Oracle will launch NC (network computer) clients and servers made top its design in Japan on April 15, showing off machines from at least two Japanese manufacturers at Oracle Open World. Oracle chairman and CEO Larry Ellison said the NC would populate one thousand networks in Japan from that day, with some 100 NC servers and 1,000 NC clients deployed across the country. Meanwhile, Oracle and the other four original NC Reference Profile vendors – Apple, IBM, Netscape and Sun will launch a revised specification on the same day. Ellison wouldn’t be drawn on the specifics that might have changed since the spec was first launched way back in May, but smart cards and mobile users are thought to be priorities. He added that vendors wanted to get versions of their products out before starting to alter the spec, but very few have managed that yet.
