There is another one of these articles on the web that essentially predicts
the end of the PC -- at least as a standalone processor. As I have mentioned
before, I rather strongly agree with this prediction, and have for some time.
The best place to process and retrieve data is -- and always has been -- on
the host, particularly so in a commercial environment.

This particular article is at:

     http://www.abcnews.com:80/sections/tech/CNET/cnet_pcnc981125.html

It's worth reading twice, in order to let the weight of what these people are
saying sink in. A year ago, Michael Dell said that he was absolutely opposed
to the idea of a PC being used as a terminal. Now, Dell is wholeheartedly
embracing the notion of a network/terminal computer, probably for no other
reason than the handwriting is on the wall, written plainly enough that it
can't be ignored.

The reason that Michael Dell (and others) have been so opposed to the idea of
PCs being used as simple terminals (whether web-based or not) is that such a
move puts a greater premium on low cost, where margins are extremely thin for
the PC manufacturers, than it does on constantly increasing performance in the
devices themselves. The PC only has to be fast enough to create its various
displays sufficiently quickly.

Wirt Atmar