Well now, if it takes 10 years to fully develope a new OS.....the "NEW" Mac OS will take just as long. By my calculations, that puts the "NEW" Mac OS 2 years behind BeOS. Besides, a new OS based on UNIX but with a new "GUI" could simply be called "Windows NT." I think you should reconsider your "The NEW Mac OS will RULE" theory. When it comes right down to it, the computer industry is just to competitive to let any one company "RULE." Xico www.xico.net Xico Productions While I welcome the idea of a new and glorious member to this very stale OS scene, I don't think that many of you, including emagic itself, are being realistic. Let's look at where we are in history. We have a patchwork OS, terminally flawed by utter lack of the design rule, "simple is better," running on an equally overbuilt processor. This package has conquered the world with only one thing, momentum. This we call Wintel. We have the present MacOS, also with underpinnings of unwanted technology, running on a more efficient processor, the PPC. Two things going for this OS are its ergonomics, much of it stolen two decades ago, but never properly stolen away...and the Apple dictatorship, which, at the population's expense, has kept the whole "Mac thing" coordinated and working, just like the Commies always dreamed of. Unix is Unix. What else needs to be said? It's very good, but not for non-technical people. (90% of us.) Then the two buzzwords, Linux and BeOS. I don't know that much about Linux, but it seems hindered because of its lack of clear leadership. Where Wintel's feudal system of wealthy war-lords all fighting for their own way is similar to the middle ages, Linux parallels the 1960's to me and will fail due to similar reasons. Now the BeOS reality check. Technically exciting OS? Yes! High hopes for the future? Yes! Big problem? Yes! Go back to paragraph two and three. Why is Wintel the leader of our world? Absolute market dominance fed by momentum. Why do people by these machines? Lots of software available (soft warez that iz!) and because the true cost of computers is not the cost, but your TIME invested in learning the system. John Doe times a billion all know how to use Windows. Will they buy a Mac or BeOS? Probably not. People, especially with computers, want familiarity. It is primarily about momentum. "But BeOS is so great, it will overpower all of this." BeOS is not working yet folks. It takes a decade to develop a deeply rich and functional OS. Many BASIC features we take for granted are just twinkles in BeOS' eyes. It can't even handle more than two tracks of audio now! BeOS is just a tease. It will also have competition... The next Mac OS is ready to conquer. Its Unix underpinnings are aged but still superior. It has been functional for over TEN years now as NEXT OS. It is still pure, unruined by the mass markets. It is being Applefied, mmmm yummy, but you can still play with its Unix core. Delicious. It has an installed base of millions of computers to go on. Thousands of Mac and Next software titles just need recompiling to take full advantage of the advanced features of the OS and our current apps run natively on it without emulation. It can and DOES run identical software on Intel machines, but probably won't because Apple wants it's hardware dictatorship intact. In two years anyone who is serious about high performance computing and isn't hindered by legacy systems and users will only have one clear choice. The new Mac OS running on multiprocessor Macs with 4 or 8 G4 or G5 chips. Wintel and NT won't touch it. BeOS is too little too late. Sun sent a company memo out two years ago, forwarning of its upcoming and awesome competition. BeOS is going for the same market as the new Mac OS (old NEXT OS) and will get squashed. Why even think about BeOS? See Ya, Scott