Small box 'to end digital divide'

Discussion in 'Smalltalk' started by abu Hasan, Apr 30, 2005.

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  1. abu Hasan

    abu Hasan Administrator

    in the early 90s scott mcnealy announced the network computer with the slogan 'the network is the computer'. (if i remember well, it was in '95) a few years later in 97 he joined with larry ellison to unveil this NC.

    both of them were brilliant (and eccentric, loud-mouthed) engineers but awful salesmen. had bill gates come up with this idea, we would probably be running that NC today. but microsoft is alleged to have joined in the chorus of the naysayers. anyway, the idea met a premature end. obviously, the single biggest threat if it became successful would be to microsoft.

    without a desktop, what use would you have for the desktop os? (it is a bit naive, but that is how arguments were made.) of course we all remember that joke about 'paperless office'.
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    this idea is perhaps, as old as computing itself - we are just coming back a full circle. before the pc came along, it was the day of the unix terminals. i think it is not less than a decade before (and IF) we can doff the pc.
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    again, if noise is the problem, there are various promising alternatives like blades [clearcube for example]. curiously, i am so accustomed to the hum of the pcs/notebooks that when i switch them off [very rarely] the quietness makes me uneasy.
     
  2. abu nibras

    abu nibras Staff Member

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