A unique computer produced between 1990 and 1997 by Be Inc.. These devices worked only under the control of a specially created operating system. BeOS.
BeBox was characterized by increased performance, multiprocessing and relatively low cost. Since 1995, models with two PowerPC 603/603e processors have been produced, manufactured by Motorola. Earlier versions used processors AT&T Hobbit, which were discontinued in 1994.
One of the hallmarks of all bebox there was an unusual recognizable case design, painted in dark blue (although among the prototypes you can also find variations on the red theme). Special processor load indicators were also characteristic, placed vertically on the front panel of the case. These indicators are called Blinky Lights.
bebox jokingly called "Silicon Graphics for the poor." There was some truth in this - the cost of "dark blue boxes" was much lower than that of workstations Silicon Graphics (now SGI), but the performance only pleased the owners.
The "ideal computer" was not accepted by the public. In total, only a few thousand pieces were sold. There are many reasons for this - from illiterate marketing to the usual rejection by the mass consumer of everything fundamentally new.
Release bebox ceased on 30 September 1997 when the company Be, Inc. officially announced its departure from the computer hardware business, and completely switched to the development of the operating system BeOS, porting it first to the Mac and then to the PC.
More technical information can be found at bebox.nu.
