Scott
It appears that you were right"the nc will not likely be a panacea for Corel's woes.."perhaps it is merely wasting precious resources...another adventure for Mr. Cowpland?
Wednesday, October 29, 1997 Winmag
Corel Gets Thin
Does the world need yet another network computer (NC)? Corel Computer Corp. seems to think so. Sometime next year, the Ottawa company plans to ship the Corel Video Network Computer. It uses a Linux-based operating system, a Java-based multimedia communications suite and Digital Equipment's StrongARM processor.
Corel says its NC will reduce software installation and administration costs by storing software, user documents and user profiles on a central server. Files and applications will be downloaded to the NC as users need them.
While promising, the NC computing model faces four tall hurdles. First, few applications exist for NCs. Second, NCs require high-powered servers and typically can't match the power of PCs. Third, there are no firm NC standards in place: IBM, Oracle, Sun Microsystems--and now Corel--each evangelize their own proprietary NC designs. And finally, Microsoft and Intel are countering the NC market with several new developments, including Microsoft Hydra and IntelliMirror.
Hydra, slated for release late this year, lets PCs and terminals tap Windows applications (such as word processors or spreadsheets) running on NT Server. And Microsoft says IntelliMirror, a component of NT 5.0, will reduce administration costs by copying user settings and applications from NT Workstation 5.0 to NT Server 5.0.
How will the Corel Video Network Computer stack up against these NC alternatives? Only Corel knows for sure.
--Staff Reports
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