yes well before we all get teary eyed, remember that BeOS R5 is still current, and is free. Also OpenBeOS are working on an open source OS that aims to be completely binary compatible with BeOS, also for free.
Before we cry too many tears into our pints, let's just take a moment to remember that the system is still kicking, even if programs might be a bit thin on the ground. Speaking of which, why did you ramble on here without making even the slightest effort to answer the question on hand? I know next to nothing about BeOS and i tried to help. While i agree with what you say about Be Corp to a large extent, it seems you have missed the point of the topic.