Wired: Sun Tries Net Appliance, Again Sep 8, 1999, 15 :55 UTC (4 Talkback[s]) (5082 reads)
"Sun... unveiled a book-sized device
called Sun Ray, which foregoes what it
called previous 'half measures' in network
computing that have failed to meet with
much success.
Sun's innovation is a simple input/output
device, a keyboard and a switch for
connecting to the Internet or other
networks, with zero ability to compute or
process on its own. It follows the vision
of co-founder and visionary Bill Joy, who
says 'complexity should be absorbed in
the network, not thrust on the user.' "
"Sun also feels its network offering was
enhanced by its acquisition last week of
the Star office software, a suite of
applications being offered for free over
the Internet. Previous network computers
were unable to offer the word processing,
spreadsheet and other applications Star
provides, to compete with Microsoft, the
dominant office productivity software."
" 'The architecture takes computing to a
new level by taking it off the desktop,'
said Duane Northcutt, chief scientist for
Sun's information appliance division. "You
have something on the desktop that does
not have to be constantly upgraded and
maintained.' "
