Requirements: 512 MB HD and Windows 9x, NT, or 2000
Purchase Information: Free
BeOS Personal Edition is a powerful operating system that provides a viable alternative to Microsoft Windows. Impressive as it is, this is a slimmed down version of an even more impressive product that sells for $69.95. Although the free version is somewhat feature-limited, it's very easy to install, does nothing to interfere with your current operating system, and may very well fill all of your needs without the need to upgrade. A BeOS "control panel" seems quite familiar and lets you configure network, dial-up, appearance, mouse, and other settings with ease. Everything about BeOS is performance-oriented. The operating system loads faster, applications load faster, and huge files that might bog down your current operating system are handled with ease. The impressive array of software includes a text editor, CD burner, Web browser, email client, FTP client, zip utility, media player, games, and various other utilities. Just go online to find even more offerings. BeOS also supports many common file formats created in other operating systems. You'll need 512 megabytes of free disk space to get it up and running. HTML documentation is included.
