I thought this was a great message on the future "network computers" that may be coming out soon. a balanced view that shows how there may be a niche, and that there are also places where they will not be appropriate. the NCs could really potentially change the computer and cyberspace as we know it in a very significant way. ------- Forwarded Message From: JimBurd@aol.com Date: Fri, 19 Jul 1996 07:59:03 -0400 Subject: Re: NC When the idea of the NC was first floated, I thought to myself what an absolutely terrible idea it was. But as time goes on, and I read more about the concept, I'm beginning to see that it has certain advantages. These advantages are going to be useful in two areas: corporate sites, and non-technical households. (Note: This does *not* necessarily mean that the NC is going to be a success ;) In a corporate environment, where many people in many different departments have PCs on their desk, the IS dept has their hands full trying to keep these machines running. (I know, I've seen it first hand.) People do *not* leave their machines in the configurations that IS delivered to their desk. People bring in software from outside the company (games, personal software, etc.), this leaves a gaping security hole (for viruses, etc.). As people change their machines around, it is difficult to 'borrow' someone else's machine because it can be configured radically different from what you're used to seeing on your desk. The NC would reduce the per set cost of each desktop (nothing to sniff at). The software that runs the NC would be completely under the control of IS. So every machine looks the same and runs the same. There would be a single central point for virus checking, etc. It would also eliminate a *lot* (or all?) of the piracy issues that lurk in the background; you can make sure you have a license for every piece of software that is being used. It makes backing up everyone's data a *lot* simpler; it's all in one place. Now, the NC is *not* going to fly if IS tries to put it on *every* desktop. The computer geeks (software & hardware) are going to scream bloody murder if IS tries. But then, these users generally know enough (or more than IS) to maintain their own machines. The NC is going to be most useful for secretaries (oops, I mean exectuive assistants), accounting, production personel, etc. It is this *potential* that is going to help sell the NC early on. Whether or not the software companies come through with products to help the NC work is going to be crucial. How *well* the whole thing works is also going to be crucial. Also, let's not forget about the need for a backup server. If the server (or the network) go down, the whole company can grind to a halt. Planning for this eventuality is going to be very important. In the home market, the NC is going to be targeted at people like my mother or my grandparents. Last time I saw my grandparents (about a year ago), my grandmother asked me about all those 'funny letters' at the bottom of the screen on so many TV shows. She was talking about the web URLs being displayed. I told her what it was about, and she asked if there was really anything there worth seeing. (I had to tell her the truth -- not really.) Anyway, the point is this: There people are *not* going to buy a PC. They know that they are expensive and can be very difficult & expensive to keep running. An NC offers the possibility (let's see if it can come true) of a relatively low cost and simple use. The software can be provided/maintained by the local service provider. Whether this is AOL, MSN, or an ISP is probably still up in the air, and there is no reason that they can't all co-exist. Also, imagine the current headaches of the ISP trying to help a customer get connected when something is wrong. Is it hardware? Software? IRQ conflict? There is so *much* that can go wrong. Imagine if the person calling has *no* technical background. Arrgh! Now, imagine that the person calling has an NC. They run *standard* software and connect to the ISP. It has the potential to be *much*much* simpler. (Again, we must wait and see if the potential pans out.) Now whether or not you 'rent' software, I don't know. I can see a sizeable market for this in games perhaps (like Nintendo, today). You know, try it before you buy it. I do *not* think anyone in the home is going to run Quicken on an NC; but in the corporate environment, this type of centralized record keeping makes a lot of sense. No more trying to back up the hard disk on everyone's desk. Anyway, that's my 2 cents worth. I look forward to looking back in 5 years to see how the whole thing panned out (or bombed!). Jim :)