Watching the continued media focus on the emerging battle for the desktop between the NC and the PC and between Java and Windows, one would think the issues at stake were very clear.

But as more is said and more is done, it becomes clear that the waters are muddy. This point was brought home in a talk by Scott McNealy, President of Sun Microsystems, at March's CeBit, the largest computer trade show in the world, in Germany. As he is wont to do, McNealy, declared that he doesn't have a personal vendetta against Bill Gates and that he isn't out to bring Microsoft to its knees. He insists it's not a question, "of one versus the other. They are both going to win."

But the clear subtext of McNealy's talk was that this was war - an emotionally charged one to boot. One type of device will "keep you active" while the other "makes you productive." And there's more.

"The way ( Bill Gates) does it, he gets you to go out and buy your kids a PC since we all want our kids to be computer-literate," McNealy says. But why is "the only computer you don't know how to use" your Microsoft computer? After all, cellular phones and car computers are all no-brainers.

"We are all bludgeoned to death to think our children need to know how to work a Microsoft computer or they will be functionally disadvantaged. How many of us think our kids need to know how to work a telephone switch?"

Maybe it's an extreme analogy, but it highlights the difference between the NC and the PC: simple desktop units which require no user management versus high- powered, possibly over-featured computers, needing systems management to be performed by the user. Sun wants users to "use computers and they won't even know they did."

But, hidden in the depths of Mr McNealy's presentation, was a hint that the lines are not so clearly drawn. The public sees the thin client, aka the Network Computer, as a well-defined product in the making. The reality is there are numerous makes of the NC claiming the thin client crown. Sun's JavaStation differs in many ways from the US$500 units bandied about by other vendors.

"Larry Ellison ( CEO of Oracle) has gotten everyone confused," McNealy says. "He says an NC is a $500 PC replacement. He's wrong. An NC is a Java browser which can reside on any device you want it to from the smallest to the largest. You name the device."

It's this significant distinction about the Java approach to the NC which may enable Java to become the pervasive platform, present in everything from the smallest embedded devices to the largest servers.

"The $99 Java PC will be a Java Virtual Machine running on DOS," Mr. McNealy claims. "I really believe every device, every gadget, every computer will be an NC."

McNealy's main argument against Microsoft is that the PCs its software runs on are "activity generators" instead of "productivity environments." However accurate, it's a claim made out of emotion and desire for profit. Even if McNealy's right, his main motivation isn't really to help users become more productive.

Objectively, it's clear that each technology has its benefits. Java, for instance, is ideal for an internationally viable NC because it supports Unicode and hence makes multilingual computing much easier to accomplish. At the same time, the complete rejection of the PC environment is extreme. Any system administrator will tell you that PC users feel a huge loss of flexibility and control when faced with an X-terminal or JavaStation on their desks. Also, Windows and Mac users cringe at the look and feel of most X-windows window managers found on Unix workstations.

There are more examples of superior technologies and implementations on both sides of the fence. NCs don't require frequent expensive upgrades like a PC. But sometimes, you need the standardized open PC hardware architecture, which lets you easily upgrade your system. Administrators want simple-to-administer desktop clients like NCs. But they also need to deliver applications that people want to use, and most of the leading productivity software is PC-based.

As users who are interested in the best technology from our phones to our computers, we need to be cautious about what all these emerging camps are saying. We need to demand the best, most flexible and viable combination of these technologies. We also need to remember that not everyone will want or be satisfied by a $99 Java PC. Let's not get trapped into thinking that one type of device or even one class of devices can meet the computing needs of the entire world.

McNealy may have been joking and poking fun at Microsoft when he said that people will choose their computer based on the amount of free time they had. "If you have time you will choose Microsoft, if you don't, you will choose Java computing." But he was right about one thing: computers are meant to reduce our effort in time-intensive tasks and this can only be achieved by choosing the best combination of technologies. The choices are never as black and white as any one person or company presents to the public.

Source: Newsbytes