Don,
In your post #595, NCI spokesman Randy Brashe said more than one operating system would be developed for the NC. The first will be based on BSD Unix, another will be based on VxWorks, and yet another on which Mr. Brashe would not elaborate.
Does the followihg article refer to that "yet another" OS or is it merely talking about JAVA the language and not JAVA OS?
March 31, 1997, Issue: 729
Section: News
Oracle Takes Lead With Java-Based Server OS --
NC camp fortiIes its position with new wares
By Jeff Bliss & Shawn Willett
New York -- Oracle Corp, IBM Corp., Hewlett-Packard Co. and
others plan to turn the network-computer hype into reality next
month with a series of rollouts.
Oracle is developing Java-based server operating system and
server hardware reference platforms to take on the X terminal
and PC markets.
Network Computer Inc. (NCI), a subsidiary of Oracle, Redwood
Shores, Calif., on April 15 is expected to introduce an NC server
operating system that will run a stripped-down version of Java
OS on an Intel-based server. The server OS will connect to
multiple vendors' databases through ODBC and other standards,
said sources familiar with the product.
Oracle plans to include video/audio streaming technology in the
server OS to ensure multimedia on the thin clients. The server
also will be able to link into application servers so developers
can build transactional and other applications, sources said.
Oracle plans specifications for several versions of the server,
from the low end to the high end, depending on the number of
thin clients attached.
While NCI will not offer any applications per se for the server or
client, Oracle will ship a suite of Java-based personal
productivity applications in May, according to sources.
NCI is working with Digital Equipment Corp. and Intel Corp. to
develop two new reference platforms for the thin client. The Intel
version, to be unveiled April 15, will include memory, a
high-resolution monitor, a modem and other extras that will make
it look similar to a network PC.
However, it will run a stripped-down NC operating system
instead of Windows.
Digital and NCI last week introduced an NC platform powered by
the Maynard, Mass., vendor's StrongARM chip. The platform,
which will start shipping to vendors next month, will include PCI
and ISA support and improved reference designs, Digital said.
HP's Panacom Division today will introduce Java-enabled
netstations as terminal replacements. The products will support
Internet/intranet-based collaboration and communication through
Navio Navigator, based on Netscape Navigator 3.0. The
netstations will have an expected street price as low as $700.
The first netstation models-the Entria II and the Envizex II-are
based on an NEC processor and provide performance
comparable to a 133MHz Pentium, said executives. The Envizex
II supports 16-bit graphics and includes a floppy drive.
But as manufacturers prepare to introduce products for the
network-computer market, some analysts and vendors are
warning against promoting thin clients primarily as lower-cost
alternatives to PCs.
"Initially, due to the low price points, thin clients will lower the total
cost of ownership. But as we move forward, there is going to be
a need for more local computing," said K.C. Chavda, marketing
manager for HP's Panacom division.
"You can't support large Java applets without more local
computing," Chavda said.
Total cost of ownership, however, still appeals to many NC
supporters. Easier management, which can lower costs, makes
the NC preferable in many instances, said one distributor. "The
NC device by its nature on the client side is harder for end-user
idiocy to affect," said Marty Culbert, senior manager of product
evaluation at Ingram Micro Inc., Santa Ana, Calif.
Bob Dies, general manager of IBM's Network Computer
Division, Somers, N.Y., gave the specifics of the cost argument.
Based on industry estimates, existing PC desktops cost
corporations between $8,000 and $12,000 annually to manage.
The total-cost-of-ownership savings on NCs will allow companies
to save $2,000 to $5,000 annually per unit, which can be
invested in more technology, he said.
Meanwhile, a coalition of vendors came together last week to
support a standard for smart cards as another way to increase
the market for thin clients.
Netscape Communications Corp., Oracle, Sun Microsystems
Inc. and IBM unveiled the OpenCard Framework that would allow
smart cards, which will contain a user's computer interface, to be
accessed by network computers.
Edward F. Moltzen & Kelley Damore contributed to this story.
Copyright r 1997 CMP Media Inc.
Mitch |
