Sun Microsystems Inc duly announced the JavaStation Network Computer at its self-styled ‘Independence Day’ event in New York yesterday, together with Netra j servers and software necessary to run it. And for a few months it will be only Sun servers that can support the JavaStation, at least until a common boot protocol for NC devices is agreed upon by the companies behind the original NC Reference Profile: Sun, IBM, Oracle, Netscape, Apple and their followers. No-one of course would venture when that might be, but Gene Banman, VP and general manager of Sun’s desktop systems group responsible for the device needs it to write a spec that third parties will use to configure their server software to boot JavaStations. Sun is out to destroy the WinTel desktop monopoly with reduced cost of ownership NC devices and will need all the help it can get from other vendors. The JavaStation uses a 100MHz 32-bit microSparc II RISC and starts at $742 with 8Mb RAM, keyboard and a mouse. There are two models; the desktop ‘coffee maker,’ a curious looking affair; ‘looks like an earthquake doesn’t it?’ said Sun CEO Scott McNealy. There’s also a more conventional brick-shaped design which can be hidden away. $1,000 buys a model with a 14 monitor and $1,565 buys JavaStation with 16Mb RAM and a 17 monitor. Being an NC it has no slots, no hard disk, no CD-ROM and no floppy drive, but supports up to 64Mb of memory and 10-baseT Ethernet. Flash RAM will be added next year for remote users along with 100Mb/sec – 10/100-BaseT Ethernet – plus other networking options including ISDN. All of the software, including the JavaOS, HotJava browser and customisable HotJava Views user environment – which with email, HTML browser, calendaring and name directory looks almost identical to Netscape Communications Corp’s next-generation Communicator client announced a couple of weeks back – is stored on the server. Currently there are two ways to deploy JavaStations. Either buy one of the of the existing boxes Sun has pre-configured with a new Netra j internet and Java software, or upgrade existing Solaris servers with a new Solaris 2.5.1 internet server supplement which includes a Java virtual machine, WebNFS and a bootp server. Sun’s created Netra j versions of the microSparc SparcStation 4, both uniprocessor and SMP UltraSparc desktops, the model 5000 deskside and 4000 rackmount SMP Ultra Enterprise servers. Netra j software is a superset of the Netra i internet server software – including Netscape Enterprise Server – plus SunSoft’s JavaWorkshop development and management tools (a just-in-time compiler is coming), an IMAP4 email client and IBM 3270 terminal emulation and mainframe connectivity software from Open Connect Systems. Netra j servers start at $7,700 for a SparcStation 4-based package supporting up to 50 devices, rising to around $200,000 for an Ultra Enterprise 5000 offering, capable of supporting thousands of NCs according to Sun. Shipments to large customers begin in December with volumes due early next year. On the application front Netscape’s Navio Communications Corp unit is re-writing Navigator in Java for JavaStation, and Corel Corp’s Office for Java and Applix Inc’s Anyware will ship in demo form, while Oracle’s Java-based business applications suite will ship when it’s ready next year. The name and other details of the suite will be announced by Oracle next week. Sun claims more than 450 ISV’s writing applications in Java, and won support from systems integrators including Andersen Consulting, Cambridge Technology Partners and EDS, and existing customers including First Union National Bank, Kodak, British Telecommunications Plc and CSX. Sun demonstrated the JavaStation booting from a Netra j and updating the same application across a Sparcstation, Power Mac, Network Computing Devices Inc network computer and a PC running Windows NT. While at present no third party server can boot a JavaStation, the Netras can supposedly start any NC. Sun’s customary tilt against Microsoft Corp included a version of Apple Computer Inc’s famous 1984-inspired
commercial for the Mac introduction in which Big Brother was replaced with a Bill Gates look-alike shouting More is more! Excess is beautiful! Send me a check! ‘How about we run it on MSNBC?’ quipped McNealy.
