Sun Recants Solaris Source Closure

wfaulk writes "Sun Microsystems, which, a few days ago, announced that they would be re-closing their source code, announced today that they would not be doing so. You can now continue to download Solaris source (where they verify the reversal)."

Comments

weeeee

[gol64738]

hi, i'm sun microsystems! we're like, cool and stuff so we're going to release our source code cuz that's what all the cool people are doing. of course, since our company is so bloated, we'll have to charge like, $75 to just cover the red tape costs.
(a few months later)
hey, what's happening? i thought releasing our code would make us cool and stuff. damn, what are we going to do?
hey! i know, let's say we're going to stop releasing our source so all the open source people will get their panties in a bunch! that's right, and then when we have their attention again, we'll open it back up again and we'll be cool and stuff! wow, we're really smart.

Most important lesson

[legLess]

Activism does make a difference. For every person who writes, emails, calls to complain when a large company pisses him off, there are whiners in the background saying, "It won't make any difference; why should a huge company like X even listen to you?"

Well, twice in a week two of the biggest companies in the world have listened to thousands of us, and done what we asked them to. We threw a collective shit-fit when Micro$oft revealed their Smart Tag plans, and they backed right away. We had another fit when Sun said they'd close the Solaris source, and they've now reversed themselves.

We haven't won the war, and we never will, because it will never end. But dammit, we can make a difference on issues that matter to us. Next time Company Y does something really obnoxious or stupid, remember one of my favorite Frank Herbert quotes: "The most important survival ability for any life form is the ability to change." Successful companies know this, too, and they do listen.

"We all say so, so it must be true!"

Sun as an OSS parasite

[Tim Macinta]

I always thought that Sun was just an OSS parasite, because they take but never give back (but again, I heard that on slashdot).

Sun purchased the company that made Star Office (Applixware), probably for several million dollars, and then proceeded to release it under the GPL. I don't know what your definition of "giving back" to the OSS community is, but that certainly fits mine. The open source community instantly gained perhaps the single biggest piece that it was missing for global desktop domination (an extensive office suite).

There are one or two other examples I could think of off the top of my head where Sun has "given back", but the Star Office example should suffice in proving your original source incorrect.