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Sun furthers open source commitment
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CommentsThe company has already released most of Solaris as open source, and is now promising to release the Java Enterprise System, N1 System Manager, Identity Management Suite, SunRay server software, developer tools, and more.
Sun is also planning to fully integrate all of this software into the Solaris OS, to provide an integrated stack called the Solaris Enterprise System. The Sun Java Enterprise System and developer tools are also available for other platforms, including Linux, HP-UX, and Windows.
Conventional wisdom has been that open source software would prove an inhibitor, at best, for revenue for a company like Sun or Microsoft. Sun, however, is now taking the opposite viewpoint, and company execs say that proprietary software is the barrier to revenue.
Some may question the wisdom of offering Sun software for free and releasing it as open source, from the revenue perspective. According to Sun executives during Wednesday's announcement call, the company receives about $100 million per year in revenue related to the products it is making free. However, Sun is banking on its customers paying in order to continue receiving support from Sun, rather than for the privilege of getting the binaries.
In addition, by providing the software in a more open manner, the company is trying to interest developers in using Sun's offerings. It hopes to expand the number of developers building applications on top of the Solaris Enterprise System.
According to Jim McHugh, senior director of software portfolio strategy and marketing, Sun's customers "love the idea of getting access to software at no cost, to build out products at no cost," but will turn to Sun for support when they deploy its software in production environments.
If the model sounds familiar, it's because companies like Red Hat and Novell have already been doing it for years.
Though Sun has said it would offer the software stack as open source, it hasn't specified the license or licenses that it intends to use yet. McHugh said that Sun had not yet decided on licenses, but that Sun's Common Development and Distribution License (CDDL) is a likely choice for some of the software. He also mentioned that Sun would be watching the GPL revision process closely.
Simon Phipps, chief open source officer for Sun, added that the company would be "looking for ways to contribute and be helpful" during the GPL revision process, but that Sun hasn't had the opportunity to create a plan for involvement in the process since it was just announced. Phipps said that he'd be particularly interested in seeing the Free Software Foundation "clarify some rules about code mixability."
What's not being opened? Well, for starters, Java. Despite the number of Sun technologies that sport the Java moniker that are on the path to open source, Sun's Java Virtual Machine (JVM) isn't on the list. Phipps said that Java is an open standard, and pointed to free software implementations of Java and and the class libraries, such as Kaffe, and the work being done by Project Harmony.
Software that came with Sun's acquisition of StorageTek is also not on the list, largely because the company needs to go through the code and verify that it is free of encumbrances that would prevent its release.
At this time, Sun does not have a specific timeline set up for the release of source code under open source licenses. McHugh said it would be a "rolling timeline" and noted that the needs to go through the code and "remove encumbrances" before it could be released under an open source license.
During the Sun teleconference, executives also mentioned the problem of patents as a barrier to open source, and the need to extend the reach of Sun's patent portfolio to protect Sun customers and the open source development community.
It would seem that it would make more sense for Sun to work towards abolishing software patents altogether, rather than half-measures that still leave Sun and open source project vulnerable to patent problems. Phipps said that it would be desirable to get rid of software patents, but "changing the law won't be done with a snap of the fingers." In the interim, Phipps said Sun would work to create "patent safe areas" for its customers and open source development.
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I don't see the point, given GNU/Linux and *BSD
Posted by: Anonymous Coward on December 02, 2005 01:10 AMFor now, I personally will stick with GNU/Linux and *BSD. I simply am not turned on by Sun's half-hearted efforts at freedom in this case.
Right <a href="http://business.newsforge.com/comments.pl?sid=48773&cid=116569" title="newsforge.com">here</a newsforge.com> and
The main loser (so far) as Linux advances is Sun Microsystems, one of the largest server vendors. Its Solaris software is generally deemed to be the most capable flavour of Unix, the family of powerful operating systems used in servers. But for many applications, Solaris is overkill, and Linux, a less capable flavour of Unix, is good enough. Many people who would once have bought expensive Sun boxes running Solaris are now running Linux on cheap, PC-like machines instead.
This has forced Sun to embrace the technology that threatens its existence. Last year, Sun launched its first Linux-based server. After several zigzags, it has now decided on its Linux strategy. As well as offering cheap boxes running Linux alongside its more powerful Solaris-based ones, Sun will include its server software with both Linux and Solaris, to make its Linux boxes more attractive and to allow users to “trade up” to Solaris. Even so,many in the industry believe that, thanks to Linux, Sun is doomed.
and <a href="http://www.newsforge.com/comments.pl?sid=48773&cid=116539" title="newsforge.com">here</a newsforge.com>
Sun engineers, update your resumes, start making phone calls. Your skills are transferable to the Linux community. And you'll be welcomed with open arms. Don't wait for Scott or Jonathan to kick you out onto the street the next quarter when Sun misses its numbers again and needs to satisfy Wall Street on cost cutting. You've seen the job losses over the last couple of years. You've survived so far. But most Sun engineers are very talented, and the not so talented ones have already been kicked onto the street. So there isn't any reason to expect you'll survive the next round of cost cutting.
Sun is doomed. It can no longer touch the top 500 supercomputers. It's still losing customers. It can't fight a worldwide community of developers for Linux. OpenSolaris is too little, too late. And just as with BSD, it doesn't have a chance not because of the code, but because of the license. The GPL is what made Linux what it is today. What allowed Linux to surpass BSD. Surpass Solaris. Surpass AIX. Surpass everything out there. Had Sun GPL's Solaris five years ago, then it might have had a chance. But Sun missed the wave.
Join the wave. Don't be consumed by it. Polish up your resumes, Sun engineers, and start putting out some feelers to the Linux community. You'll be snapped up in no time.
Do it today. Take the next step. Join the juggernaut. Don't get run over by it. Scott and Jonathan are set for life with all their options and golden parachutes. How about you? Do you have a golden parachute from Sun? No? Then do it. Update your resume. Start making some calls. Do it today. Don't wait till you are out on the street. Now's the time. Pick up the phone. We can't do it for you. Don't wait till Sun finishes morphing into SCO. Make the move today. We're waiting for your call.
Like in the movie "Field of Dreams", if you build it, the Solaris engineers interested in Linux will come.<nobr> <wbr></nobr>:-)
New people?
Posted by: SarsSmarz on December 02, 2005 12:09 AM#