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A low-cost information appliance based on a
minimalist design and a centralised networking philosophy. The brainchild of
Oracle's Larry Ellison, the network computer (nc), an example of a
thin client, Promised to change the Microsoft-driven computing
model radically by removing the bells and whistles, such as hard disk and
cd-rom drives, from a desktop computer and managing its resources
centrally. Ncs can run small, fast, browser-driven
applications based on Java or another suitable system and thus do not
need big, complex operating systems like windows. Every time
users need a new version of a software program they download a copy
from a server rather than install it locally from disk or cd-rom,
massively reducing distribution costs. Best of all, network computers should
theoretically be a fraction of the cost of a fully-specified pc.
The
concept sounds attractive, but sales have been in hundreds of thousands
rather than the millions Wintel-busters (those who would like to see
Microsoft's and Intel's hold on the industry reduced) would have liked.
Ncs have proved costlier than anticipated, selling at not much less than
an all-singing, all dancing, network-enabled pc. But the
biggest hurdle for ncs has been the enduring appeal and usefulness of
pcs, which despite their undoubted problems are not nearly as
unpopular with the general public as they are with sun
Microsystems and Oracle.
Despite these drawbacks, the nc model seems sure to become
part of the landscape as information appliances of all kinds expand their
capabilities and more devices become network aware. A critical part of this
process will be the long-promised hike in bandwidth, especially in
the home. |
