
|
||
participate in the connections between customers and engineers,
|
||
developers and managers, and others. To aid in forming and maintaining
|
||
those connections, we're going to use this space in the newsletter every
|
||
two weeks to write about goings on at Be and in the Be community. True
|
||
communication is, by its very nature, bidirectional, so send me feedback,
|
||
comments, criticisms, and suggestions (to alex@be.com).
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
Startup companies live by only one credo: Product. Those that don't live
|
||
by that credo don't live. So, for the past five years, Be has focused on
|
||
developing its product and turning it into something ready for the market
|
||
—or at least ready for application developers, who will help us turn it
|
||
into something ready for end users. As the product neared developer
|
||
readiness, Be hired a few people to focus on getting that product out to
|
||
the developer market. As a recent hire myself, I am simultaneously
|
||
excited by the product and what it could do and somewhat wistful at
|
||
having missed the company's first five years of hard work and
|
||
satisfaction; there's nothing quite like being in at the beginning of
|
||
something great and seeing it grow. However, there was a reason why Be
|
||
didn't hire a salesperson five years ago: The company is resisting the
|
||
allure of the quick buck and—gasp—is selling what it has today
|
||
rather than what it will have someday in the future.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
So what is the purpose of the freshly minted sales and marketing team,
|
||
hired over the past few months? The answer is simple: To help developers
|
||
ship successful applications on the Be OS. Our priorities are to provide
|
||
technical and marketing support to developers, to assist in connecting
|
||
developers with potential customers, and to manage the logistics of
|
||
buying, shipping, and (occasionally) fixing machines. In the past week, I
|
||
hope that every developer who has applied to join our developer program
|
||
has heard back from us (if not, please let me know). BeBoxes are
|
||
available immediately to all developers. Now is the time to start
|
||
developing your application! To help fulfill our promises of support,
|
||
we're hiring evangelists: Highly technical people who can work alongside
|
||
a developer to get applications out. Those are the only people we're
|
||
hiring this year into the sales and marketing organization. If you know
|
||
of someone, or have a yearning to evangelize the BeBox and Be OS, we'll
|
||
roll out the red carpet for you.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
Keep in touch.
|
||
</p></div><hr class="pagebreak" /><div class="sect1"><div xmlns="" xmlns:d="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook" class="titlepage"><div><div xmlns:d="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook"><h2 xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" class="title"><a id="Gassee1-28"></a>Evangelism</h2></div><div xmlns:d="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook"><span xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" class="author">By <span class="firstname">Jean-Louis</span> <span class="surname">Gassée</span></span></div></div></div><p>
|
||
The term "evangelism" was coined by Steve Jobs at Apple, in the pirate
|
||
flag days of the Macintosh division. At the time, the Holy Grail was
|
||
getting application software for the Macintosh. The Apple /// wasn't
|
||
working too well, the Apple II was running out of hardware, and the Lisa
|
||
was destined to disappear after being rechristened Mac XL (for Xtra Large
|
||
or eX Lisa...). The adversary at the time was IBM, positioned as Big
|
||
Brother in the 1984 Ridley Scott commercial. The polarization was
|
||
effective. IBM still reigned and had done a terrific job in establishing
|
||
themselves as the winner in the battle for the PC market, or so said the
|
||
"Business Week" cover story. At the time, little did we know that the
|
||
real winner lived inside the PC: Microsoft would end up dominating both
|
||
the operating system and office application markets.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
I have two problems with the implications of the word evangelism—even
|
||
if I agree to bow to usage.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
The first problem is with the religious implications. More precisely, the
|
||
intolerance often associated with evangelical religion. I'd rather not
|
||
see our company behave in a rigid fashion and belittle "nonbelievers."
