next up previous
Next: Network Computer Reference Profile Up: A Java Network File Previous: A Java Network File

Background and Motivation

Network Computers, or NCs, are ``low-cost, easy-to-use network computing devices'' [1]. The concept of the NC was introduced last year to address the costs and complexities of owning and maintaining personal computers (PCs). The two central tenets of the NC are

... to be cheaper and easier to maintain and use than PCs, and to provide access to corporate networks and the Internet. They are cheaper because they don't provide local storage, and lack the processing and video capabilities (as well as the other bells and whistles) that are standard on today's PCs. They are easier to maintain because servers control the software management, including downloading applications as they are needed, primarily using Sun's platform independent Java [6].




Michael John Radwin
Thu May 8 10:49:26 EDT 1997