Issue 151 February 2003
Working the ’Net

HAVE IT YOUR WAY

Having seen the variety of choices, I think you can understand that there’s more to getting your application on the I-way than meets the eye. The question of whether or not to do it is the easiest to answer—a resounding "yes" in my opinion—but only the first.

Perhaps you’ve got a legacy serial port app and simply want to change the wire with no intention of upgrading the hardware or software beyond that. If so, Ethernet enabling is the way to go with a simple converter such as the Lantronix CoBox or i2Chip IGM7100.

If you just want to put a web-friendly face in front of your existing hardware with minimal software changes, web browser enabling is really what you’re talking about. The NetMedia SitePlayer is designed to do just that. And although I didn’t get into it this time, note that easy e-mail enabling is also an option with products from the likes of ConnectOne and Cermetek.

Maybe you’re starting from scratch and need a full-blown, Internet-enabled solution that can handle any and all protocols (e.g., web, e-mail, and FTP) as well as your application processing. That calls for a full-blown computing platform (à la NetBurner) with sufficient memory and MIPs to carry the load.

Yes, there are a lot of questions to work through, but take heart. The good news is that for every question you come up with there are folks working hard to make sure you can find just the right answer.