Sender: "Michael A. Alderete" (alderete@be.com)
** Download the BeOS for Free **

We heard you. You said you wanted to be able to try out the BeOS without
having to search high and low for a copy. Now you can download the latest
version of the BeOS, Preview Release 2, from the Be, Inc. web site, for
free. You can find the downloadable release of the BeOS at
(http://www.be.com/products/beos_download/).

The BeOS Preview Release 2 download version includes all the components you
need to try out the BeOS on your Power PC machine. Then you can decide to
purchase either the BeOS Full Pack (a "1 + 2" product -- you receive the
BeOS release on a CD, full documentation, plus the next two upgrades), or
the BeOS Trial Pack (a "1 + 0" product -- you receive only the BeOS release
that comes on the CD, with no upgrades). Maintenance updates will be also
be posted to the web site.

We have tried to make the download experience more enjoyable by keeping the
components of the overall BeOS package small. Although the size of the
download necessary to try the BeOS on your computer is only 9 megabytes,
the downloadable version still includes the complete core OS, and
applications such as an e-mail client, a web browser and personal web
server, an ftp client and server, Telnet, remote access, and a suite of
command line tools.

In addition to the web download version of the basic BeOS, there are seven
supplemental "packages" available that let you use and learn more about
additional BeOS features and increase your understanding of the system:

* Documentation Package
User-level technical and product information and documentation, including
the 200+ page BeOS User's Guide.

* Demo Apps Package
Demonstration applications that ship on the BeOS CD, and what you need to
take a tour, or give BeOS demos like the pros.

* 2 Video/Graphics Goodies Packages
Video and still image files to play with, and play on, your BeOS system.

* MIDI Package
A software MIDI synthesizer, instrument files, and MIDI music files to turn
your BeOS system into a musical instrument.

* Developer Package
Metrowerks CodeWarrior for the BeOS, the Be Book programming documentation,
and enough sample code to make your Pulse pound.

* Geek Package
Impress your friends and strike fear in your foes, with the power of awk,
bison, sed, and others. Command line tools for pros.

There is a growing array of software available for the BeOS that you will
want to try out when your installation is complete. You can find demo
versions of these applications on the BeWare section of the Be, Inc. web
site at (http://www.be.com/beware/index.html). The BeWare page is the
central site for much of the currently available software for the BeOS.
BeWare shareware/freeware software catalog entries are maintained by
developers themselves, unlike many other centrally administered software
archive sites.

Once you have a chance to try out the operating system and third-party
software, you can purchase the full BeOS package through DevDepot
(http://www.devdepot.com), mailto:orders@devdepot.com, Toll free:
800-MACDEV-1, Outside US/Canada: 805-494-9797, Fax: 805-494-9798.

About Be

Be, Inc., founded in 1990 by Jean-Louis Gasse, is a software company
focusing on building new foundations for the next generation of digital
content and media design tools. With a team of industry-leading engineers
and business executives in the United States and Europe, the company is
dedicated to removing the limitations of existing computer architectures
and delivering a new level of price performance.

In July 1997, Be published the first public release of the Be Operating
System (BeOS), the core product of this strategy. Additional information on
Be and the BeOS is available online at (http://www.be.com/). Be, Inc. is
headquartered in Menlo Park, California.