However, Chrome has several drawbacks, the first of which is its
Windows-centric technology. Developers who want to create platform-neutral
presentations will likely choose other solutions, such as Java or one of the
non-Microsoft streaming media formats.
Another drawback is the amount of client processing power that Chrome
needs. As the trend toward media-rich content gains momentum, many developers
are struggling to design media-rich solutions that work in a client-poor
environment. In other words, developers are trying to design solutions that
accommodate the lowest common PC denominator: a Pentium PC with an HTML browser.
But Chrome requires significant client-side horsepower, making the developers'
job next to impossible. Chrome pushes the performance bar so far ahead that
mainstream users won't see its benefits until 400MHz Pentium II systems become
commonplace.
Chrome's hefty resource requirements and its proprietary link to Windows
technology will likely keep it a niche technology for some time. Enterprise
customers and independent developers need to consider this fact as they assess
Chrome's place in their long-term plans.
—Craig Barth
Embedded NT to the Rescue?
Microsoft's decision to license component management technology from
VenturCom is the first in what many industry analysts are predicting to be a
series of aggressive moves by the software giant toward embedding Windows NT
into nontraditional computing environments. Microsoft's embedded NT strategy
calls for companies to adapt the NT operating system (OS) architecture for
specific vertical applications. For example, one scenario that officials at
Annasoft Systems (a VenturCom developer) have espoused is a home dialysis
machine that lets doctors remotely administer treatment from a Windows-based PC.
Other possible scenarios include shop-floor automation and data communications,
with NT acting as a process controller or a WAN gateway and router. (For an
example of a real-life application, see the story "Compaq Targets PBX
Market.")
VenturCom's technology is important because it provides the basis for
delivering a component-based version of NT. The company's Component Integrator
product lets developers integrate individual service-level components of the NT
OS into their customized builds. An Extended Component Kit (ECK) and
Real-time Extensions (RTX) kit let developers eliminate NT's dependency on the
keyboard and mouse and add realtime control capability.
Some analysts see embedded NT applications as a natural part of NT's
evolution from product to platform. For others, the idea of NT running medical
equipment is alarming. NT has yet to prove itself as a realtime OS, let alone
one capable of keeping people alive. Microsoft still needs to solve programmatic
problems in NT, such as what happens when a rogue application or service decides
to pop up a dialog box on the server's console. Microsoft also needs to
stabilize NT's code, which is in a state of significant flux. Cataloging and
putting NT's OS into components will be difficult because NT 5.0 introduces a
host of new services and capabilities. So, if you choose to venture into this
uncharted territory of embedded NT applications, proceed with caution.
—Craig Barth
Compaq Targets PBX Market
When Compaq releases its N Series of Proliant servers in the fourth quarter
of 1998, the company will be taking Windows NT into the PBX wiring closet. As
part of a new program being managed by its Tandem division, Compaq will
introduce a series of customized servers targeted specifically at the low- to
midrange telecommunications market, especially telephone companies (telcos).
Featuring remote management capabilities and a bundle of Signaling System 7
protocol applications from SignalSoft, Compaq is positioning the new servers as
cost-effective solutions for smaller telcos seeking to offer value-added
services, such as prepaid calling cards. Other possible applications include
location-sensitive billing and emergency roadside assistance.
Compaq is basing the new servers on its Proliant 850, 1600, and 6500
rack-mount servers and adding advanced fault-tolerance features, such as RAID
subsystems. However, even a robust hardware platform might not be enough to sell
customers on the idea of NT as a telecom solution. Vendors have found selling
organization-level NT telecom systems to PBX customers tough enough. Pitching NT
as a platform for telco-level applications could be a challenge given the
environment's requirement for 99 percent availability. Most current generation
NT configurations can boast 90 percent to 95 percent uptime.
Compaq's NT-for-telcos solution demonstrates a growing trend toward
embedded, function-specific implementations of the core NT operating system
(OS). From routers to gateways to fax servers, the idea of deploying NT as a
vertical application server is catching on quickly. (For more information about
embedded NT applications, see the story "Embedded NT to the Rescue?"
page 45.)
Microsoft now needs to stabilize the NT code base so that overall
reliability and availability can be brought up to the levels that telcos and
other mission-critical industries require. This improvement won't happen soon.
Microsoft has clearly indicated that the need for a stable code base will take a
back seat to higher profile issues, such as Windows NT 5.0 and 64-bit computing.
So until NT 5.x has been proven in the field (around 2002), customers need to
proceed with caution when evaluating NT as a platform for high-availability
applications, including telecommunications.
—Craig Barth
End of Article
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