JavaSoft director of corporate communications, told the news service. The report said the network terminals would run on HotJava, a new version of the Java programming language that will run directly on hardware systems. Paolini added that the company is planning to beta-test as many as 30 customer sites.
Paolini said Sun does not want to compete head to head with Oracle's much-hyped, consumer-oriented $500 Network Computer, which is scheduled to ship in September.
"Sun's focus has been on reducing the cost of ownership [for corporations] rather than the initial price," Paolini was quoted as saying. He pointed to a study from the Gartner Group market research firm that found personal computers on corporate networks cost an estimated $40,000 over their five-year lifetime.
Sun chairman Scott McNealy said earlier this week that zero-cost administration made possible by the Java architecture was a key selling point for Java.
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