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Sun Works to Converge Linux and Solaris

Jucius Maximus writes "A new change has appeared in Sun's strategy as reported by CNET. Instead of dismissing Linux as inferior, it is now trying to integrate elements of Linux into Solaris for easier porting of applications. This looks like a step in the right direction for Linux acceptance in the professional server market."

284 comments

  1. GPL by Andrewkov · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I'm sure Sun's lawyers have been over this with a fine tooth comb, but if they integrate GPL code fron Linux into their OS, doesn't that mean they have to release the source for their whole kernel? Or is it just libraries?

    1. Re:GPL by the+red+pen · · Score: 5, Insightful
      Sun is making sure that Linux API's are available on Solaris. It is certainly possible to do this without having to GPL all or any of the code base.

      They are doing this so that Linux applications will port trivially to Solaris. This isn't an admission that Linux is as good as Solaris, but just that it's more popular for developers.

    2. Re:GPL by Gerdts · · Score: 1

      So long as they don't copy the code they are fine. It is well understood that you can look at GPL code to get ideas for how to implement things, then use the abstracted ideas to write your own implementation. Just don't cut and paste, or end up with code that makes it look like you did.

    3. Re:GPL by JebusIsLord · · Score: 1

      From my understanding, if you only link drivers into the kernel, you do not have to GPL them. Only changes to the kernel need to be GPL'd as well. I also believe that Sun's intention is to integrate more GNU applications, not necessarily kernel code.

      --
      Jeremy
    4. Re:GPL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      RTFA

      They're not moving any code between the operating systems. It's about implementing the APIs for multiple OSs to increase portability. There's not much difference between doing this and emulating Windows except the APIs are easier to inspect.

    5. Re:GPL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You, sir, are an idiot. Why don't you go READ THE FUCKING THING??

    6. Re:GPL by conway · · Score: 1

      They already have a "Linux compatibility layer" on their x86 solaris --
      it is basically a load-time translator which understands Linux's ELF and translates linux system and library calls into their solaris equivalent. This works because they're both on x86.
      I don't know how they plan to do this on SPARC, without a recompile of the app for SPARC.

      I do know that, for example, HP-UX on Itanium has (or will soon have) this capability, but of course only for linux Itanium binaries).

      All this is cool, and is basically leading to the commoditization of OS -- binaries run on anything, which is what we'd have in an ideal world :)

    7. Re:GPL by Florian+Weimer · · Score: 2

      They could port the GNU C Library, for example. Wasn't it first developed on SunOS anyway?

  2. Too little, too late? by TuxLuvr · · Score: 3, Funny
    This is a refreshing change of direction for Sun, but it may be too late in some instances -- as we all know, many companies are now phasing out their Sun hardware for inexpensive Linux-based solutions...

    What I would like is for FreeBSD to include Sun binary compatibility in 5.0, so I can run my Linux apps inside a Solaris VM under FreeBSD! ;^)

    1. Re:Too little, too late? by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Hu?

      Why should I phase out old sun hardware for cheap intel based hard ware? Linux runns pretty well on SPARCs.

      (Not to mention that most SPARCs I work on run SUN OS 4.3 and not Solaris)

      angel'o'sphere

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    2. Re:Too little, too late? by TuxLuvr · · Score: 1
      Why should I phase out old sun hardware for cheap intel based hard ware?

      Fair enough -- but Sun support contracts can really hit the ol' austerity budget hard, and the cost of renewal may not be worth it for some...depends on the situation of course.

    3. Re:Too little, too late? by NerdSlayer · · Score: 3, Interesting

      This is a refreshing change of direction for Sun, but it may be too late in some instances -- as we all know, many companies are now phasing out their Sun hardware for inexpensive Linux-based solutions

      But in the end, Solaris is still better than Linux on big iron, and there's more margin in big iron. While SPARC is on the way out for the workstation market, I think it'll be around for a long time for $20k+ servers, and so will solaris.

    4. Re:Too little, too late? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You shut the fuck up. No Intel doesn't provide support, but the people who sell servers with Intel in them do, jackass. You can only get SPARC from Sun.

    5. Re:Too little, too late? by davecb · · Score: 1

      By the time I plan to pull a server out of the front line, I'm probably also planning to switch the service from 24/7 to exchange-parts-only.

      --
      davecb@spamcop.net
  3. Putting features into linux by dingo · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Sun is trying to put Solaris features into linux.
    This strikes me as a very bad move. Why would you improve "competing" products. Now addmitedly it will help them sell more solaris machines but given the open source nature of linux wouldnt this mean the improvements could be relatively ported to intel...effectively shooting themselves in the foot.

    --
    The Borg assimilated my race & all I got was this lousy T-shirt
    1. Re:Putting features into linux by billstr78 · · Score: 1

      Becuase Sun could stand to benifit and possibly profit from a version of linux with some of thier well engineered and as of now, closed source OS code. How do you make money with Linux you ask? By selling support for the product. RedHat has been sucessfully doing this for years. Imagine how much better an enterprise version of Linux would sell if it had the Sun stamp of approval on it. Sign me up for beta testing. I have always wondered how the VM on Solaris worked anyway

    2. Re:Putting features into linux by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They're not putting Solaris features into Linux, they're putting Linux features into Solaris. That would increase the value of Solaris (because it can run more programs than before), not Linux.

