Jini technology is an open architecture that enables Java developers to build distributed systems that are highly adaptive to change. As the complexities associated with building and managing service-based systems become clearer, more and more developers are relying on Jini technology's dynamic networking capabilities and service-oriented architecture to build distributed systems today.

In a sense, distributed computing has been with us since the beginning of computer technology. A conventional computer can be thought of as "internally distributed," in the sense that separate, distinct devices within the computer are responsible for certain well-defined tasks (arithmetic/logic operations, operator stack storage, short/long-term data storage). These "distributed" devices are interconnected by communication pathways that carry information (register values, data) and messages (assembler instructions, microcode instructions).

How This Book Is Designed
This book is divided into four distinct parts. I'll go over each section
in detail and give you a little background on its purpose and content.
Part I: Planning an Intranet
The first part gives you a little background information on intranets.
Many readers might not be familiar with the term intranet and its
implications. Some of the topics covered in this section are

Although the term thin client is relatively new, Network Computers in various forms have been in the marketplace for years now, along side traditional Intel-based PCs.