Q) What do you mean by client/client/server?
A) The rise of mobile computing devices such as laptop computers and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), means the client/server model needs to be extended to take into account information access from these remote clients. This concept embraces the belief that both the mobile and desktop, or hard-wired network client, need to be equal partners in information exchange across networks and between each other. Infrastructure, both networking and distributed applications, need to take into account the requirements of people who need to get data remotely and exchange this with their co-workers, whether they are in the same office or whether they are using a mobile device in another country.
Q) What evidence does Apple have to back up this strategy and definition?
A) Lots of evidence: work trends; the rise of mobile communications devices such as cellular phones, pagers, mobile FAXes, and laptop computers; and the huge interest in Personal Digital Assistants. All these as well as Apple's successful AppleTalk Remote Access product clearly indicate a trend. Information access needs to be ubiquitous.
A main way of doing business today is collaboration. These work trends show that if people are going to collaborate successfully, their computing devices must be designed and tuned to work collaboratively. This means that no matter what computing device you are using, or where, you should be able to exchange data with fellow workers, access information and generally provide users with the same experience you get using a desktop machine and hard-wired networks. It's clear that to be truly useful, mobile clients cannot be regarded as second class computing devices.
Q) Client/Client/Server is not just an Apple phenomenon; it's also happening in the DOS/Windows world. What makes Apple believe it has better solutions?
A) The ability to provide integrated solutions across computing platforms, as well as Apple's proven track record in hiding machine and network complexities from users. Client/Client/Server is more than just an operating system issue, it's a question of the approach to computing various vendors take.
You need to see computing in a systems setting. PDA's do not lend themselves to desktop GUI metaphors because they are being used in different ways, mainly on-the-move (for example meetings) to capture information, rather than manipulating information like desktop systems. Similarly, the OS, networking, applications and information management metaphors across PDAs, servers and desktop systems need to be optimized and 'harmonized' so that the strengths of each computing device add to a total systems approach that makes it easy for the customer to do what they want to do.