computer science

New Internet Computer

New Internet Computer is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand New Internet Computer rather than just read about it. In short: The New Internet Computer (NIC) was a Linux-based internet appliance released July 6, 2000 by Larry Ellison and Gina Smith's New Internet Computer Company. The system (without a monitor) sold for US$199.

Key takeaways

New Internet Computer belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect New Internet Computer to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of New Internet Computer from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The New Internet Computer (NIC) was a Linux-based internet appliance released July 6, 2000 by Larry Ellison and Gina Smith's New Internet Computer Company. The system (without a monitor) sold for US$199. The NIC boots from a CD-ROM with a custom Linux distribution developed by Wim Coekaerts. It has no hard drive and no way to install additional software. The system's only non-volatile storage is 4 MB of flash memory. Ellison planned to sell 5 million units the first year, but fewer than 50,000 units were sold. The company shut its doors in June 2003. PC World ranked the NIC as the ninth worst PC of all time.

References

External links Internet Appliance Eliminates Hard Drive J.D. Biersdorfer, New York Times, September 28, 2000 Wim Coekaerts is Oracle's Mr. Linux Steve Lipson, Oracle Magazine Linux and the New Internet Computer Billy Hall, Linux Journal, February 2001

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with New Internet Computer

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what New Internet Computer claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to New Internet Computer before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about New Internet Computer ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of New Internet Computer

In research: New Internet Computer appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses New Internet Computer in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: New Internet Computer is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Computer-related introductions in 2000, Computer hardware stubs, Personal computers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for New Internet Computer outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study New Internet Computer in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what New Internet Computer means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain New Internet Computer out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is New Internet Computer in simple terms?

Why does New Internet Computer matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study New Internet Computer?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on New Internet Computer.