September 29, 1997

Reality Sets In For Thin Clients Running Java fades as selling point. New focus: access to legacy, Windows apps. By Mary Hayes t's becoming more evident that the conflict between the PC and thin clients will turn out to be more hype than substance. Proponents of Java-centric NCsare struggling to deliver mature technologies, and some are focusing their products instead on accessing Windows and legacy applications. NCR Corp. announced last week that it is reselling Boundless Technologies' NCs, but says it's positioning the systems primarily as dedicated, low-cost clients for accessing applications residing on NCR's Windows NT servers. Network Computing Devices Inc. last week introduced upgraded models of its NC but will market them as faster Windows and X terminals rather than as Java-based NCs. Although systems from both Boundless and NCD contain the Java Virtual Machine and conform to the Java-centric NC reference profile, their Java capabilities are limited. "Java applications tend to require a lot of processing capabilities," says a spokeswoman for NCD, in San Jose, Calif. "The PC is the best system for running Java." NetPC Woes Another thin-client approach, the NetPC, is becoming almost an afterthought. Intel CEO Andy Grove says he "would be surprised" if the NetPC was a phenomenal success. This, despite the fact that Intel co-developed the NetPC specification with Microsoft. Intel is also extending its Wired For Management specification, originally developed for NetPCs, to PC manufacturers. Last week, the company was testing systems from 22 PC companies to ensure that they met the specification, which includes remote boot, d ownload, and software-update capabilities. Still, vendors are heeding IT managers' demands for a client infrastructure that's less costly and easier to maintain, resulting in products and technologies that fall somewhere in the neutral zone. No Substitute For PCs In addition, most thin-client manufacturers are no longer trying to position their systems as across-the-board PC replacements. That's probably wise: Only 15% of 137 high-level IT managers surveyed by Zona Research in Redwood City, Calif., plan to deploy any type of thin-client architecture, including NCs or NetPCs, within the next three years. Nearly half of the naysayers said they wouldn't deploy thin clients because they aren't PCs; the other half cited bandwidth and network issues. "NCs were initially portrayed as $500 do-everything devices," says Zona analyst Greg Blatnik. "Quite frankly, announced products, technologies, and a whole series of things have not been delivered as predicted." Blatnik says Java has a role in the future, but not a significant one. "The No. 1 priority is Windows access, followed by Internet access," he says. "Java is somewhere down the line." The role of thin clients is narrowing. They're being used primarily as terminal replacements in the retail, financial, and manufacturing industries. Freightliner Corp. in Portland, Ore., is using more than 1,000 NCD NCs to provide manufacturing employees with access to data and computer-aided design drawings residing on Unix and Windows NT servers. Freightliner has a "tremendous interest" in Java and is planning a sophisticated intranet, but PCs will likely play a more prominent role in that infrastructure than thin clients, says Lloyd Hilliker, the company's systems project leader. "I couldn't even count the thousands of PCs we own," he adds, "and the cost would be staggering for us to dump all of those PCs and completely redesign everything." -- with additional reporting by Bob Francis Back to News in Review Send Us Your Feedback Top of the Page

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