Network Computer

The Network Computer, often shortened to NC, was a diskless desktop computer device made by Oracle Corporation from about 1996 to 2000. It was designed and built by an alliance that included Sun Microsystems and IBM, to a deliberately minimal specification set out in the Network Computer Reference Profile, which required support for standards such as HTML, Java, HTTP and JPEG. The idea was that cheap, diskless machines would be easier to manage than a full desktop and could run software delivered over a network. The NC brand also served as a marketing term meant to encourage many suppliers to build similar machines. It never reached the popularity Oracle hoped for, because ordinary personal computer prices fell below one thousand dollars, the available software was neither mature nor open, and home internet links were still slow dial-up. Implementations included the Acorn Network Computer, Sun's JavaStation and the IBM Network Station, and many units later served as X terminals. Today the phrase network computer is used for any diskless desktop or thin client.