diff --git a/Lib/test/test_fork1.py b/Lib/test/test_fork1.py
index bd3e9773542..de9f7a947ac 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_fork1.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_fork1.py
@@ -6,20 +6,13 @@ child after a fork().
 On some systems (e.g. Solaris without posix threads) we find that all
 active threads survive in the child after a fork(); this is an error.
 
-On BeOS, you CANNOT mix threads and fork(), the behaviour is undefined.
-That's OK, fork() is a grotesque hack anyway. ;-) [cjh]
-
+While BeOS doesn't officially support fork and native threading in
+the same application, the present example should work just fine.  DC
 """
 
 import os, sys, time, thread
 from test_support import verify, verbose, TestSkipped
 
-try:
-    if os.uname()[0] == "BeOS":
-        raise TestSkipped, "can't mix os.fork with threads on BeOS"
-except AttributeError:
-    pass
-
 try:
     os.fork
 except AttributeError:
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_popen2.py b/Lib/test/test_popen2.py
index 1215847bbcd..799df4ac4dd 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_popen2.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_popen2.py
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
 """
 
 import os
+import sys
+from test_support import TestSkipped
 
 # popen2 contains its own testing routine
 # which is especially useful to see if open files
@@ -12,6 +14,11 @@ import os
 
 def main():
     print "Test popen2 module:"
+    if sys.platform[:4] == 'beos' and __name__ != '__main__':
+        #  Locks get messed up or something.  Generally we're supposed
+        #  to avoid mixing "posix" fork & exec with native threads, and
+        #  they may be right about that after all.
+        raise TestSkipped, "popen2() doesn't work during import on BeOS"
     try:
         from os import popen
     except ImportError: