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Be, Incorporated was the company that developed the BeOS operating system and BeBox computer. It was founded by Jean-Louis Gassée in 1990 and its assets were bought by Palm, Inc. for US$11 million in 2001, at which point the company entered dissolution. The company then initiated litigation against Microsoft for anti-competitive business practices, specifically the prohibition of OEM's to allow dual-boot systems containing both Microsoft and non-Microsoft operating systems.
The suit was settled in September 2003 with a US$23.25 million payout to Be, Inc.
In addition to BeOS, Be also produced BeIA, an ill-fated OS for internet appliances. It was however used commercially by Sony and DT Reasearch, amongst others, during its short lifespan.
Be's corporate offices were located in Menlo Park, California; as well as regional sales offices in France and Japan. The company has however relocated to Mountain View in California for the duration of its dissolution.
Origin of the Name
According to several sources including Macworld UK, the company name "Be" had its origin in a conversation between Gassée and Be co-founder Steve Sakoman. Gassée originally thought the company should be called "United Technoids Inc.", but Sakoman disagreed and said he would start looking through the dictionary for a better name. A few days later, when Gassée asked if he had made any progress, Sakoman replied that he had gotten tired and stopped at "B." Gassée said, "Be is nice. End of story."
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