Notes on the network computer

By D.G. Messerschmitt

In the class, we are considering a generalized view of the network computer (NC) as a device that provides the user with access to their applications and files while in the office, at home, or while nomadic or mobile.

The real question is a generalized one of where the applications and files are stored (generally on a centrally-administered server in the NC), where the application executes, and where graphics is rendered. What factors come into play in determining the solution that eventually wins out?

Here are some considerations that we need to take into account:

Cost to the user and their organization

Value to the user

Privacy and security

Human factors

Economics: network and path-dependent effects

Economics: pricing and how the infrastructure happens

Standardization

Inter-organizational design or coordination

Intellectual property