|
||
There are many ways in the Lord's House, and I'd like to present ours as
|
||
one way—not The way—to exciting new technologies, markets, and
|
||
applications. Which leads me to the second problem: Polarization. Yes,
|
||
after seeing the famous commercial and the Macintosh descend from the
|
||
sky, Steve Jobs' depicting IBM as the oppressor of personal computing
|
||
freedom focused emotions. But, as we know now, that was at the expense of
|
||
intellect. One's opinions on who was the real adversary may vary, but it
|
||
wasn't IBM.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
Polarization makes good PR, but it doesn't necessarily make good sense
|
||
after the newspapers are recycled. Yes, some say they'll work with us
|
||
because we aren't this company or that one. If it's because we offer
|
||
features, market space, or services not easily accessible through other
|
||
associations, we have a sound basis for a partnership. We'll also take
|
||
style or chemistry: Even the computer business is still conducted by
|
||
humans. But we'd rather appeal to positive aspirations such as
|
||
innovating, building, and sharing. Does this make us naive? On the
|
||
contrary. We have high aspirations for this company, and we'd rather
|
||
build it on positive foundations with like-minded partners. Still, we
|
||
have competition, which will intensify as we gain momentum. This is no
|
||
excuse for facile polarization. I'd rather follow the "two Bills" school
|
||
of coaching. Outside the company: Bill Walsh. We're playing against a
|
||
great team, it will be a tough game. If you win, you beat a great team --
|
||
if you lose, you lost against a great opponent. Inside the company: Bill
|
||
Gates, always on the watch for threats and opportunities.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
So, we'll strive for good deeds, we'll speak well of our partners and
|
||
competitors, and we'll keep our dark thoughts to ourselves. What about
|
||
evangelism, then? Many things have changed since that term was coined.
|
||
Even if the stated goal is the same—to get applications on the
|
||
platform—even if Guy Kawasaki's book, "The Macintosh Way," has
|
||
withstood the passage of time, much of the context has changed. Great
|
||
development tools, a simpler platform, and electronic distribution of
|
||
software have simplified the business model of application development on
|
||
the BeBox.
|
||
</p><p>
|
||
As a result, we're singly focused on establishing relationships with
|
||
authors who'll produce good code—not business plans. We want
|
||
evangelists who can sell the benefits of the platform, stay on the
|
||
relationship, and provide at least the first level of technical support
|
||
to their developers. It seems a tall order, but we believe the benefits
|
||
to be even taller. Just as we say better products are developed if more
|
||
decisions reside inside a single human head, we'll have a better
|
||
relationship with each developer if technical and business discussions
|
||
are held with a single Be human. We'll advertise for several evangelist
|
||
positions. Given our requirements, we're also likely to use a search
|
||
firm. But if you know an MBA who can write and debug C++ code, let us
|
||
know, let him or her know. You might help a great application be born and
|
||
you'll certainly help this young company.
|
||
</p></div></div><div id="footer"><hr /><div id="footerT">Prev: <a href="Issue1-27.html">Issue 1-27, June 12, 1996</a> Up: <a href="volume1.html">Volume 1: 1995–1996</a> Next: <a href="Issue1-29.html">Issue 1-29, June 26, 1996</a> </div><div id="footerB"><div id="footerBL"><a href="Issue1-27.html" title="Issue 1-27, June 12, 1996"><img src="./images/navigation/prev.png" alt="Prev" /></a> <a href="volume1.html" title="Volume 1: 1995–1996"><img src="./images/navigation/up.png" alt="Up" /></a> <a href="Issue1-29.html" title="Issue 1-29, June 26, 1996"><img src="./images/navigation/next.png" alt="Next" /></a></div><div id="footerBR"><div><a href="http://www.haiku-os.org"><img src="./images/People_24.png" alt="haiku-os.org" title="Visit The Haiku Website" /></a></div><div class="navighome" title="Home"><a accesskey="h" href="index.html"><img src="./images/navigation/home.png" alt="Home" /></a></div></div><div id="footerBC"><a href="http://www.access-company.com/home.html" title="ACCESS Co."><img alt="Access Company" src="./images/access_logo.png" /></a></div></div></div><div id="licenseFooter"><div id="licenseFooterBL"><a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/" title="Creative Commons License"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="https://licensebuttons.net/l/by-nc-nd/3.0/88x31.png" /></a></div><div id="licenseFooterBR"><a href="./LegalNotice.html">Legal Notice</a></div><div id="licenseFooterBC"><span id="licenseText">This work is licensed under a
|
||
<a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/">Creative
|
||
Commons Attribution-Non commercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License</a>.</span></div></div></body></html>
|