Network Computer

Network Computer (often abbreviated NC) is a trademark of Oracle Corporation that was used, from approximately 1996 to 2000, to market a range of diskless desktop computer devices. The devices were designed and manufactured by an alliance, which included Sun Microsystems, IBM, and others. The devices were designed with minimum specifications, based on the Network Computer Reference Profile. The brand was also employed as a marketing term to try to popularize this design of computer within enterprise and among consumers.

The term, today, is also used somewhat interchangeably to describe a diskless desktop computer or a thin client.

The NC brand was mainly intended to denote and forecast a range of desktop computers from various suppliers that, by virtue of their diskless design and use of inexpensive components and software, were cheaper and easier to manage than standard fat client desktops. However, due to the commoditization of standard desktop components, and due to the increasing availability and popularity of various software options for using full desktops as diskless nodes, thin clients, and hybrid clients, the Network Computer brand never achieved the popularity hoped for by Oracle and was eventually mothballed.

History

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The failure of the NC to impact on the scale predicted by Larry Ellison may have been caused by a number of factors. Firstly, prices of PCs quickly fallen below $1000, making the competition very hard. Secondly, the software available for NCs was neither mature nor open.^{[1][not in citation given]}

Thirdly, the idea could simply have been ahead of its time, as at the NC's launch in 1996, the typical home Internet connection was only a 28.8 kbit/s modem dialup. This was simply insufficient for the delivery of executable content. The world wide web itself was not considered mainstream until its breakout year, 1998. Prior to this, very few Internet service providers advertised in mainstream press (at least outside of the USA), and knowledge of the Internet was limited. This could have held back uptake of what would be seen as a very niche device with no (then) obvious appeal.

Ironically, NCs ended up being used as the very 'dumb terminals' they were intended^{[citation needed]} to replace, as the proprietary backend infrastructure is not readily available.^{[clarification needed]} 1990s era NCs are often network-booted into a minimal Unix with X, to serve as X terminal. While NC purists may consider this to be a suboptimal use of NC hardware, the NCs work well as terminals, and are considerably cheaper than purpose-built terminal hardware.

Competition

Because many NCs did not use Intel CPUs or Microsoft software, Microsoft and Intel developed a competing standard called NetPC.^[2]

NC standards and drafts

Reference Profile

The initial Network Computing standard, the Network Computer Reference Profile, required that all 'NC' appliances supported HTML, Java, HTTP, JPEG, and other key standards.

NC extensions

This list may be incomplete.

• Enterprise Network Computer Product Standard (January 1999)
• Mobile Network Computing Reference Specification - This document is a working draft, not a standard (March 1999)

NC implementations

Acorn Network Computer

The Acorn Network Computer was Oracle's initial reference implementation of the NC. Its development was subcontracted to British company Acorn Computers.

Applied Data Systems Single Board Computers

This section is written like an advertisement. Please help rewrite this section from a neutral point of view. (December 2007)

• embedded computers by Applied Data Systems

Applied Data Systems embedded single board computers are pre-loaded with Windows CE+CF or Linux 2.6, Full Debian. Special OS Builds are available to OEMs. The Bitsy series has been used for years in a variety of Network Computers.

NetProducts NetStation

The first generation NetStation design and the NetStation trademark was licensed to NChannel, which provided the consumer equipment and Internet service (with associated infrastructure) for the UK market. After a few months, NChannel split into two entities: NetChannel (which provided the Internet service) and NetProducts which provided the consumer hardware.

NetProducts started working with Acorn to develop a next-generation product, NetStation II and started developing an email-only set-top-box (the TVemail). NetProducts went into voluntary liquidation in 1998 before either project was completed.

Sun Microsystems JavaStation

Sun Microsystems developed the JavaStation, a JavaOS-based NC based on SPARC hardware, initially similar to Sun's range of Unix workstations.

IBM Network Station

IBM also created a number of NC appliances. As with the later reference design, the Network Station used a NetBSD-based NCOS booted over a LAN from an AS/400 or IBM PC server. The Network Station supported local execution of basic applications, such as a web browser and console. In addition, X capability was also implemented to allow both locally and remotely run applications to be used on the same machine. In practice, the lack of real applications meant that this was little more than a hardware X terminal.

The IBM Network Station was originally based on the PowerPC architecture, but the final few models used Intel Pentium processors.

See also

• Diskless node
• Thin client
• Hybrid client
• Information appliance
• WebTV, a Microsoft-led competitor to the Oracle NC.
• Acorn Online Media, Acorn's 1994 video on demand set top box project, based on similar hardware and another RISC OS variant.

References

1. ^ Walters, E. Garrison (2001). The essential guide to computing. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall PTR. pp. 13. ISBN 0-13-019469-7. http://books.google.com/books?id=AwrQsOW5SsQC&pg=PA398&dq=information+network+desktop+computer+IT+appliance+date:1970-2005&lr=&num=100&as_brr=0&sig=qXs4I4h6ZEKVisWrGwM81r6m1ig#PPA398,M1. Retrieved 2008-05-06. 
2. ^ Cheaper Computing, Part I, Byte magazine, April 1997

External links

• FAQ from the network computers Usenet newsgroup
• Contemporary press coverage of early NC pre-announcements: http://news.com.com/Oracle+down+to+brass+tacks+for+NC/2100-1001_3-243680.html