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To: ms.smartest.person who wrote (46288)	11/9/2001 8:01:18 AM
From: John Carragher	Respond to of 64865

Experts See Internet Evolving To More Interactive Phase By FRANK BYRT Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES BOSTON -- Information technology experts say the Internet is entering a new phase of development that will make the current level of use pale by comparison. Speaking at Forrester Research Inc.'s annual Executive Strategy Forum Thursday here, experts labeled the new phase the "X Internet." This new phase will come in two parts: an "executable Internet" that supplements today's Web activities and an "extended" Internet that will connect Internet applications to the real world. Currently, the Web uses personal computers as dumb terminals and are primarily used to read static Web pages. But an executable Internet will move computer code to user PCs and other devices, and create an interactive experience that will captivate people in ways that static Web pages never could, said Carl Howe, Forrester's principal analyst. The concept of creating an "immersible environment" for users stems from the concepts used in interactive computer games, such as "Doom," Howe told about 300 information technology executives. An executable Internet allows for "intelligent conversations" with resources via easy-to-use features taken from the Web, that can be instructive, entertaining and change with every use. One example of an executable Internet use would be an interactive investment Web site. When a user asks for the balance of his account, the Web site would give the number. The customer could then ask what are the best investment options for the money, and the site would then offer investment choices. Forrester predicts that the executable Internet will become the dominant medium for users who interact with the Internet by 2005, because it will help eliminate the wait common to using Web sites now, and will be as consuming and easy to use as video games and TV. A little further away from widespread use is the extended Internet, which will result in "Internet devices and applications that sense, analyze and control the real world," Forrester said, in a research report released in conjunction with the conference. The easiest example is a remote-control thermostat that can control temperature, Howe said, but many other processes are being developed for industrial use. One of the driving forces for all these devices will be the availability of inexpensive computer chips, which will find applications in everything from cereal boxes, where it could be used to track inventories or expiration dates, to machinery and heavy equipment to control them remotely. Forrester cites one example at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where the washing machines in one of the school's dormitories have an Internet link that allows students to check them for availability, and when the laundry's done it sends the student an e-mail. Business Applications But the vast majority of applications will be for business and industry where they will help companies become more efficient using their current assets and capabilities, said George Colony, Forrester's chief executive. The basis of it is software that acts as an interface between Internet features and personal computer software. Several computer companies are racing to get the lead in that now. "A bloody clash looms between Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) and Sun Microsystems Inc. (SUNW)" over the next three years as they seek to become the most-used applications platform provider for the X Internet, Colony said. Richard Belluzzo, chief operating officer of Microsoft agreed that the executable Internet "will captivate people in ways that static pages never could." Microsoft through its .Net platform is working to develop applications for the new Internet applications, he said, and "the entire company" is focused on the project, a process that began 18 to 20 months ago. "It's gaining momentum and gaining in clarity each and every day within our company. We're embracing a new paradigm about how we build our products," he said, Belluzzo said Microsoft's chief competitors in this arena will be International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) and Sun. Sun has developed the Sun Open Net Environment, dubbed Sun ONE, as its platform for applications development integrator of Internet features. Jim Mitchell, director of Sun's research laboratories said "we are already into the early stages of an Internet that enables things," and, as single-chip sensor devices become ever cheaper, more applications will be found. Those chips will have enough computational power to sense and communicate, he said. He said it is expected they will find medical applications either on the skin or under and will be able to monitor a patient's vital signs, and perhaps communicate it to a wrist watch that will collect the data to be forwarded to a physician via the Internet. Colony also identified the wristwatch as a site that will be used as a data collection and transmission point for communication to the Internet. Forrester Research, of Cambridge, Mass., is a technology research firm. -Frank Byrt, Dow Jones Newswires; 617-654-6742; frank.byrt@dowjones.com