yellowTAB

YellowTAB GmbH was a software company based in Mannheim. The company is insolvent. Developed by May 2006 and drove yellowTAB the operating system ZETA, it was of particular significance to partners such as the RTL Tele Shop and freenet.de set. The end of 2005, the company employed about 30 employees.

Products

Besides ZETA yellowTAB also worked on a corporate application called fact relating to financial management, order processing and inventory management and a video editor shipped with each ZETA full version since version 1.0.

Insolvency

Beginning of April 2006 had to apply for insolvency yellowTAB and dismiss all employees. At the same time protested company spokesperson, the development and support of the operating system ZETA was not affected.

The company announced on 22 May 2006 announced that the Dresdner software house Magnussoft is the exclusive worldwide distributor for the produced by yellowTAB operating system ZETA now. However, the court-appointed liquidator Patric Naumann stated in an interview with the news service Golem.de that yellowTAB have suspended business activities, a fact which was not mentioned on the company website. This view has been confirmed by Magnussoft spokesman René Weinert, who also stated a resumption of business operations of yellowTAB was not planned. The development of ZETA should possibly be taken over by a corporate subsidiary of magnussoft, in the for that purpose a development team should be formed. The role of yellowTAB - founder Bernd Korz in this team designated Weinert as " advisory ".

The insolvency proceedings " due to insolvency and indebtedness " was opened on 27 June 2006. Insolvency creditors were asked to register their claims until August 8. The creditors' meeting to be held on 25 September 2006. On July 21, the liquidator, however, showed at the Mannheim Regional Court found that no adequate insolvency vorliege.

Accusation of copyright infringement

Almost a year after the opening of insolvency proceedings accused David Schlesinger, director of open source technologies in BeOS rights holders Access yellowTab to have never owned a license for the BeOS source code, which practically ZETA was a black copy. However, the legal action was not due to possible trodden on Access can expect to cost of litigation.

Controversy

Within the followers of the known as " Multimedia Operating System" BeOS the role of the Mannheim company is controversial. After the collapse of the software company Be Incorporated showed the company PalmSource, who had taken both developers and source code for BeOS, no interest in further development of the operating system. In this situation, welcomed numerous BeOS trailer Korz ' efforts to get the fast and stable system alive.

The relationship to alternative projects such as haiku, one in development free reimplementation of BeOS, has been charged but, when Bernd Korz accused a haiku main developer, Marcus Overhagen, the alleged breach of a Non-Disclosure Agreements in August 2005. That court dismissed the allegations indignantly and also pointed out that ZETA itself contains some drivers written by him as free software. Overhagen received wide support from the developer community that was increasingly distancing themselves yellowTAB.

Disappointed by yellowTABs development efforts is the longtime BeOS developer Jean -Baptiste Queru, who also stated that he did not zutraue the small Mannheimer company to present a compelling product showed ..

The information policy of the company was also criticized in the context of insolvency in the spring of 2006. During Korz still stressed, development and support would continue as normal, the phone support was discontinued without notice. Even in the face of final cessation of business activity remained in a public statement.

In addition Golem.de expressed incomprehension at the backlog of salary payments to employees:

"The Downfall of YellowTab not seem to have begun with a bankruptcy petition filed by a third party. According Golem.de the number of formerly 40 YellowTab staff shrank significantly in late 2005 - also wages were unconfirmed rumored to not be paid. This is somewhat surprising, because YellowTab has the RTL Shop a potent sales partner, who had by far the most widely sold Zeta - packs and allegedly gave a turnover of several million euros. "

History

• In November 2003, published yellowTAB the first release candidate of ZETA.
• On 4 April 2006 a made ​​against yellowTAB bankruptcy petition was granted by the District Court of Mannheim.
• Listed on April 22 announcement of the release of Zeta 1.2 and the product the sales partner RTL Shop.
• According to a press release of 22 May 2006 Magnussoft has calendar week 20 new sales partner for ZETA.
• Since 4 December 2009, the Internet presence of yellowTAB is operated as an independent information portal.