I think the real problem was Be just gave up.
Hmmm, that certainly is
NOT the impression I got.
Be had been running on empty for a long time. Their investors had to have been VERY loyal to be so patient... and then end up with a loss anyway.
I think Be had
plenty of determination to make BeOS work, IMHO the failure lay in the business plan. There were many separate problems - I think for starters they spread themselves too thin and in the wrong places. However, when Microsoft stomped out the OEM deals with Hitachi and other PC manufacturers, that would have been one of the last straws.
Of course, it is debatable whether Be, Inc. would have survived even if Microsoft hadn't done an IBM on them, but personally I think it
could have been
the break they needed, and MS made sure they didn't get it.
Cheers,
- Paul