    3. Re:Putting features into linux by putzin · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Not really, in my opinion. What Sun hopes to gain is two systems which are more or less completely compatible. So, if you want Sun's expertise and someone to stand behind your hardware and software (big IT houses), you call Sun and buy their big iron running Solaris. And then, with all the Solaris compat in the linux kernel, it is just as easy to add cheaper boxes doing all sorts of other work using Linux complementing the expesive big iron. Since they now (in the future, maybe...) both have transparent application compatibility, and both kernel's do things in a similar way, then the impetus to buy M$ is greatly reduced. Less IT training, more people who can administer both sytems. You haven't really boosted a competitor, but rather given yourself a new market.

      What confuses me about this strategy is that Sun has never been known as a company that would do what's right for the consumer, as much as it would say what's right for the consumer. For a while they could get away with it with little problem. Maybe now, given M$'s predicament, and that Linux isn't going away, they have to rethink their own borg strategy, even if it wasn't as blatant or heavy handed as the devil...oops, Bills.

      Anyway, as long as they don't have visions of forking or tuning the kernel in a very sun branded way, then this is probably a good thing. If they have visions of steering linux with Scott at the helm, then we may have problems. Hope for the best, so the disappointment can make you stronger.

      --
      Bah
    4. Re:Putting features into linux by 5.11Climber · · Score: 0

      You've got it backwards. Sun is going to build Linux features into Solaris. This way Sun does not have to make available any source code.

      This is a win-win situation. We get added features in Solaris and greater portability in Linux applications.

      Now if only Microsoft would think like this...

      --
      Arf!
    5. Re:Putting features into linux by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What's the difference. For higher end hardware SUN sometimes is cheaper than equivelent Intel based hardware. In fact manner times when you compare apples to apples SUN is cheaper more reliable and better than competing dell/compaq/hp intel equipment ( apples being functionality )

    6. Re:Putting features into linux by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "RedHat has been sucessfully doing this for years."

      Well, to say that they do it successfully when they have a massive minus-sign before their result each year is to streetch it a little bit :)

    7. Re:Putting features into linux by ratboy666 · · Score: 1

      If you want to know how Solaris VM works, get
      the book:

      SOLARIS Internals,
      Core Kernel Architecture

      Mauro and McDougall

      published by Prentice Hall, 2001

      --
      Just another "Cubible(sic) Joe" 2 17 3061
    8. Re:Putting features into linux by Tony-A · · Score: 2

      What confuses me about this strategy is that Sun has never been known as a company that would do what's right for the consumer
      That is the necessary paradigm shift. More and more computer systems will be interconnected and the various suppliers had better play nice or the customers will be looking elsewhere.

    9. Re:Putting features into linux by Seeker5528 · · Score: 1

      " Sun is trying to put Solaris features into linux.
      This strikes me as a very bad move. Why would you improve "competing" products. Now addmitedly it will help them sell more solaris machines but given the open source nature of linux wouldnt this mean the improvements could be relatively ported to intel...effectively shooting themselves in the foot."

      In a world where linux is becoming accepted as 'the common unix' why would a company whos primary profit comes from hardware view linux as competition.

      Later, Seeker

  4. "linux is where solaris was 5 or 10 years ago" by zrodney · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    "linux is where solaris was 5 or 10 years ago"

    says the current Linux evangelist at Sun.

    I really think solaris is way way behind linux
    now. What parts of solaris are more advanced than
    the simplest parts of linux?

    Look at iptables, ipvs, filesystem support,
    memory support, multi-cpu support.

    I think it's an odd thing for their expert to
    be so out to lunch, and say something so unsupported by facts.

    1. Re:"linux is where solaris was 5 or 10 years ago" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      You can't be serious. Scalability and SMP that actually works, a working VM and scheduler subsystem, a filesystem that doesn't destroy itself, superior networking stack and NFS code...the list goes on and on. Are you naive or just stupid?

    2. Re:"linux is where solaris was 5 or 10 years ago" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Multi-cpu scalability, dynamic partitioning, full standards compliance, advanced multi-threading, low-latency, fully-preemptive...

    3. Re:"linux is where solaris was 5 or 10 years ago" by I'm+Spartacus! · · Score: 2, Informative

      You're kidding, right?

      One of our Sun servers here has *28* UltraSparcs and 28 GB of RAM. How many CPUs can Linux support, 4? How much RAM, 4 GB? Not to mention that Solaris has NFS support that actually works well. And what do you mean "filesystem support"? Are you saying that being able to read/write FAT32 is something to crow about?

      Linux is not in the same league as Solaris for anything other that ease of use.

      --
      "War is God's way of teaching Americans geography." -- Ambrose Bierce
    4. Re:"linux is where solaris was 5 or 10 years ago" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Apparently you are, since Linux has all of these things.

    5. Re:"linux is where solaris was 5 or 10 years ago" by zrodney · · Score: 1

      just stupid, I guess.

    6. Re:"linux is where solaris was 5 or 10 years ago" by zrodney · · Score: 1

      really -- this guy must be getting blowjobs from the sun salesmen or something. but that's the typical sales technique in the industry.

      microsoft is more into whips and chains ;-)

    7. Re:"linux is where solaris was 5 or 10 years ago" by zrodney · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      you guys were ripped off.

      you should get something
      that is worth the price and stop listening to
      the people at sun that are trying to unload their
      overpriced old hardware.

