NCs to hit the road

Eleven major hardware and software makers are developing a set of standards they believe will transform the Network Computer into a must-have mobile computing and communications tool, as powerful as today's notebook PCs, but simpler to manage.

The Mobile Network Computer Reference Specification extends the Network Computer Reference Profile Java-based NC standards proposed more than a year ago. The initiative is aimed at spurring development of software tools for thin-client devices that can be executed via the Internet regardless of the user's location, said Jim Mitchell, vice president of technology at Sun Microsystems Inc.'s JavaSoft unit.

The specification will result in "a whole new class of mobile information appliances," predicted Phil Hester, vice president of development at IBM's Network Computer division, in Armonk, N.Y., adding that devices based upon it -- but not necessarily having to run on the Java OS -- could hit the streets within 12 to 24 months.

The standards will be "microprocessor- and operating system-neutral, Java-centric, and built upon the NC reference profile standards," Hester said.

The standards will be submitted to The Open Group, the non-profit computing standards body, as soon as possible so that a certification program can begin, he added.

Joining IBM and JavaSoft in the announcement were Apple Computer Co., Hitachi PC Corp., Lotus Development Corp., Oracle Corp., Netscape Communications Corp., Nokia Corp., Sun, Fujitsu Ltd. and Mitsubishi Electric Corp.

Microsoft Corp. was asked to be part of the initiative but declined, Hester said.