show. And, indeed, it could be a dangerous year if you guess wrong.
Our cover story this month takes on the issue of Java as a development platform, following on our November cover story about Java chips. Java softwa
re is clearly a broader platform than the chips, and we explain why.
Meanwhile, more opening shots in a war over who gets to dominate the computer industry were fired in recent months. At issue is what kind of computer is the right kind, and for whom? As the shadow puppets moved furiously around the stage, some of the images came into clearer focus.
BYTE has always taken the position that there is no one true computer platform for everyone, and we'll continue to be skeptical about anyone who says there is. That goes for Wintel as well as its challengers. So here's a scorecard:
The NC.
The Network Computer comes in two distinctly different flavors, anti-Intel and anti-Microsoft. (Well, actually it's more like two different kinds of swirl cones: One's more chocolate, the other more vanilla). Sun's anti-Intel thrust starts with its Java chip; others will use different RISC chips. While Sun has its own servers, there's no reason you couldn't run Java apps off any other server. You can
even run Windows apps in emulation mode. At roughly $1500 for a fully configured system, this is worth some serious thought for users with a few dedicated computing tasks of low-to-moderate complexity and little need for multiple peripherals. You'll save on the admin side.
Oracle, on the other hand, thinks Microsoft's Windows NT doesn't cut it. It has a better idea: an Oracle server feeding lots of low-cost (the now legendary $500 machine), low-function Intel boxes (after all, Intel's the volume client leader). Give this serious thought if your aim is to push an application or service into many hands that previously haven't used a computer.
The WebTV.
You know your aunt and uncle who are on e-mail now? Perfect for them, plus they can see your new Web site during the commercials. So far, this is the only really sub-$500 platform out there.
The NetPC.
The Network PC is a cheap PC, folks. Microsoft and Intel are making a lot of noise about making it easier to config
ure and manage -- wasn't that what Plug and Play was about? -- but this time they might mean it. Competition does have its value. If they can deliver, the NetPC is the right platform for what I'll call the low-power user. Many office workers don't really stress a computer, but they do a variety of things, use a variety of peripherals (scanners, digital cameras, bar code readers), and need the flexibility of a machine with slots and hard drives.
In the coming months, you'll hear lots of appeals from all these gods as they fight behind the curtains. Computing is too pervasive and important to survive on one model anymore, whether it's Wintel or one of the challengers. What we all must insist on is that none of these camps builds walls between their hardware and software and that of their competitors'.
Which brings us back to Java. As we move into a world that's about to have many more islands of computing, we may at last have a platform that bridges them. If the various gods behind the curtain don't cre
ate a host of competing virtual machines and extensions that recreate the nonstandard world of Unix, we'll get that platform. But to do so, we may have to pull back the curtain and force those squabbling gods to keep to the promise of Java. Or live dangerously.
Mark Schlack, Editor in Chief,
mschlack@bix.com
Living Dangerously