    8. Re:"linux is where solaris was 5 or 10 years ago" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      Funny. Yet another sheep praising Linux without a clue. If you'd been paying attention, or knew anything about Linux, you would have realized that the 2.4 series has had a problem with everything the previous poster mentioned.

      There have been serious problems with almost every kernel in the 2.4 series, and the 2.2 series kernels were slow as hell.

      Really, what do you think you're accomplishing by lying about Linux's shortcomings?

    9. Re:"linux is where solaris was 5 or 10 years ago" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you guys were ripped off.

      You fucking idiot. Who makes a 20+ CPU machine cheaper than Sun?

      overpriced old hardware.
      I suppose your "new" reasonably priced computers came free in the bottom of a cereal box, right?

    10. Re:"linux is where solaris was 5 or 10 years ago" by I'm+Spartacus! · · Score: 1

      You don't know anything about our environment. We design VLSI ICs for high-speed networking applications. We are limited to an architecture that supports the tools we need to do deep-submicron IC design. Those tools don't exist on Linux: only on Solaris. There is no place-and-route tool for doing this kind of CAD work available on Linux, mainly because the computing demands are too high for anything other than the highest-end hardware. When there is, we'll consider it, but for the time being, Linux doesn't come close to meeting our needs.

      --
      "War is God's way of teaching Americans geography." -- Ambrose Bierce
    11. Re:"linux is where solaris was 5 or 10 years ago" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Okay, I'm always surprised about the over optimistic mind of the typical Linux zealot.

      Linux is just a fun hack, it not comparable with a OS like solaris. Just forget about it.

      Linux is good for putting up hobby-webservers and stuff like that but I would never ever run anything mission-critical on it. I know there are maniacs who do, they must have balls like basketballs, but I or anything else who understands what mission-critical means would.

    12. Re:"linux is where solaris was 5 or 10 years ago" by Tremul · · Score: 2, Funny

      "linux is where solaris was 5 or 10 years ago"

      Yep. It's on everyones servers

      --

      "Can't sleep. Clowns will eat me"
    13. Re:"linux is where solaris was 5 or 10 years ago" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      "Apparently you are, since Linux has all of these things. "

      Ugly, bad working, not made for anything serious implementation, yes, but for serious work you need a really good OS like solaris.

    14. Re:"linux is where solaris was 5 or 10 years ago" by X.25 · · Score: 1

      One of our Sun servers here has *28* UltraSparcs and 28 GB of RAM. How many CPUs can Linux support, 4?

      DEC guys ran Linux on 32 CPUs, on GS320. Check linux-kernel mailing lists.

      LinuxCare guys ran Linux on E10000 with 24 CPUs.

      How much RAM, 4 GB?

      DEC guys used 256GB. LinuxCare (on E10000) used 24GB.

      Not to mention that Solaris has NFS support that actually works well. And what do you mean "filesystem support"? Are you saying that being able to read/write FAT32 is something to crow about?

      No, but vxfs is probably one of the slowest filesystems on the planet. Now, don't tell me you use something else than vxfs on that 28 CPU box...

    15. Re:"linux is where solaris was 5 or 10 years ago" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The most difference is not the hardware capabilities but software stability. Linux has always been and are a unsinished hack.

      I know there are idiots out there putting Linux and open source software in mission critical environments but those are really clueless idiots. Some dumbasses in germany actually put MySql in a voting system. Can you imagine democrazy beeing handle but that kind of hobby project without any kind of itegritytests? Postgresql is a little better but also way to inferior.

    16. Re:"linux is where solaris was 5 or 10 years ago" by Derkec · · Score: 2


      Solaris provides the ability to scale, and has some pretty sweet reliability features. Scaling is one of those things Sun really cares about and that's why it's one of those criteria that it uses to measure itself against Linux. In the world of big servers, it's not so much about being 5% faster. It's about not crashing and being able to add more power with minimal or 0 downtime. Even look at IBM. Where it's using Linux, it frequently has a layer of mainframe or midframe proprietary OS hiding underneath to manage the nasties that Linux just isn't ready to handle yet.

    17. Re:"linux is where solaris was 5 or 10 years ago" by guacamole · · Score: 1

      Yes, solaris is ahead of Linux. That's not news and I frankly doubt Linux will catch up any time soon.
      Linux is a nice OS for desktop or a light server. Solaris is a perfect datacenter OS however.

    18. Re:"linux is where solaris was 5 or 10 years ago" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I really hate to tell you, but booting isn't the same as running. Linux doesn't scale, period.

    19. Re:"linux is where solaris was 5 or 10 years ago" by alext · · Score: 1

      Y'know, there's something in that remark.

      In 15 yrs of corporate computing I've been schmoozed by a lot of fun companies with the notable exception of MS... though they did help organize a couple of trips to Redmond for 'Executive Briefing' and souvenirs from the MS company store.

      With other outfits, I've been to Spain, motor racing, yachting (3 times), top restaurants the world over.... this was before the downturn, of course, though I would still definitely factor this into considerations of J2EE vs Dotnet etc.

      Anybody like to boast of MS freebies received?

    20. Re:"linux is where solaris was 5 or 10 years ago" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Linux most certainly isn't on mine, I prefer 'stability', ie, reliable/stable OS's and not just a poorly developed kernel with GNU utils + 'experimental' drivers in a production level kernel... What a joke Linux is.

