Publication
Date: July 18, 1997
Still Much
Debated, NC Concept Gains
Some Acceptance
By
Sue Mellen
It's
shaping up to be the great debate of a
new era in computing: Will the network
computer (alias NC or "thin
client") eventually replace or
simply complement the venerable PC? It
may seem unbelievable even to suggest
that the PC -- and, by extension, the
Windows operating system -- may be headed
for extinction. But a networked world
makes it feasible to employ very simple,
less expensive computing devices, with a
single server providing computing power
and data storage for an almost unlimited
number of desktop machines. That, say
some industry analysts, is the death
knell for both the PC and Microsoft's
Windows.
"Windows
is essentially dead. For some time now,
people involved with architecture have
known that the best way to develop
applications is to make them
server-centered. With the right
applications, you're just looking at the
GUI presentation on the desktop,"
says Richard Finkelstein, president of
Performance Computing, Inc. and Links
Technology Corp. of Chicago, and a
recognized expert on client/server
technology.
Finkelstein
goes so far as to liken Microsoft’s
Bill Gates to Tom Sawyer. "He's had
us convinced that we all really liked
this complicated system, just as Tom
Sawyer convinced everyone they really
liked whitewashing the fence. But that's
all over. With HTML and Java
applications, Windows is
unnecessary."
On the
other hand, industry leaders like Robert
Zurek, vice president of research and
technology at Sybase, Inc., believe many
users are yet unwilling to give up their
full-blown personal computers for
terminals without hard drives.
"You'll
see people who will continue to purchase
PCs for a long time to come. There's a
whole category of consumers out there who
want high computing performance,
including such capabilities as video on
demand and full Internet access," he
says.
Zurek adds
that security issues will discourage some
people from going network. "If
you're storing an important research
paper somewhere on the Internet, you
don't know who might have access to it.
But if you have the paper on your own
hard drive, someone would have to break
into your house to get to the paper.
You'd know if security had been
breached," he says.
But even
in the NC debate, there is room for
common ground. Finkelstein and Zurek
agree that simple computing devices and
server-centered applications can save
most businesses time and money.
Finkelstein
points to automated teller machines as
one type of NC already in common use.
"An ATM is a good example of a
network computer. It's just a simple
device, but it provides access to all
necessary bank information. You have an
intelligent terminal that's easy to
operate." Another prime example of
network computing is Web TV, which uses
the most familiar of devices--a
television monitor--to tie into the most
complex of networks--the Internet. In the
same vein, Finkelstein foresees a time
when consumers worldwide embrace NCs and
use the simpler devices to conduct
business transactions online.
Zurek says
the greatest benefit of the NC trend may
be its ability to drive the IT industry
on to slimmer and better things.
"People will need the freedom to run
these devices in a number of different
environments. That means we'll need new
software that is both very rich and very
light. I think the trend will spur a lot
of innovation across the industry,"
Zurek says.
Who
Stands to Gain in the Network Era
Some
companies seem particularly well-poised
to profit from the new "thin"
marketplace. Companies that have begun to
slim down their product lines include the
following.
- Sun
Microsystems is one of the first
names everyone utters when
discussing the thin market. The
company virtually gave birth to
the network era with its
server-centered Java-based
applications. And its SPARC
processors and microprocessors
are the building blocks for both
enterprise systems and consumer
electronics devices.
- Not
surprisingly, IBM is also at the
top of the NC list with its
Network Station. Big Blue has put
a lot of marketing muscle behind
its NC and accompanying software.
- It
has not escaped Microsoft's
notice that a new computing era
is dawning. The company has three
entries into the field that try
to marry the current PC
environment with the thin
concept: the Simply Interactive
PC, the NetPC and the Zero
Administration Initiative for
Windows.
- One
of the big names in the NC market
is HDS Network Systems of King of
Prussia, Pa., which will assume
the name Neoware in August. Along
with its new name, the company is
launching its NeoStation, an
"ultra-thin" client
desktop system.
- Several
companies have begun to
concentrate on developing
applications for NCs, with
Sybase's ImpactNow Adaptive
Component Architecture a good
example. Oracle has also entered
the ring with its own
cross-platform product line:
Network Computing Architecture.
Lawrence Ellison, Oracle's
chairman and CEO, has been one of
the most outspoken supporters of
the NC environment. "Users
shouldn't have to worry about the
underlying technology (in
computing devices). Developers
shouldn't be left in the cold by
a proprietary standards battle.
And corporate customers shouldn't
be left stranded with old
technologies that don't work
together," he says.
- Consumer
electronics companies such as
Philips Magnavox and Sony also
stand to gain from the trend in a
big way. These companies are set
up to mass-produce simple
computing devices at the drop of
an app.
Sue
Mellen writes from Tyngsboro, Mass.
Richard
Finkelstein is a featured speaker at
DCI’s Data Warehouse World and Database and Client/Server
World. Please see our online
brochures for complete conference
information.
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