dacs.doc electric

You are a Mac or Intel-based computer user and you wish that an alternative operating system was available, or you hope for an OS that works on both platforms. On June 1, 1999, DACS will present BeOS, which may just answer your yearning.

While Intel-based machines most often use a Windows operating system, from Windows 3.1 to NT or 95/98, and Macintosh computers are based on the Mac operating systems, BeOS can be used by both platforms. Be Inc., the maker of BeOS, is the brainchild of Jean-Louis Gassée, former President of Apple’s product division.

BeOs has several important features that you will discover at the DACS
presentation, but one typical feature is simplicity. BeOS developers are continuing to put emphasis on simple and elegant solutions to programming problems.

A typical strength of BeOS is digital media, called the "Media OS." But the OS has other practical tools, such as Internet, with the necessary devices to communicate. Some are built-in, and others are from third parties. BeMail, is BeOS’ own mail client. It automatically handles e-mail and attachments. NetPositive is BeOS’ built-in browser which permits the user to see the web faster and more efficiently. BeInformed is a newsreader of newsgroups; and Felix permits access to
the Internet and to your own computer. BeOs even includes a Web server.

Up to nine workspaces can be set up with BeOs, each with its own color depth and screen resolution. Designing a Web page, and wanting to know what it looks like at 640x480, 800x600, or 1024x768? Simply launch the Workspaces tool and drag it from one screen to the next. Set up different windows across the workspaces, and switch between them quickly with keyboard shortcuts.

BeOs includes a basic word processor called StyleEdit. Two third-party suite programs are also available. When it is time to play grames, BeOS has an exceptional handling of the requirements for games, with video, 3D graphics, and sound.

Come to the DACS meeting on June 1 and discover for yourself all the features BeOS has to offer. DACS is a 550-member computer society representing PC and Mac users in the greater Danbury region. Its general meetings take place the first Tuesday of the month at the Danbury Hospital auditorium, 24 Hospital Avenue. Meetings, which are open to the public, begin at 6:30 p.m. with casual networking, followed at 7 p.m. by Random Access, when members can ask their most pressing computer questions. The featured presentation starts at 8 p.m.

DACS members include beginners, intermediates and expert users. Special Interest Groups meet throughout the month, covering specific computer topics from Web page building to word processing, using both Windows and Macintosh platforms. Check the calendar and SIG page at DACS Web site (http://www.dacs.org) dacs.doc, the club’s award-winning newsletter, or read answers by DACS to common computing questions in Wednesday’s High Tech section of the Danbury News-Times. DACS voice mail can be reached at 203 748-4330. Come to the July 6 general meeting, when OnTrack Data Intl., will tell us all about data protection and recovery.