Sun Micro Tries 'Dumb' Computers
.c The Associated Press
By DAVID E. KALISH
NEW YORK (AP) - Corporate computer buyers were hesitant Wednesday about using a new bare-bones machine from Sun Microsystems that never needs a software upgrade and is far simpler than conventional desktop computers.
The initial reservations about the new Sun Ray machine were reminiscent of the weak response to an earlier stripped-down machine from Sun that failed to loosen the Microsoft's grip on the computing world with its Windows operating system.
Sun is promoting Sun Ray as a niche product for repetitive tasks such as entering and retrieving computer data or handling customer service phone calls.
Some organizations have already ordered the device, which is targeted to major corporations and costs $10 a month. The Bank of Nova Scotia plans to use 300 of the Sun Ray terminals by the end of the year. The Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh, happy with its tests using eight of the terminals for online catalog and general Internet searches, plans to replace 1,200 personal computers with Sun Ray terminals.
But computer buyers at some major companies said the product wasn't mainstream enough to catch on.
``I'm just not sure this is a solution that will be embraced on a widespread basis,' said Rich Walsh, director of information technology for the Honeywell-Measurex, a unit of Honeywell Inc. that makes equipment for the pulp and paper industry and has 1,100 desktop and laptop computers.
At Pepsi Bottling Group, chief information officer Jim Milde said, ``We're always looking at emerging technologies, but at this point I don't think we'll be changing our direction from where we are.'
Those doubts were eerily similar to those that confronted Sun when it joined with Oracle Corp. several years ago, touting ``network computers' as a replacement for the Windows machines that dominate the world's desktops.
Those computers never really took off, in part because users favored the flexibility of desktops that let them store software and information on their computer hard drives. Meanwhile, the prices of PCs have plunged in recent years, negating most of the cost savings of buying a network computer.
This time, Sun insists Sun Ray can succeed as an alternative to the increasing complexity of today's desktop computers, which despite impressive advances often seem frustratingly difficult to use.
Sun also is trying to exploit the frustration of corporations at the escalating costs of upgrading computer software, which can cost hundreds of dollars per machine each year.
Departing modestly from Sun's network computer of a few years ago, the Sun Ray has no processing power. Instead, it relies on software running on a central computer ``server.' It is little more than a small box that transmits images to the screen, and therefore doesn't have to be replaced every few years.
The machine, also available for an undiscounted price of $499, doesn't include the monitor, which can cost several hundred dollars more. It also requires a network that transfers data at a speed of at least 10 megabits per second, as well as a Sun server computer.
The Sun Ray also addresses a gripe of many computer users, turning on very rapidly. A demonstrator pulled its plug Wednesday, then put it back in, and within 20 seconds all the original information was back on the screen. In a conventional desktop, unsaved information probably would be lost.
But there are limits to the kinds of software that the Sun Ray can handle well. A central server may not be able to handle too many users trying to simultaneously run applications that require lots of processing power, including software for manipulating and touching up photos, analysts said.
``Like the (network computer), if and when it finds success, it will do it in a limited way,' said Joe Barkan, an analyst for the Gartner Group consulting group, based in Stamford, Conn. ``It isn't going to be a replacement across all desktops.
(PROFILE (CO:Sun Microsystems Inc; TS:SUNW; IG:CPR;) (CO:Microsoft Corp; TS:MSFT; IG:SOF;) (CO:Honeywell Inc; TS:HON; IG:ELQ;) (CO:Pepsi Bottling Group Inc; TS:PBG;) (CO:Gartner Group; TS:IT; IG:SVC;)
AP-NY-09-08-99 1846EDT
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