These simplified desktop machines (also called "Web appliances," "Internet appliances," and "Web terminals" -- each term stands for a different type of device, but the lines are blurring fast) are sneaking up on the edge of the market, with Microsoft, Oracle, and Intel pushing them for businesses and consumers who just want to use a terminal to access the Net. These machines used to combine the worst elements of standalone PCs and network terminals, and the experts expected to watch 'em disappear, or at best, find a small niche market. Not so. Dell, Gateway, Compaq, and NEC, among others, are pushing NetPCs for use in corporate offices who prefer their employees to have little or no access to the internal workings of the PC. NetPCs, which lack CD and floppy drives as well as expansion slots, seem to fit the bill. Now Philips and Cisco are offering telephones equipped with LCD touch screens that provide limited e-mail and Web access, for a hefty cost. Look for future machines to have USB ports, faster processors, and enhanced graphics capabilities. Oracle has released a $200 Linux-based Net PC ($376 with monitor) that, for now, is only being sold to educational organizations. These feature Cyrix Pentium-clone 266MHz chips and Netscape 4.7 browsers. Compaq is also tackling the market head on with its iPaq system, which comes in at a ridiculously low price of $200 after rebates, but not counting a three-year commitment to MSN at $22/month. The iPaq runs Windows CE and MSIE 4.01 -- not cutting-edge technology by any means, but designed with absolute simplicity in mind. Not for people with any experience in computing, but this kind of device cuts the legs out from under those who insist that they "just cain't figger it out." A chimp could run this one. Competition for the iPaq includes IBM's NetVista, the more traditionally configured Dell OptiPlex, Gateway's E-1400 and Connected Touch Pad (AOL-based and Linux-driven), 3Com's Ergo Audrey, HP's e-pc, NEC's PowerMate, the bare-bones, $99 Cidco Mail station, and the granddaddy of them all, Netpliance's i-opener (most known for the "pizza key," a key that lets you place a pizza delivery order with corporate partner Papa John's). And of course, there's always Microsoft's WebTV, which accesses the Net through the user's television, and the Net-enabled Sega Dreamcast. New out of the starting gate: Sony's eVilla, a $500 "net entertainment center" running a BeIA operating system and a 266 MHz Geode CPU with a mandatory EarthLink connection, seems to be disappointing reviewers and customers in its initial appearances. We'll see if Sony can shape it up in the following months.

Terms to know: legacy-free means that it requires very little maintenance, can't be upgraded, and has very little, if any, means for connecting older peripherals or running older apps. Legacy-reduced means there's a floppy disk, but probably no way to upgrade or enhance the machine outside of adding some memory or changing out the hard drive. Thin-client means all processing is handled on a central server; basically, you've got a terminal connecting to a central hub, and that terminal doesn't change. Compact desktop has some flexibility and upgrade capabilities; the design is supposed to take up less room on the desk. Mini-tower adds the most flexibility and power for users, and not coincidentally, is the closest thing to a real desktop PC. Well, actually, it is a real desktop PC.

Worth mentioning: the Screenfridge from Electrolux (www.electrolux.com/screenfridge/) is a refrigerator with Net access. Gives a whole new meaning to standing in front of the fridge with your mouth hanging open. There's the Margherita2000 washing machine from Merloni, that accepts commands over the Net (wonder if it does the ironing?), and the Ariston Digital Oven, which includes a small Web-enabled touch screen that lets users download recipes. Samsung is readying a microwave oven that links to various food manufacturers' Web sites, and Whirlpool has a whole kitchenful of Net-enabled appliances in the works.