Network computing, hosted applications and thin clients emerged. Oracle stopped client-server development altogether four years ago. As with programming models, business models will restructure. In the past five years, we have witnessed a radical change in the use of computers-from computation to communication. By improving real-time communications, computerization can improve most business processes, including sales and support, which are fundamentally communication exercises.
Trade is a form of structured communication.
Excess inventory is a byproduct of poor information flow. Email was the Internet's first killer app. It was the first ubiquitous communication channel and will continue to serve as the transport media for many business communications. Many businesses are just starting to tap into this rich channel of communication with their customers, using products from companies like Digital Impact, Kana, Tumbleweed, and Tacit. In the next three years, we expect that 90 percent of direct customer interaction will be through email and the Web.