Sun, Netscape, and Oracle view the Java technology as the next logical step in the evolution of enterprise computing. The basic premise of using Java for enterprise computing is that the “fat-client” desktop (the PC) is replaced by a thin-client hardware device, the network computer (shown in Figure 2-10 on the following page), which could be a Sun JavaStation or an Oracle version of a network computer. For example, press releases by Sun and Netscape describe the JavaStation (the Java terminal) as having a much simpler hardware design than fat clients, and, more importantly, the JavaStation is a stateless device. This further extends the concept of storing Java applets on a central server to a model in which all data, applications, and configuration information are stored on a central server.
Network computers will download Java applets.
FIGURE 2-10
Network computing allows Java applets to download from a central server and run on a Network Computer (NC).