We are at a remarkable time in high-performance computing and communications (HPCC) technology. Research and development over the last decade or so is maturing rapidly, and can be applied in several important ways to real world problems. Further, most progress is perhaps from the confluence of technologies and indeed academic disciplines, including parallel and distributing computing, networking, and information science. In Section 2, we review the current situation with current World Wide Web (WWW), National Information Infrastructure (NII), and HPCC. We set the standard multi-use NII vision with infrastructure driven initially by the entertainment and information industries, but applied broadly over a range of applications from education to manufacturing. In the speculative Section 3, we suggest an emerging World Wide Metasystem, where the user interacts with WebWindows---the operating system of the WWW. We describe how a network of combined compute and Web servers can be harnessed in WebWork as a distributed or parallel compute engine. We believe that Java, from Sun Microsystems, is (an example of) critical technology, and we illustrate its use in some examples, including dataflow computing, software engineering, and education. We discuss other critical emerging Web technologies, including the integration of relational and distributed database technology, and the unifying middleware, WebScript.
In the final section, Section 4, we tie the technologies to a set of base multi-use NII services whose use is illustrated by seven application areas, including manufacturing, which is discussed in a little more detail.