If you had any doubts about Sun Microsystems' commitment to Java, its browser strategy should lay your fears to rest. The computer giant is developing not just one, but two new Web browsers written entirely in Java. The products, one brand-new and the other a revamp of the HotJava browser, will not compete directly with PC-based browsers from Microsoft and Netscape.
It seems as if Microsoft's lawyers are now the product managers for Windows CE, at least when it comes to Java development tools. Microsoft, apparently without warning, has yanked all Java tool sets, released and in beta, from its CE Web site. Developers have not only been left without support, but in most cases, without answers.
Oracle's new business
National Semiconductor has been so impressed with the thin-client technology it has deployed over the past 18 months that the company is hosting a CIO get-together at its headquarters to show off its new computing environment. The chip maker expects to save millions of dollars per year by converting end users' desktop systems from full-blown PCs to Windows-based terminals that rely on server-based applications.
The purchase of a rival by Network Computing Devices means NCD customers will eventually have thin-client desktops that sport a well-regarded technology for displaying video. In the short term, by buying the Network Displays division of Tektronix, NCD becomes one of the biggest players in a still emerging market - Windows-based terminals and net-work computers that rely on servers for data and applications.
Oracle's unveiling last week of its feverishly promoted Oracle 8i (for Internet) database will be a boon to Java programmers, observers say.
t the Thinergy '98 conference last week, Citrix Systems showcased two thin-client products still in development. A new offering, Ascot, will let IT managers fine-tune how end users work with specific applications as well as improve application monitoring capabilities.
Just over a year ago, the price of Citrix Systems' stock nose-dived on rumours that Microsoft planned to introduce its own multi-user version of NT to compete with Citrix's WinFrame product and to capitalise on the growing interest in thin-client computing.
Say the word terminal and most people think cheap. Think again when it comes to Windows-based terminals. The fact is, some end users may experience a bit of sticker shock when they see Microsoft's upcoming thin-client product
Thin isn't for everyone
