One of the things I did not like in this version of Zeta is that it is using pWarp's instant-on changing of virtual screens. Each time I put my mouse fast over the Deskbar to do something, I end up on a different workspace. I could not find the pWarpConfig applet on the preferences (it should have being there if YTAB is planning to use pWarp by default in its desktop). I had to go to BeBits, find out that the link for the app was dead, go over to BeZip.de and download it, unpack it, run the configuration app and tell it to stop this very annoying behavior. Only hours later I found that the config applet was placed somewhere the application directory, among hundreds of other apps. The hot corner workspace switch is a nice behavior if a) you are a long-time unix user who can't live without this 'feature' b) if the Deskbar were not in the same "hot" corner as the warping capability. Zeta needs to take care of this immediately in my opinion and not enable this behavior by default. Or if they do, to place the applet in the preference menu. Update: Now YellowTAB tells me that they don't know how this feature ended up on my default desktop! The pWarp input add-on was pre-installed you see. Update 2: YellowTAB now informed me that they removed the pWarp software from the default Zeta installation.
I still have problems with the RTL8139 driver, as it would randomly fall from 0.200 msec to 7000 msec pinging my FreeBSD gateway, 5 metres away. It feels like I am pinging the moon. Opening the (still buggy) brand new Network panel (BONE's replacement?) and tell it "Apply Changes" it will fix the problem for about 5 seconds and then the RTL driver would go berserk again. Additionally, Zeta can't figure out my broadcast address, at least this is what "ifconfig" tells me (0.0.0.0 instead of 10.255.255.255). YellowTAB is currently working on fixing the problem and I must say that I found YellowTAB forthcoming and willing to fix any such problems I found in their software during my evaluation.
Other problems I found are with the Tracker. The redraws are not consistent so I get half-drawn icons, while the status bar of any tracker window is not polished, e.g. it says "10items" instead of "10 items" (yes, I am a nitpicker). Also, the "Show Disks Icon" is broken on Tracker, it just displays a white 32x32 rectangle. Plus, I have to kill Tracker each time I reboot or shut down the machine, because Tracker would refuse to unload.
The weirdest decision to date I saw on Zeta, though, was the inclusion of all available decors (window managers) made available via the... Deskbar. So, you click the main menu of the OS and you get some helpful options, but I don't see the Decor drop down menu fitting in there. This should be a preference panel, maybe the same as the Colors pref panel and the scrollbar one, but it has no place in the root menu of the OS. And speaking of the preferences, the whole thing needs reworking, it is not 1999 anymore (Be was working on a new preferences system 3 years ago but work was stalled).
Also, I fail to see the point of 11 different calculators included with Zeta, be it the Zeta-Deluxe version or not.
Conclusion
Zeta still requires more polishing and less annoying "features". Luckily, it would not be difficult for existing BeOS users to customize a Zeta system to their liking, but new users might lose themselves with the confusing warping capability. There are still bugs in the system itself (Dano was work in progress and Zeta is based on Dano code as we found out by comparing system libraries and not just the kernel), but my main concern is the --seeming-- non-ability of YellowTAB to bug fix its own system, as it seems they don't have access to PalmSource's source code. How do you support a product when its distributors seem to only have binaries? Furthermore, how do you evolve and innovate without having access to the guts of your own product? Yes, I am spoiled by Be,Inc.: I need to see some form of innovation from the OSes I use. So far, Zeta has not innovated. It has patched, it has added some craft (some very useful, some not), it has updated drivers and some high-level parts (this is its strong point as a product), but it has not innovated. Zeta has nothing that other consumer OSes don't have (except its legendary UI responsiveness and good usability, all inherited by Be's BeOS), and other OSes have pretty much caught up over the years.
Zeta seems to me more of a distribution of BeOS, based on the Dano codebase, plus additional drivers and applications. This is not particularly a bad thing, it is actually a good thing overall. But it is not the hope for BeOS' revival. No, and I'm afraid that I do not think that OpenBeOS will be able to save the day either. Maybe there will never be such a revival without PalmSource's interest in cultivating its own IP.
Overall, this version was a positive upgrade over Beta 1 so I would suggest OS enthusiasts take a look at Zeta, especially UI speed lovers. Ex-BeOS users should definitely consider buying it (because this is effectively BeOS 6's code plus some of YellowTAB's craft in it), while other users who want support for very exotic hardware (e.g. Bluetooth, good wireless etc) might be better with their current OSes. Read my Zeta buying guide for more information on your purchasing decisions.
- "Installation, features"
- "Problems, Conclusion"
