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Sun Unveils More Linux Strategies

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the trying-to-sort-it-all-out dept.

A number of people have submitted the press release from Sun Microsystems about their latest announcements in conjunction with Linux. Highlights from this one include the promised release of "New single- and multiprocessor systems, to be announced mid-year, will use the x86 architecture and be capable of running thousands of Linux applications natively." As well, they are expanding the Cobalt line of servers, but even more interestingly they are going to "freely offer" parts of Solaris - but no license specified that I saw. They are also releasing "ABICheck", which should check compatibility between Linux/Solaris. C|Net is carrying coverage now as well. And it looks like Lineo and SuSe are going to get competition in the embedded and telecom support area - I wonder if that's tied to the OSDL announcement. It's good to see that they are getting on the right track - now let's hope they stay the course.

5 of 232 comments (clear)

  1. Linux = low to midrange, Solaris == everything els by kin_korn_karn · · Score: 4, Informative

    It's a marketing strategy.
    Solaris is known as "slowaris" because it is optimized for SMP systems. Single CPU boxes are cheap. Sun was getting rejected by potential customers because to get the full benefit of Solaris you have to buy a massive box. If they vend Linux then they can target both the cheapskates/small companies and the huge enterprise vendors.

    Linux runs well on Sparc chips, BTW.

  2. Also Java 1.4 out by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    I (together with many others I'm sure) also submitted that Java 1.4 (Merlin) has been released, which I think is pretty big news, but it seems that story was rejected.

    /LarsWestergren

    1. Re:Also Java 1.4 out by JewFish · · Score: 4, Informative

      Mod this one down. Informative usually means its true. Java 1.4 RC1 has been released at http://java.sun.com/j2se/

  3. Sun's Core Business by AntipodesTroll · · Score: 2, Informative

    To all the Linux zealots, proclaiming the death of Sun, who have never been inside a large data centre with expensive Sun kit inside it, I'll give you a hint:

    Sun's Core Business has nothing to do with Linux on cheap, commodity X86!

    Sun sells high-end systems, big-iron that competes with other high-end vendors. They make all the profit off hardware, JUST LIKE IBM, when IBM sells a big-iron server with either AIX, or Linux. So remember, these vendors are competeing with Hardware, not Software. Cheap commodity X86 isnt in the race for the very high-end.

    --
    Anyone who considers arithmetical methods of producing random numbers is, of course, in a state of sin.-John von Neumann
  4. Re:Sun-dried Linux by HeUnique · · Score: 3, Informative

    And now, in short time - you'll have iPlanet - Linux port.. read their press releases...

    (yes, once again - they're saying it's "customer demands")..

    --
    Hetz (Heunique)