Resellers Told To Bide Time In NC Race

Resellers should be wary of backing the wrong horse in the race to implement network computers (NCs), and should be cautious until a universal standard is accepted.

The warning came from a Bloor Research white paper ? The Enterprise By Other Means. The report predicted that Java-based NCs would triumph over Wintel?s domination in the sector.

But the research firm warned resellers that because of the uncertainty about universal standards, mass implementation could be held back. It was estimated that mass acceptance was unlikely to happen until well into next year.

Rob Hailstone, senior analyst at Bloor Research, said: ?It?s not like the Wintel situation where you can stick within certain guidelines. All we know about the network computer at the moment is that it will have a browser and Java applets.?

Another hurdle identified by Bloor Research is that there has yet to be a mission-critical implementation of a Java-based system, and until this happens, resellers should be wary of placing too much resources in network computers.

But Hailstone was confident that large corporates would find the cost-saving appeal of NCs too tempting to resist for long. ?The people who jump first will be the biggest organisations with the biggest overhead costs. The cost of change is high, but the cost of staying the same is higher.?

It is estimated that the cost of continuing with PCs for corporates will be high, but the cost of transition from PC to NC can pay for itself very quickly.