    21. Re:"linux is where solaris was 5 or 10 years ago" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      His point is that they work a hell of a lot better under solaris than linux, and i think he is right. Linux does have advantages over solaris but not in these areas.

    22. Re:"linux is where solaris was 5 or 10 years ago" by kevinank · · Score: 2
      Linux scales pretty well. Maybe not up to the level of Solaris, but it does a quite respectable job on 4 CPU systems. On the other end of the scale Linux scales much better than Solaris though (or perhaps you have Solaris running on your iPAQ and just haven't told anyone about it yet.)

      In all honesty I'm not sure that Linux needs to get into data centers. At the E10k and Superdome scalability levels the OS is very much an afterthought. The only thing those companies care about are guarantees of less than 5 minutes downtime a year, and millions to Tpm. I think it is sufficient if Linux is on the network boundary between the backend systems and the Internet, doing what it does well (like giving killer network bandwidth.)

      --
      LibBT: BitTorrent for C - small - fast - clean (Now Versio
  5. The "Linux Death Spasm" Again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    You can always tell a company is on it's way down when it announces a major push to embrace Linux. Usually it means its products are not selling and it has to do something *anything* to keep afloat. This is not a good sign for Sun.

    1. Re:The "Linux Death Spasm" Again by TheConfusedOne · · Score: 3, Informative

      I guess they can join IBM in the ol' "Spiral of Death" eh?

      Puh-leeze. IBM has wholeheartedly embraced Linux and is stronger than ever.

      --
      --- I wish I could hear the soundtrack to my life. That way I'd know when to duck.
    2. Re:The "Linux Death Spasm" Again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ya and Dreamworks uses Linux for their movie stuff. Does this mean they are on the downward spiral as well?

      you = troll

    3. Re:The "Linux Death Spasm" Again by Derkec · · Score: 3, Interesting


      They realize Linux is popular and are building a bridge between their own high end stuff and more low end linux stuff. They are also improving their chances of being able to bail on Solaris and switch to Linux if that need arises in the next five or ten years. They also want to bring things like SunONE to Linux so SunONE will gain share over .NET. Long term, as mentioned in another recent interview, they'd like the OS of a machine to not matter much at all. Instead, your whole datacenter would be managed as some sort of super-cluster with Sparcs and x86s and whatever all running your favorite flavor and all working together and managed centrally.

  6. Flamebait alert... by Geekonomical · · Score: 3, Funny

    Guidelines for posting in /.

    1. Scan for news items that has the keyword Linux
    2. Cut and paste a few lines from the story

    Add lines lis (*) is in the right direction for acceptance of Linux.

    Anybody thinking about writing a perl script for this purpose? Lets call it postbot.

    1. Re:Flamebait alert... by TREE · · Score: 1

      http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&q=linux

      s'all you need.

  7. Duplication of effort by leandrod · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    While it is better than nothing, it sounds like duplication of effort — why keeping improving a proprietary piece of software if eventually GNU/Linux and the Hurd are bound to overcome whatever advantage it currently has?

    OTOH, this could be trying to give Solaris a lease of life while they prepare a real migration plan to GNU software.

    --
    Leandro Guimarães Faria Corcete DUTRA
    DA, DBA, SysAdmin, Data Modeller
    GNU Project, Debian GNU/Lin
    1. Re:Duplication of effort by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      why keeping improving a proprietary piece of software if eventually GNU/Linux and the Hurd are bound to overcome whatever advantage it currently has?
      I don't know. Maybe Sun's engineers want to be able to afford to eat?
    2. Re:Duplication of effort by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your naivety is so very sad. You really think that, don't you?

    3. Re:Duplication of effort by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hehe, It's always so amusing seeing people comparing for-fun hacks as Linux and other open source software with solaris. They are not in the same legue. :)

      If you put up a small website in your basement for your friend you can use Linux but for really mission critical applications you need a real OS.

  8. Cool; are they going to give it a name by zubernerd · · Score: 1

    I thought about possible names to give this porting project/hybrid... Lolasis (sounds too suggestive...) Sinux (sounds like the devil's OS... wait a minute thats M$-Windows, sorry) After my experience trying to install it on an x86 machine... SolarisSUX But wait I digress; what impact will this have on their SPARC chips...

    --
    Accentuate the positive, don't waste your mod points on the negative.
    1. Re:Cool; are they going to give it a name by Kynde · · Score: 2

      This reminds me of a screenshot my coworker took which I keep printed on my office wall. There's a yes/no dialog box asking to reboot Solaris after installing some software on it (cant remember what it was, but still).

      There's also my coworker's hilarious comment beneath it : "WINOLARIS ???"

      --
      1 Earth is warming, 2 It's us, 3 it's royally bad, 4 we need to take action NOW
    2. Re:Cool; are they going to give it a name by redactor · · Score: 1

      Not such a strange thing... You sometimes have to reboot Solaris after an Oracle install due to changes made to /etc/system.

  9. Why would they do this? by Jon+Katz+on+Tuesday · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Why would Sun go and ruin a good thing like Solaris by even considering such a poorly designed and useless excuse called Linux?

    1. Re:Why would they do this? by jo42 · · Score: 0, Troll
      Dear Jon,

      That is the most intelligent thing that you have ever posted on /.

