New York City has not been exempt from our nation's economy problems, and the financial powerhouse has been forced to cut corners that are making some officials uncomfortable. Of the 6400+ total cars on the rails, 82% are in need of computer tracking upgrades. The budget, however, will only cover half of the needed updates.

"We absolutely must upgrade the cars, but we can either afford the hardware OR the software. Not both", says Transit Authority spokeswoman, Martha Strivekio. "We considered putting Linux on our aging hardware, but there were so many choices, we couldn't settle on a distribution. So, we turned to BeOS. It offered us the speed and compatibility we so desperately needed, without the confusion that comes from so many choices."

The New York City Transit Authority managed to save many thousands of dollars by keeping their old hardware, and adopting BeOS as the operating system. MTA Subway Controller, Robert Comstock says it best, "With the new BeOS controlling software, our old hardware is fast and responsive again. We're gonna party like it's 1999!"