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Technology Stocks : All About Sun Microsystems -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: H. Wai who wrote (10307)	7/2/1998 11:11:00 AM
From: H. Wai	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 64865

Sun Buys NetDynamics. news.com

To: H. Wai who wrote (10307)	7/2/1998 3:41:00 PM
From: The Ox	Respond to of 64865

Client/Server applications divide program functionality between the 2 types of computers. The Application Server is (usually) where all the programs and data reside. The client is the PC, NC or other device that requests (or downloads) a program and/or dataset from the server. The client will then run the program, process information (data entry, scanning, etc..) and, if there is data to be returned to the server, sends back the processed information for the server to update the main database. This way, processing can be distributed away from the server onto the clients. This reduces the network traffic as well as cutting down on the processing requirement on the server. It also reduces the storage requirements on the client end because the server contains most, if not all, of the programs and data require to run the application. A simple Client/Server application is using BarCode Scanners. The Barcode scanner doesn't need to have multiple programs residing on the scanner itself. The scanner requests a program and associated dataset from the server, downloads only what's required for that application (let's say taking inventory in a supermarket as an example) and then all the necessary processing occurs on the client, in this case the scanner. After the process is completed on the client, the data is sent back to the server to update the main database. Now the scanner can download a new application (let's say bills of lading or Order pick lists). There is no need to tie up the server while the client is processing information as in the old style Mainframe applications where each client had to be continuously allocated resources. Using JAVA to write Client/Server applications can open many doors if all devices (servers and clients) are cross-platform compatible. I hope this helps. I'm sure someone on this thread can explain it in easier language. Good luck, Michael

To: H. Wai who wrote (10307)	7/6/1998 11:35:00 AM
From: Howard Armstrong	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 64865

Acquiring NetDynamics is stupid. NetDynamics is a Java application development tool and application server (software that is supposed to make Java run faster). Is SUNW admitting that they were unable to write an application server on their own? Are they admitting that something is seriously wrong with Java ... that it has big performance and reliability problems? There are lots of unanswered questions: 1) NetDynamics completely relies on Visgenic Visibroker (CORBA orb). Visigenic is now part of Inprise (aka Borland), who also is doing a Java application server and is therefore now a competitor! How can you buy a company that relies on software from a competitor? 2) Is it really a good idea to make one of the most innovative Java companies (Inprise) an enemy? Weblogic, Silverstream and other innovative Java start-ups are also now competitors. Isn't SUNW undermining the whole purpose of Java ... openness? How in the world is SUNW going to claim that Java is an "open architecture" when they've made so many enemies of other Java companies? 3) I've used the NetDynamics 4.0 product, and it's quite buggy. SUNW is taking on big customer problems with this acquisition. 4) NetDynamics was actively shopping the company around. If you are trying to sell the company, something must be really wrong. How in the world could they be worth $170 million? 5) The NetDynamics product is very proprietary ... an application developed in NetDynamics must run inside the NetDynamics server ... it cannot easily be ported to non-NetDynamics environments. The Java API of NetDynamics is very complex and proprietary. It will be very difficult to integrate this product in with other things Javasoft is doing. This again undermines the "open" advantage of Java. 6) SUNW cannot expect much in the way of new revenue from this product. NetDynamics only had about $13 million in revenue in 1997. I think that most high-tech acquisitions are signs of trouble, and very few of them work out. You don't go out and spend this much money on questionable technology unless your own technology has even bigger problems. Something must really be wrong with Javasoft, and perhaps Java in general, and this does not bode well for SUNW. Hey SUNW, I've got a bridge in Brooklyn I'd be happy to sell you for $170 million ....