“The colorful chairman and CEO of Oracle helped to launch a new,
independent venture Monday called The New Internet Computer Co.
(NICC). Funded by Ellison, the company will sell a $199 “non-PC”
device called the NIC (New Internet Computer) that has no hard
drive, does not run Windows, and provides access to e-mail and the
Internet.”
“The first NIC will be targeted at educators and will provide
students with a more affordable alternative to the PC for accessing
the Internet and e-mail, said Gina Smith, a former technology
journalist who was enlisted by Ellison late last year to be the new
company’s CEO….”
“The original NCs used a proprietary operating system and
had to be used in conjunction with a server that hosted its
software applications, she said. NICs, by contrast, run on the
Linux operating system and come installed with a 56Kbps modem and
Web browser from Netscape Communications, which is all they need
for accessing the Web, Smith said.“