Tim:
I disagree on the throughput/bandwidth statement for cable - why do you think that the drive to move net to cable is so strong? Certainly not just for convenience.
While I agree with you on the HDTV statement, I don't see that any time soon. Also, check out the article below - this will facilitate the use of WebTV. WebTV is like sub zero PCs - low tech for the masses to feel connected to the future.
It's great money for the companies that can capitalise on having entered the market early and reaped huge profits while purchse prices are still high. Those late-comers will run a 0 for $0 business, though.
Just in jest - but compare the stance Steve has towards WebTV with yours and you will see the difference between HWP and CPQ ;-) !
Take care
K.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Netscape Plans Java-Only Version Of Web Browser (11/18/97; 12:40 p.m. EST)
By Paula Rooney, InternetWeek
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- Netscape said it plans to release a Java-only version of its popular Navigator software in the first half of next year, introducing a new class of browser to Internet users -- and possibly to retail shelves.
The browser, dubbed Javagator, is designed to run on network computers and PCs. It also will work with Java applets, such as the Lotus eSuite WorkPlace announced last week and Corel's upcoming XML-based Corel Office for Java. The Java applets are faster, smaller versions of the full-featured Lotus SmartSuite and Corel Office applications.
A Lotus official said using Javagator -- as opposed to the existing Navigator or Communicator browsers -- will let users execute Web programs on local machines instead of waiting for the client to retrieve data from Web servers after the users type in a URL, a time-consuming experience for most Web surfers.
Javagator also supports DHTML and JavaScript technologies, the Lotus official said. Many Website developers are improving their sites by using these tools to create animated objects and other interactive, dynamic content. Java browsers such as Javagator will let surfers access these capabilities.
Microsoft has announced it will support Java, but is not rallying behind it.
"That level of HTML has additional capabilities, so it will give users a much richer local experience," said Alex Morrow, a Lotus fellow. He said Lotus expects to begin testing its eSuite WorkPlace and eSuite Java applets with Javagator next month. Cambridge, Mass.-based Lotus primarily supplies its software to the corporate market, but offers SmartSuite and Organizer at retail stores.
Unlike Netscape Navigator Personal Edition and Microsoft's Internet Explorer Plus, which are written in C++ and sold at retail, Javagator will be available as a downloadable product from the Web.
The browser may be sold at retailers if NC devices and Java applets, including word processing or e-mail applets, take hold among corporate users, small businesses, and consumers, experts said.
Given the pressure to keep browser pricing low -- or in most cases, free and downloadable -- Java software has limited interest for retailers in the near term.
Ultimately, the fate of Java browsers hinges on the success of NCs in corporate environments and at retail, said Jeff Silverstein, senior vice president for software and information services at Probe Research, in Cedar Knolls, N.J. "It's not happening yet. The NC is a huge question mark. You need volume sales of NCs, and that won't happen until late '98 at the earliest," he said.
Nevertheless, the success of Java and Java browsers could have a dramatic impact on the retail marketplace. The ability to quickly and easily download applets from the Web and execute them on machines make bloated Office applications and Windows upgrades less appealing to users over the long haul. In essence, it could make the selling of shrink-wrapped software obsolete.
The acceptance of Java as an alternative to the Windows operating system would affect all tiers of the software business, including publishers, OEMs, distributors, and retailers.
"There's a real movement behind Java," said one analyst, who noted Java has more momentum and industry support than other Windows alternatives in the past such as IBM OS/2 or Macintosh. "But we're in the beginning of the learning curve."
Netscape's Barksdale jokes that "we obviously need to work on the name" when referring to the company's Javagator browser.
Copyright (c) CMP Media, 1997.
|
