Gerstner Says Network Computing is IBM's Future

In an address yesterday at the Comdex computer trade show in Las Vegas, IBM chief executive Louis V. Gerstner said his company is focusing on what it believes will mark a new era in the computer industry--the concept of "network-centric" computing. Gerstner says network-centric computing, the ability to link computers of all types and sizes, will have a significant impact on business, education, and individual communication.

Gerstner announced that IBM is developing a new type of computing device that would provide a fast communications connection to the Internet and online services. Gerstner says IBM expects to ship the new machine, which some are calling an Internet station, early next year. IBM is not the first company to say it is working on an Internet terminal. Oracle, Sun Microsystems, and Acorn Computers have made similar announcements.