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NC's--the Next Generation in Computing

by Andrew Robulack --------------------------------------

Here's the system configuration for the next computer you're going to buy: 4 MB RAM, a Power PC CPU running at around 66 Mhz, a quad speed CD ROM drive and a built-in 28.8 modem. The box itself will be about the size of a stereo tuner.

It's not a Mac, it's not running Windows 95, and it sure ain't got OS/2. It'll probably cost you about $800. And it'll be state of the art. It's called an "NC."

"Wait a minute," you say, "where's the hard drive? How do I store all my files? Doesn't it come bundled with any software?"

Don't worry about all that stuff. This is a new era, and you've got to learn to shift your mentality when new eras roll around. The hippies did it when they all went out and bought Mercedes, so can we today with our CPU's. The NC will still do everything your PC does--and then some.

To realize the usefulness of your new NC, which stands for "Network Computer," you'll have to understand a few things.

The system configuration I've described above may seem a bit lacking. You've really been lusting after a PowerPC 604-150, or a Pentium Pro, right? Why? The real reason you want a feistier processor is so that you'll have a machine capable of handling today's bloated software demands.

The new mentality says this: "Get rid of that bulky software and strip the machine down, too. Think lightweight. Then think of the potential of being a part of the global Internet."

The truth is, the Internet has a far greater potential than we mere Web surfers realize. As fascinating as Netscape frames and embedded QuickTime movies are now, they're really only toys compared with what's to come. The NC will quickly change all that.

Remember Java? That's the portable, platform-independent programming language I talked about last week.

The NC, which, by chance, is also known as a "Java terminal," will take full advantage of Java's power. Instead of loading your NC up with a dozen applications that you really don't always use, you'll download Java applets from the Internet piecemeal, to perform certain functions only when you need them.

An example: your friend from Tucson just emailed you a WordPerfect document that she wants you to proofread for her. Simple enough, right? Not. It's a version 2 file. For Macintosh. How long will it take a Windows 95 user to find a translator for that? Days? Weeks? Months? Forever?

With Java, you wouldn't experience a problem. The file would arrive embedded in the necessary software for you to view it. Easy.

That's why NC's will not require any on-board software. All of the software you need will come over the Internet as mini Java applets The Java applets will perform the same functions as the spreadsheet, word processing and paint programs of today--they just won't cost $500 or more a piece. Every time you need one, you'll "rent" it for a moment, say, for 2 or 3 cents.

The applet will perform its function until you want to do something else. Then the first applet will disappear, and a new applet will come down the line to take its place. It will happen so fast--the average Java applet will weigh in at about 27k--you won't even notice the change in your software environment.

As for the lack of a hard drive on your NC, that's no big deal. All of your files will rest on your Network Service Provider's system, much as your e-mail and voice mail messages do now before you retrieve them. You'll just pay a monthly fee for the memory space you use.

Which brings us back to the Main Street conundrum I left you with last week.

In the coming age of NC's, all of your files would be available anywhere, anytime, since they are no longer confined to your desktop PC.

That phone on Main Street would also be an NC terminal. By typing your name and password into the terminal--or perhaps the NC would scan your face to identify your unique facial heat patterns--you can then access your computer files.

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