BeatrIX facts for kids
BeatrIX was a special computer program, like the main brain of a computer, called an operating system. It was a type of Linux distribution, which means it was built using the free and open-source GNU/Linux software. What made BeatrIX cool was that it came on a "live CD." This meant you could try it out on a computer without installing it, just by putting the CD in!
What was BeatrIX?
BeatrIX was created by a person named Steven Watsky. His main idea was to make a computer system that was super easy to use, especially for people who were new to computers. The main screen, called the "desktop," was very simple. It only had four main buttons, or "icons," for important things like sending emails, chatting with friends, writing documents, and browsing the internet. This design made it easy for almost anyone with a little computer experience to start using BeatrIX right away.
Small and Mighty
BeatrIX was also a very small operating system. It only took up about 200 megabytes (MB) of space. To give you an idea, that's less space than a lot of modern photos or songs! Because it was so small, it could even fit onto special, smaller CDs called 80 mm discs, which usually hold up to 184 MB of data.
What could BeatrIX do?
BeatrIX used a specific version of the Linux brain, called Linux 2.6.7. For its look and feel, it used something called GNOME 2.8. GNOME is a popular way to make the computer screen easy to see and click on, also known as a GUI.
Even though it was small, BeatrIX came with useful programs. It had OpenOffice.org 1.1.2, which is a set of tools for writing, spreadsheets, and presentations, similar to Microsoft Office. It also included the Firefox web browser (version 1.0) for going online, and Gaim (version 1.0) for instant messaging, so you could chat with your friends.
The End of BeatrIX
Sadly, BeatrIX stopped being developed in 2005. This happened because Steven Watsky, the person who created it, had some health problems. But the story doesn't end there! Another Linux system called BeaFanatIX started using the original code from BeatrIX. This means that the ideas and work put into BeatrIX are still being used and improved by new developers today.
Related pages