      Linux Bad, FreeBSD Good, Beer Good, Pussy Better

  10. I think the reason's are different by aralin · · Score: 5, Insightful
    I'm software engineer, I have both solaris and linux workstations on my desk and to be honest, I prefer to work on my linux and run my database and hard computations on my Ultra-1. Why? Well, Solaris sucks compared to Linux in the ease of use and ability to script your work easy, man pages, utilities, ... and many more aspects. It might be superior OS in matter of stability or effectiveness to use the SPARC platform, but ...

    So they did the logical step. Looked in what is Linux better and try to incorporate these things in Solaris. I say, way to go. But its not to increase Linux's acceptance, really :)

    --
    If programs would be read like poetry, most programmers would be Vogons.
    1. Re:I think the reason's are different by gr · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Well, Solaris sucks compared to Linux in the ease of use and ability to script your work easy, man pages, utilities, ... and many more aspects.

      What makes you say that?

      You're using CDE, aren't you?

      You're aware that OpenWindows will happily run any window manager, right? And that any utilities you want to install will almost definitely build straight out of the box? And that you can use NetBSD's Zoularis if you want package management?

      At least, you must know about http://www.sunfreeware.com/, I hope?

      Solaris is actually a very good OS for a workstation. Its X implementation is really fast. Granted, the window manger they ship completely blows, but nobody in their right mind would ever user CDE anyhow.

      Give it a chance before you just presume it's crap because it looks like crap on the surface.

      --
      Do you have a /. uid shorter than five digits? No? Then piss off.
    2. Re:I think the reason's are different by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


      I'm software engineer, I have both solaris and
      linux workstations on my desk and to be
      honest, I prefer to work on my linux and run
      my database and hard computations on my Ultra-1.

      Have you ever really used sun's dbx? I think it blows away gdb for functionality and it's fully scriptable (it's ksh with built-ins for debugging.)

      I would give up my Sun workstation in a heartbeat if Sun would port their debugger to linux/x86.

    3. Re:I think the reason's are different by aralin · · Score: 4, Interesting
      You know, in large IT company you usually do not decide over what you have installed on your workstations. Said that, I'm actually using Gnome on Solaris (looked best for me) and I don't really criticise the window interface. CDE would be fine for me, since all I do is open several shell windows anyway and mozilla in one screen.

      The problems are more in the utilities that are missing some of the more useful switches, man pages that lack behind the linux ones usually, problems with handling symlinks and hardlinks until 2.8 and other minor things that just get on your nerves with time.

      Of course, I can use the GNU utilities, but I cannot write a script using them, because I cannot rely on customer having them installed so I just have to deal with the solaris's crappy ones anyway... do you get the point?

      --
      If programs would be read like poetry, most programmers would be Vogons.
    4. Re:I think the reason's are different by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I would give up my Sun workstation in a heartbeat if Sun would port their debugger to linux/x86.

      I'm sure Sun will get on it right away!

    5. Re:I think the reason's are different by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Of course, I can use the GNU utilities, but I cannot write a script using them, because I cannot rely on customer having them installed so I just have to deal with the solaris's crappy ones anyway... do you get the point?

      So you've never bother to learn the posix version of common tools? I've never run into something that was only possible (or even easier) using the GNU tools. If you work on Solaris, it's your fault for not learning Solaris. Only learning the GNU tools and than bitching that nothing but the GNU tools are like the GNU tools seems like a pointless exercise in bitching.

    6. Re:I think the reason's are different by bogie · · Score: 1

      "But its not to increase Linux's acceptance, really :) "

      That is not what the article is implying.

      "We want to use that (earlier Cobalt Linux work) as a model for getting Solaris functions and features" INTO Linux, Mehra said. Mehra declined to offer specifics of what changes Sun hoped to make other than improvements to how Linux handles common computing processes known as threads, changes Sun hopes WILL MAKE LINUX WORK BETTER ON HIGH-END SERVERS WITH MANY PROCESSORS"

      Also

      "Sun this summer will introduce its first general-purpose Linux servers, lower-end machines used for tasks such as delivering Web pages or sharing files"

      So while I agree that yes that are trying to make Solaris better, they obviously see a future for linux and are trying to improve and promote it.

      --
      If you wanna get rich, you know that payback is a bitch
    7. Re:I think the reason's are different by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      but nobody in their right mind would ever user CDE anyhow.

      What do you suggest as an alternative. Gnome? KDE?

      I've tried both Sun's Gnome and Ximian Gnome on my Ultra5 266Mhz workstation is more then twice as slow compared to Gnome on my 366Mhz Linux workstation. KDE is about the same speed...

    8. Re:I think the reason's are different by FyRE666 · · Score: 1


      Solaris is actually a very good OS for a workstation. Its X implementation is really fast. Granted, the window manger they ship completely blows, but nobody in their right mind would ever user CDE anyhow.

      Hmm, I was forced to use an Ultra 10 (400mhz) for a while a year or so ago when my box developed a motherboard fault, and it was so bad that I was literally driven to using a windows NT machine, and opening ssh sessions to the Sun machine. The interface (CDE) was horrifically ugly and clunky, like a bad video game from the 70's. 3D (not that I actually needed it but I saw the 3D badge on the front of the Sun's case) was at best pedestrian and Java compile times obviously slower than a low-end intel box. Even dragging windows across the desktop would leave a strange cyan trail as it failed to redraw fast enough, scrolling a browser page pegged the CPU etc. It made me wonder if if these machines employ ANY hardware acceleration?

