IP: CAN THE NETWORK HANDLE THE NETWORK COMPUTER?

[Dave Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>]

CAN THE NETWORK HANDLE THE NETWORK COMPUTER?
With new companies every week enthusiastically endorsing the NC (network
computer) concept, some critics are cautioning the idea may not pan out. 
First, there are the consumers:  Gartner Group predicts that "the vast
majority of PC users will stick with PCs."  And then there's the network
itself:  "The concept of the network computer means you are putting a very
large burden on a very thin pipe," says a Gartner analyst.  Some folks
think it's just another high-tech hype job:  "The network computer is the
logical extension of Internet hype -- hype and mind share that is totally
out of whack with the value that it represents," says the director of
managed data services for CompuServe.  (Investor's Business Daily 29 May 96
A6)