From another cheering section:
Editorial - Is The Sun Setting On
Microsoft?
June 3, 1997
Watching the continued media focus on the emerging
battle for the desktop between the NC and the PC and
between Java and Windows, one would think the issues
at stake were very clear.
But as more is said and more is done, it becomes clear
that the waters are muddy. This point was brought
home in a talk by Scott McNealy, President of Sun
Microsystems, at March's CeBit, the largest computer
trade show in the world, in Germany. As he is wont to
do, McNealy, declared that he doesn't have a personal
vendetta against Bill Gates and that he isn't out to bring
Microsoft to its knees. He insists it's not a question, "of
one versus the other. They are both going to win."
But the clear subtext of McNealy's talk was that this
was war - an emotionally charged one to boot. One type
of device will "keep you active" while the other "makes
you productive." And there's more.
"The way ( Bill Gates) does it, he gets you to go out and
buy your kids a PC since we all want our kids to be
computer-literate," McNealy says. But why is "the only
computer you don't know how to use" your Microsoft
computer? After all, cellular phones and car computers
are all no-brainers.
"We are all bludgeoned to death to think our children
need to know how to work a Microsoft computer or
they will be functionally disadvantaged. How many of
us think our kids need to know how to work a telephone
switch?"
Maybe it's an extreme analogy, but it highlights the
difference between the NC and the PC: simple desktop
units which require no user management versus high-
powered, possibly over-featured computers, needing
systems management to be performed by the user. Sun
wants users to "use computers and they won't even
know they did."
But, hidden in the depths of Mr McNealy's presentation,
was a hint that the lines are not so clearly drawn. The
public sees the thin client, aka the Network Computer,
as a well-defined product in the making. The reality is
there are numerous makes of the NC claiming the thin
client crown. Sun's JavaStation differs in many ways
from the US$500 units bandied about by other vendors.
"Larry Ellison ( CEO of Oracle) has gotten everyone
confused," McNealy says. "He says an NC is a $500
PC replacement. He's wrong. An NC is a Java browser
which can reside on any device you want it to from the
smallest to the largest. You name the device."
It's this significant distinction about the Java approach to
the NC which may enable Java to become the pervasive
platform, present in everything from the smallest
embedded devices to the largest servers.
"The $99 Java PC will be a Java Virtual Machine
running on DOS," Mr. McNealy claims. "I really believe
every device, every gadget, every computer will be an
NC."
McNealy's main argument against Microsoft is that the
PCs its software runs on are "activity generators"
instead of "productivity environments." However
accurate, it's a claim made out of emotion and desire for
profit. Even if McNealy's right, his main motivation isn't
really to help users become more productive.
Objectively, it's clear that each technology has its
benefits. Java, for instance, is ideal for an internationally
viable NC because it supports Unicode and hence
makes multilingual computing much easier to
accomplish. At the same time, the complete rejection of
the PC environment is extreme. Any system
administrator will tell you that PC users feel a huge loss
of flexibility and control when faced with an X-terminal
or JavaStation on their desks. Also, Windows and Mac
users cringe at the look and feel of most X-windows
window managers found on Unix workstations.
There are more examples of superior technologies and
implementations on both sides of the fence. NCs don't
require frequent expensive upgrades like a PC. But
sometimes, you need the standardized open PC
hardware architecture, which lets you easily upgrade
your system. Administrators want simple-to-administer
desktop clients like NCs. But they also need to deliver
applications that people want to use, and most of the
leading productivity software is PC-based.
As users who are interested in the best technology from
our phones to our computers, we need to be cautious
about what all these emerging camps are saying. We
need to demand the best, most flexible and viable
combination of these technologies. We also need to
remember that not everyone will want or be satisfied by
a $99 Java PC. Let's not get trapped into thinking that
one type of device or even one class of devices can
meet the computing needs of the entire world.
McNealy may have been joking and poking fun at
Microsoft when he said that people will choose their
computer based on the amount of free time they had.
"If you have time you will choose Microsoft, if you
don't, you will choose Java computing." But he was
right about one thing: computers are meant to reduce
our effort in time-intensive tasks and this can only be
achieved by choosing the best combination of
technologies. The choices are never as black and white
as any one person or company presents to the public.
Source: Newsbytes
Copyright c 1997 NCNS News. All rights reserved. |
