JavaOS: Think Thin
While the idea of yanking out PCs in favor of $1,000 thin clients hasn't proved especially appealing to businesses, thin clients still have a place in vertical markets.

Although these client machines may cost as much as PCs, primarily because they're built for abuse, the big advantage they're expected to provide is ease of configuration and administration.

In early 1999, IBM Corp., Sun and other vendors are expected to begin delivering network computers based on JavaOS for Business from IBM and Sun (JDK 1.1.4). The selling point is server-based administration that lets clients be added, removed, reconfigured or updated from a software.

Products include OEM hardware adaptation kits, a software developers' kit and software- and hardware-enablement programs. Last summer, the companies set out to identify the key device drivers that will need to be supported on the vertical-market machines. Committed resellers include IBM, Fujitsu, Sun, Telxon Corp. and Toshiba.

IBM is also rolling out support at its nine global Solution Studios, so members of IBM's Solution Developer Program, Sun's Developer Connection and Netscape's Developer Program can test and certify JavaOS for Business applications as "write once, run anywhere" for free. IBM customers can use these centers at no charge to test applications.

JavaOS testing platforms will include those from Apple Computer, Hewlett-Packard Co., IBM, Microsoft and Sun. Actual certification of an application as 100 percent pure Java costs about $1,000 and occurs at KeyLabs.