The column's title is a play on the word "net" for total (gross versus net), networks as in Internet/Intranet/Extranet, and effects/FX. In this first column, entitled "The Era of Net-Centric Computing", I describe a few of the issues related to net-centric computing and hint at what I might cover in future columns. There is more to network computing than just thin clients!

Net-centric computing is not a technology per se; it is more of a collection of technologies that, taken together, characterize this new paradigm. The following table illustrates some of the separate technologies (and specific instances) that together constitute  net-centric computing:

Acronym overload? No worries. Orb is a CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture) server, DOT is distributed object technology, CBS is component-based systems, XML is extensible markup language, and TPS is transaction processing system. There are of course other technologies involved in net-centric computing; this is just a representative group.

For future columns, I will try cover a some of these issues in context. Possible topics include the changing nature of software engineering in a net-centric world, the use of virtual private networks to foster distance collaboration for geographically dispersed organizations, and the implications of high-speed access technology such as xDSL (Digital Subscriber Line) that is becoming widely available at relatively low cost.