Be Licenses OpenGL from Silicon Graphics; The industry standard 3-D environment will be integrated into the BeOS.

MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 5, 1996--Be, Inc. announced today that it has licensed OpenGL, the industry standard 3-D programming API, from Silicon Graphics, Inc. and has plans to integrate it into the Be Operating System (BeOS.)

"Be's license of OpenGL is part of our continuing commitment to incorporate the best, most respected industry standards with the BeOS," said Jean-Louis Gassee, president and CEO of Be, Inc. "Silicon Graphics has done a great job of promoting the 3-D environment, and as the smoothness of the licensing process attests, the `open' in OpenGL is sincere."

"We're pleased that Be has chosen OpenGL," said John Schmipf, OpenGL product manager at Silicon Graphics. "We feel that the combination of OpenGL and the BeOS will further extend OpenGL into the personal computer space, and bring 3-D even farther into mainstream computer use."

The BeOS is the heart of the BeBox computer system, introduced late last year. The BeOS is a multithreaded, true multitasking, symmetric multiprocessing system, geared for digital design, including handling real-time media such as digital video and audio, computation-intensive graphics, and electronic publishing capabilities for CD, DVD, and the Internet. It offers an exciting alternative to the current evolutionary approach to personal computing platforms, designed to meet the demands of the next decade's applications.

Be announced Developer Release 8 of the BeOS simultaneously with the OpenGL announcement. Included with DR8 is the first release of the Be 3D Kit, allowing developers to integrate light-weight, interactive 3-D models and capabilities into any application. The 3D Kit, like the entire BeOS, is object-oriented -- a programming approach that speeds software product development and allows developers to quickly improve their products over time.

"When dealing with 3-D, the claim of a `one-size-fits-all' API is difficult to swallow. The 3D Kit is designed to be light-weight, simple and highly interactive," said Erich Ringewald, Be's V.P. of engineering. "But when you begin dealing with high-end, realistic rendering and complex effects, you need the power of OpenGL. What you'll see from Be in 3-D is two levels of capabilities that will be increasingly integrated. The design of OpenGL gives us the flexibility to take this approach."

Be plans to integrate OpenGL into the BeOS architecture over the coming months. The company's first goal will be to implement an OpenGL compliant environment, so developers familiar with OpenGL can take advantage of it as soon as possible. Be will then add further 3-D capabilities based on the 3D Kit and OpenGL as new versions of the BeOS are released. The company hasn't announced a date for its initial OpenGL implementation, but will be discussing its plans with Be developers over the next few months.

About Be, Inc.

Be, Inc. was founded by Jean-Louis Gassee in 1990 to overcome the limitations of existing computer architectures. With a team of industry-leading engineers and business executives in the United States and Europe, the company has positioned itself to become a key player in fast-growing application markets. Be, Inc. is headquartered in Menlo Park, California. -0-

Corporate Offices: Be, Inc. 800 El Camino Real, Suite 300 Menlo Park, California 94025 Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone] Internet: http://www.be.com e-mail: [e-mail] FTP site: ftp://ftp.be.com

European Offices: Be, Inc. Suite 336, Immeuble Olivetti Rue de l'ancien marche 92800 Puteaux France Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone] Internet: http://www.beeurope.com e-mail: [e-mail] -0-

NOTE TO EDITORS: Be, the Be logo, BeBox, BeOS, BWare and GeekPort are trademarks of Be, Inc. Silicon Graphics and OpenGL are registered trademarks of Silicon Graphics, Inc. All other trademarks mentioned belong to their respective owners.

CONTACT: Be, Inc.

Mark Gonzales, 415/462-4100

[e-mail]

or

Silicon Graphics, Inc.

John Schmipf, 415/933-3062

[e-mail]