To me, it seems obvious. Let's take a look at what students and teachers really need when it comes to computing. I think this understanding of and comfort with computing should be what we are trying to achieve. It has gone from not using computers at all, to mainframes, to primitive workstations, to advanced workstations, and on to network computers with amazing speed. It will probably be using something else by the time you finish reading this.
Business needs workers who are flexible and adaptable.
It needs people who can walk up to various types of computers in the future and feel comfortable enough with them to do work. We shouldn't be concerned with some hardware or software standard for educational computers. Let's keep our eyes on the ball. We should be concerned with giving students and teachers computers that meet their educational needs and allow students to become flexible, adaptable adults. Business people use their workstations for word processing, spreadsheets, databases, and e-mail, with a little web browsing here and there.