August Be Developer Conference

The conference is open to all software developers; this includes people who are Registered Be Developers and those who aren't yet. An understanding of C++ is highly recommended, though; the conference will get quite technical at times.

Why Be? Information for Developers
A white paper on Be's approach to personal computing and to software development.

The Be Developer Program
The Be Developer Program application is available here, as is the Registered Developer Area for current developers.

Advanced Access
Information on the Advanced Access Preview Release.

The BeOS API: The Be Book
The Be Book, the complete programmer's reference to the BeOS API, is available on-line. It's also free.
The BeOS User's Guide and other documentation is also available.

Sample Code
There are several ways of obtaining BeOS sample code:

• The Tutorials section contains insights into a specific aspect of programming the BeOS. The latest tutorial, Approaching Be, includes an introduction to BeOS programming. An article on BeOS programming from MacTech magazine, Opening the BeBox, provides examples of BeOS messaging between applications.
• The Samples section of the Be FTP site, at ftp://ftp.be.com/pub/Samples, contains code which isn't formally documented in the tutorials
• Often, contributed BeOS applications, at ftp://ftp.be.com/pub/contrib, include sample code.

Development Environment: Metrowerks CodeWarrior
The BeOS C++ Integrated Development Environment. Detailed information is available at the Metrowerks web site or here at the Be web site. Copies of CodeWarrior for BeOS can be purchased from the Be web site, and they're bundled with DR8.2 of the BeOS (upgradable to DR8.3). CodeWarrior for BeOS is also cheaper if purchased prior to the next BeOS release.

Development Tools
AppSketcher can greatly decrease GUI development time. More development tools can be found on the Be FTP site at ftp://ftp.be.com/pub/contrib/develop.

BeOS Applications

• BeWare lists many BeOS applications which are available or have been announced. Developers can list their own applications in BeWare by heading to the Registered Developer Area.

• What's New on the Be FTP Site lists the applications which have recently been added to the Be FTP site. The Be FTP site also has several mirrors located around the world.

• Guidelines for Uploading to the Be FTP Site are available; by following this, applications can be made available to a wider audience via the FTP site.

• Screenshots showing some of the applications bundled with DR8 are also available [Webmaster's Note: the screenshot area is currently being updated for the Preview Release; in the meantime, see the Tour of the Preview Release].

Bug Reporting
A form is available for reporting bugs via the web. Previously reported bugs are also available via the web site.

Approaching the Market
In a nutshell: what to do once you're done coding. Information on production, building product awareness, convincing a customer to purchase your product, collecting your customers' money, and installing, registering, updating, and supporting your application once it's in their hands.

More Information: The Be Newsletter
At least one "Engineering Insights" article appears every week in the Be Newsletter. These articles are typically written by Be engineers and can provide valuable insights into various aspects of the BeOS.

More Help: Contacting Other Be Developers
Several methods can be employed for contacting other developers:

• The BeDevTalk mailing list is the primary means of obtaining BeOS programming assistance from other Be developers.
• A nice searchable archive of the past year's BeDevTalk posts is available at the BeSpecific web site. It's well worth perusing for discussions of past topics.
• The comp.sys.be.programmer newsgroup can also be helpful (other Be newsgroups are also available).
• BeForever's Developer Depot has a collection of links to and e-mail addresses of lots of Be developers, and many of the Be-related web sites can also provide valuable information.
• Three sites, Be Up-To-Date, BeForever, and BeMacOS Central, provide Be-related information on a daily basis. They often provide a good perspective of Be Developer projects.
  
  

More Questions: Support
The Support section of the web site describes the latest BeOS updates and provides answers to the vast majority of the questions people have about Be and the BeOS. Links to our Developer Support and Customer Support e-mail addresses are also in the Support section.

Miscellaneous

• Welcome to the 3D World -- A white paper on Be's 3D API.
• Be's Hardware Plans -- Clarification of Be's hardware plans.
• Graphics card compatibility chart -- A chart summarizing the various graphics cards which will work with the BeBox.
  
• Two sites have BeBox hardware peripheral information: TheUnofficial Be Peripheral FAQ and BeFirst. These sites have user testimonials of third-party hardware that works (or doesn't work) on the BeBox. We can't test everything, but they're willing to compile user input.