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EnigmA Amiga Run 1997 April
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EnigmA AMIGA RUN 17 (1997)(G.R. Edizioni)(IT)[!][issue 1997-04][EAR-CD].iso
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MMMC_37.TXT
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MMMC_37.TXT
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1996-12-08
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3KB
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51 lines
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The Future of Computing
Mark Klocek
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The computer industry has recently decided that the future of computing is in
zero administration computers. Basically the problem has been that normal PCs
cost a lot to run in upgrading and purchasing software.
Sun Microsystem which unveiled their JavaStation on October 29th is their first
network computer (NC). Sun believe the NC will help establish the Java
environment as a standard on the corporate desktop.
The JavaStation is a compact box - shaped like a coffe jug in order to keep with
the company's Java coffee motif. The most suprising thing about the whole thing
is that it has no hard drive or floppy drive. The machine downloads its OS from
the network server every time its switched on. By keeping their design as
simple as possible they hope to reduce the cost of running and supporting
computer networks in big companies.
The JavaStation will be available from December at about $750 excluding monitor.
They hope that companies will not upgrade their PCs but move their NC. Sun hope
to clean up with Java, because all other NCs unveiled by other companies have
supported their Java programming system.
However to spoil Sun's party Microsoft and Intel have announced a new low-cost
PC platform dubbed the NetPC. These will be based on a Pentium processor, 16 Mb
of RAM, built in network connection and sealed case. The NetPC is geared to
being cheap to run, building on technologies such as remote PC management and
simplified networking software.
The NetPC will cost around $1500, and will run Windows 95 and therefore all
other programs that use it. Although the Java system is certainly cool programs
written in Java are still thin on the ground and another problem with the
JavaStation is still the cost it could cost over $1000 with monitor and keyboard
which is only about half price of the PCs its trying to replace.
The hope is that because the NC will be released at least 6 months before the
first NetPC arrives, Sun will have a window of opportunity to take the market by
storm.
Personally I believe the market for such things may not even exist, remember the
failures of the multimedia machines (CDi and CDTV). This may be yet another
industry cock up. However if there is a market I think the NC will clean up,
people want either to raw power of proper PC or the networked abilities of the
NC. This seems to be backed up by the fact that Sun's shares have out performed
Microsoft's shares over the last year...
END
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