Future Watch

Java, NCs, MultiWin Rank High Among Top Technologies for 1998

Although they weren't rated quite as high in importance as antivirus technology by respondents to a recent survey conducted by BYTE Research, Java, Multiuser Windows (MultiWin), and network computers (NCs) were ranked among the top technologies for 1998. Java ranked ninth overall, and MultiWin (eleventh) and NetPC/NCs (fifteenth) weren't far behind. By way of comparison, Extensible Markup Language (XML) was ranked twenty-fifth overall by respondents; antivir us technology was ranked first. Although MultiWin isn't a new technology, it has attracted quite a bit of attention lately due to Microsoft's beta release of its first Terminal Server software for implementing multiuser Windows on NT Server.

The majority of the survey respondent s didn't predict the mainstream use of Java, NCs, or MultiWin during the first half of 1998: As the figure "Mainstream Adoption by Mid-1998" illustrates, Java, the highest-scoring of these three technologies, scored just 19 percent in this regard, compared to 42 percent for antivirus technology. The implication: Many users are interested in Java, MultiWin, and NCs, but they still need to evaluate these technologies before making an organization-wide commitment to them.

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Mainstream Adoption by Mid-1998

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How Important in 1998?

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