      To be honest, if my first experience of a Linux desktop had been that bad I doubt I'd have become interested in OS. I've seen some fairly slow Linux machines, but even the cheapest kit I've worked with (those that had X installed) performed much better than that Ultra 10. Suns seem decent enough servers, but as a workstation, forget it...

    9. Re:I think the reason's are different by Pluralization+Troll · · Score: 0, Offtopic
      Let us now look at your usage of apostrophes, pluralization, and more generally, other words ending in the letter "s."

      reason's - This is the simple pluralization of a noun. The apostrophe is incorrect.
      solaris - This is a trademarked name, used as a proper noun. This should be capitalized.
      workstations - Here you have properly pluralized a noun, which also happens to be a compund word.
      computations - Again, you have properly pluralized a noun. However, "computation" also functions as a collective noun, in need of no additional pluralization.
      Solaris - Good! In this instance, you've appropriately capitalized this proper noun.
      sucks - Here we see the correct third person nominative conjugation of the verb, "to suck." Well done.
      pages - This is a proper pluralization.
      utilities - Here is the another correct pluralization, this time of an irregularly pluralized noun, "utility."
      aspects - Once again, you have shown competence in pluralizing a regular noun. You enjoy a better command of the English language than your subject line suggests!
      effectiveness - Here you have nominalized the adjective, "effective," (which is iself derived from the verb, "to effect.") There is usually no temptation to incorrectly use an apostrophe on nominalization suffixes, so your usage is unexceptional.
      things - Your final pluralization is another correct one.

      My overall impression is that the stray apostrpohe in your subject line is anomalous, and does not represent a greater pattern of improper pluralization.

      In regard to the phrase, "...ability to script your work easy..." (emphasis added), the word "easy" is intended to modify the verb "to script." When modifying a verb or an adjective, you must use an adverb instead of another adjective. The phrase, correctly written, would be "...ability to script your work easily."

      --

      To me, grep -e "'s" is like Batman scanning Gotham's skyline for the Bat Signal.

    10. Re:I think the reason's are different by Cyno · · Score: 1

      Besides its all a moot point anyway. In the next year or two of software releases all of this stuff will integrate nicely. And when we can finally require all systems to be upgraded to Solaris 9 or later we can begin to standardize on the GNU tools that will never be unsupported. Things are integrating nicely. Now if only we could get companies to standardize on the Mac for desktops it'd make all our jobs that much easier.

    11. Re:I think the reason's are different by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      The point he was trying to make is that the usability of Solaris sucks and what you said backs that up 100%. After every Solaris install i do i spend hours making it usable as a desktop box. With linux it is usable right after the install. I love Solaris and linux and this guy hit the nail on the head. They both have their pluses and minuses.

    12. Re:I think the reason's are different by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't forget that while Linux uses 'bash' as the default shell, Sun is still devoted to the original Bourne shell (maybe because Steve still works there?)

      I'm porting a GPL'd application from Linux to Solaris and you wouldn't believe just how much heartache the Bourne shell caused me.

    13. Re:I think the reason's are different by nakaduct · · Score: 2
      I've never run into something that was only possible (or even easier) using the GNU tools.
      There are niceties -- tar's switch to invoke gzip for one, bc's arbitrary precision for another -- but the killer for me is date arithmetic. GNU date will (a) give you time in time_t format, and (b) convert relative times ("2 days ago", "next monday") to absolute.

      Absent the GNU tools, you need perl or select awks to accomplish the first thing; the second requires non-standard Perl modules or painful ksh handsprings.

      cheers,
      mike

    14. Re:I think the reason's are different by Twylite · · Score: 2

      On the other hand, Sun's AnswerBook far outstrips all Linux documentation for ease of use and completeness. Linux needs to take a leaf from Sun and Microsoft's books of usability when it comes to providing documentation (both for developers and end users).

      --
      i-name =twylite [http://public.xdi.org/=twylite], see idcommons.net
    15. Re:I think the reason's are different by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well use KDE then. And what about fvwm2? It's pretty fast and configurable.

    16. Re:I think the reason's are different by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Yes, I wouldn't believe you. If you do your shell programming in any other shell than /bin/sh (which is always available), you deserve all the trouble you get. I hope you learned your lesson.

      Use for shell programming:
      • /bin/sh
      • perl
      DON'T use for shell programming:
      • bash
      • csh
      • tcsh
      • ksh
      • MSDOS batch files
      • zsh
      • anything else that's not /bin/sh or perl
    17. Re:I think the reason's are different by scrytch · · Score: 2

      Well, Solaris sucks compared to Linux in the ease of use and ability to script your work easy, man pages, utilities, ... and many more aspects. It might be superior OS in matter of stability or effectiveness to use the SPARC platform, but ...

      Actually, what I really like about Solaris is that most of the utilities aren't GNU, and thus don't have that asinine "the real documentation is in the info pages" excuse for a manpage that plagues most linux distros (I understand some distros run info2man to correct that ... not sure which ones). What with the utils not being gnu of course makes for some under-featured utils, but I try to not use gnu-isms anyway if I can help it.

      No, the all-in-one-giant-page format of manpages is not ideal for complex apps (it got really ridiculous for perl before they split it up) but it is handy for most utilities.

      NFS that works out of the box with all the wizzy features like failovered mounts is also nice...

      --
      I've finally had it: until slashdot gets article moderation, I am not coming back.
  11. Me too! by hangdog · · Score: 3, Informative

    IBM's AIX 5L has Linux integration...available now.

    The "L" stands for Linux Affinity.

    1. Re:Me too! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Which is basically equivalent to 10-year-old Solaris and some add-ons.
      Sun has been doing the same, only better, in the form of Solaris and the Freeware Companion CD for much longer than Johnny-Come-Lately but Lets-Shout-Really-Loud-About-It IBM.

  12. I'm waiting for the second release by Susky · · Score: 1

    The one that automatically whines in response to other peoples posts. Let's call it "bitchbot". ;)

  13. Competition with HP and IBM by Jah-Wren+Ryel · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This is at least as much about Linux as it is about competing with IBM and HP. IBM released AIX 5L where the L stands for Linux - they tried to re-implement as much of the linux environment as possible in the AIX kernel and include a bunch of GPL utilities. HP has got a linux porting environment or something like that which is mostly a port of glibc and headers plus utilities to HP-UX 11i. All three vendors have the same goal, to keep their proprietary unix from being completely replaced by linux.

    --
    When information is power, privacy is freedom.
    1. Re:Competition with HP and IBM by conway · · Score: 1

      Yeah, and the next version of 11i on Itanium (IA64) will support binary compatibility with Itanium linux binaries as well.

    2. Re:Competition with HP and IBM by 56ker · · Score: 2

      Looks like Sun have taken to heart the phrase "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em". Wouldn't using Linux just make their products more competitive which in this era is what all tech companies want to be?

    3. Re:Competition with HP and IBM by Surak · · Score: 2

      Right. What these vendors are doing is commoditizing Linux. The idea is that if you put all of the GNU tools, including glibc, gcc, GNU make, etc., along with some of the stuff typically shipped with a Linux distro, such as gtk, glib, Qt, etc. on a commercial OS, you can then compile most Linux apps (theoretically) without rewriting any code.

      Of course, OTOH, a lot of Linux apps are already written, with the help of the magic of GNU autoconf, so that they can compile on a commercial UNIXes using vendor-supplied ANSI C compilers.

  14. could it have anything to do with GNOME? by the_2nd_coming · · Score: 1

    perhaps they have found that porting GNOME to solaris was more difficult than it could be and have decided to intigrate features of the GNU/Linux OS into Solaris in the spots that made it tough.

    --



    I am the Alpha and the Omega-3
  15. Hm... by Wakko+Warner · · Score: 5, Interesting

    IBM did this with AIX a year or so ago, for 5L. You can (theoretically) compile any Linux application on AIX without any source code modification, and 5L ships with tons of Linux/GNU tools now, a lot of which are installed by default. Linux is suddenly (and rather quickly) becoming more than just a buzzword in the Real World (i.e. not just Internet companies.)

    - A.P.

    --
    "Remember when the U.S. had a drug problem, and then we declared a War On Drugs, and now you can't buy drugs anymore?"
    1. Re:Hm... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You have succumbed to IBM's Marketroids. You can do exaclty the same with Solaris and the Freeware Companion CD.... and Sun did it long before IBM.

      http://wwws.sun.com/software/solaris/freeware/

    2. Re:Hm... by Wakko+Warner · · Score: 2

      IBM and SGI have had Freeware CDs for as long as I can remember, as well. The difference is, IBM has been including the libraries and header files necessary to ensure source-code compatibility with Linux in the base OS now for about a year.

      - A.P.

      --
      "Remember when the U.S. had a drug problem, and then we declared a War On Drugs, and now you can't buy drugs anymore?"
    3. Re:Hm... by morbid · · Score: 0

      Er, um, and so has Sun, if you've been testing out S9.

      --
      I'm out of my tree just now but please feel free to leave a banana.
    4. Re:Hm... by Wakko+Warner · · Score: 2

      The difference is, you can actually buy AIX 5L.

      Do you run beta software in a production environment?

      - A.P.

      --
      "Remember when the U.S. had a drug problem, and then we declared a War On Drugs, and now you can't buy drugs anymore?"
    5. Re:Hm... by morbid · · Score: 0

      > Do you run beta software in a production environment?

      Yes. And I thrash the nuts off of it.

      Anyway, when you have the companion CD installed on Solaris 8, all of those libs and headers to which to refer are in /opt/sfw/lib and /opt/sfw/include.

      On Solaris 9, some of them have been moved into /usr/sfw/lib and /usr/sfw/include and Sun will provide technical support for them (the ones in /usr/sfw).

      --
      I'm out of my tree just now but please feel free to leave a banana.
  16. Wrong!! by rabbits77 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    This is like saying that MacOSX has opened doors for *BSD in the graphics art niche. Technically, it has but most of the people using it don't care and see it as 'Mac'. Same thing here. 90% of their customers will just upgrade to the new rev of Solaris and the fact that it has something to do with Linux will be almost completely ignored. No more than 1 bullet in the sales pamphlet.

  17. Solaris and Linux by Bloody+Bastard · · Score: 1

    As a first step, they might make their system calls and programs have the same interface (parameters) than Linux.

    1. Re:Solaris and Linux by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Given that Solaris has versioning in its dynamic loader I'd be willing to bet they will add Linux API's to Solaris.

      Solaris already has most of BSD's API's if you know where to look so its not too much of a leap to add Linux versions as well.

      Solaris is well ahead of BSD and Linux in most kernel technologys, its main drawback is ooey, chooey GUI stuff and thats probably what they are actually going to try and make "compatable".

      Look at most major open source packages older than 3 years and you'll see Solaris already is supported, its only in the more recent packages that Solaris isn't fully supported and usually because the people developing the packages don't know where to look in Solaris' API's; i.e. which header files and librarys to use.

  18. Sun by Apreche · · Score: 0, Troll

    should stick to Java. I mean their ultra sparc processors and hardware are all great. I would love to have an ultra 80 or a sunblade. But Solaris really blows. I mean, it's fast, and stable. They run it in th cs department here. But CDE is crummy. ease of use is horrible. linux may be crappier under the hood, but its shinier on the surface.
    Sun should stick to making Java. Besides their horrendously expensive hardware its the only other good thing they make.

    --
    The GeekNights podcast is going strong. Listen!
    1. Re:Sun by nakhla · · Score: 4, Informative

      It's fast and stable, and yet it sucks? What more could you want? Uhhh, hello! CDE is NOT Solaris. It's merely a front-end, much like Gnome, KDE, et al are front-ends. You can put Gnome on Solaris and suddenly it's just as shiny as Linux. Moron.

    2. Re:Sun by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They must let anyone with a pulse into RIT these days.

    3. Re:Sun by Arethan · · Score: 1, Troll

      You must not be very familiar with Solaris at all. Solaris is anything but "fast and stable". XSun is horribly lathargic, and Solaris is known to have core libraries that leak memory (which is why Apache allows you to set the maximum requests serviced per forked child).

      As for Sun making great hardware, that is more bunk. The SPARC architecture is an open standard. Anyone who actually uses these things knows that there are several different manufacturers that you can go to for processors and equipment.

      What Sun does well is selling their name, and R&D. Sun has been the first to come out with exciting new technologies on several occasions. They aren't always implemented in the best way, and sometimes they aren't even realistically useful tech, but they do put the man hours into it, which is quite commendable (especially when everyone is still whining about the economy).

      I'll agree with you about CDE though, it vigorously sucks donkey balls through a garden hose like a french whore on speed.

    4. Re:Sun by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You must not be very familiar with Solaris at all. Solaris is anything but "fast and stable". XSun is horribly lathargic, and Solaris is known to have core libraries that leak memory (which is why Apache allows you to set the maximum requests serviced per forked child).

      Hmm... That makes you a lying sack of shit grubbing for karma from 14 year old children. Did you pull that out of your ass or what? Xsun is faster than XFree 4.2 and certainly far more stable. Whatever the case, I've never heard someone confuse an X server and an OS before...

      As for Sun making great hardware, that is more bunk. The SPARC architecture is an open standard. Anyone who actually uses these things knows that there are several different manufacturers that you can go to for processors and equipment.

      So Sun hardware isn't great because multiple vendors can make Sparcs? Well, Intel and AMD must really suck because even more vendors use their chips. So not only are you a pathetic lier, but you're also stupid.

      So what is really your problem? Lack of sex? Too much sex with your mother?

    5. Re:Sun by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So what is really your problem? Lack of sex? Too much sex with your mother?

      Perhaps he's a french whore on speed.

    6. Re:Sun by nrosier · · Score: 1

      Could you point me to those core libraries that leak? If it's a well known fact, how come I've never heared of it and I have been dealing with SunOS/Solaris for the last 10 years.
      AFAIK XSun is based on the X-server from X11 and thus contains all problems/bugs that one has.

      SPARC is indeed an open standard/architecture. Fujitsu for instance also build them (PrimePower if I'm not mistaken). So if something is an open standard, it sucks by definition? No wonder MS uses all sort of closed/proprietary stuff.

      My main interest in Sun and Solaris is the nice technology Linux still cannot compare to. From the few things I've heared from the upcoming Solaris 9, it's going to be great; it might not change much on the surface (CDE is still there, OpenWindows is being faced out, Gnome will be available once 2.0 matures...) but under the hood, a lot has changed: Resource, Bandwith and Volume Managment built into the kernel, rewritten thread library, better memory managment (for those Gigabyte boxes).
      While Linux might look nice on the outside (I run it myself), it's kernel still cannot compare to the Solaris kernel.

  19. sunux? by tps12 · · Score: 3, Funny

    I have already had the idea to combine Linux and BSD to create LSD. This sounds similar.

    Sunux? Solarux? Linaris?

    --

    Karma: Good (despite my invention of the Karma: sig)
    1. Re:sunux? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hey dude its already out, its called FreeLSD located at www.freelsd.org

    2. Re:sunux? by Andrewkov · · Score: 1

      I would use it just so I could tell my friends I'm on LSD!

    3. Re:sunux? by bsDaemon · · Score: 1

      "combine Linux and BSD to create LSD" -- both of which, (BSD and LSD) came from UC Berkeley. Coincidence, I think not.

    4. Re:sunux? by ansible · · Score: 2

      Eh, I prefer the much shorter 'SUX'.

      I don't think their marketing people would like it however...

    5. Re:sunux? by iceburn · · Score: 1

      Lunaris - For Lunatics.

      --
      A sphincter says what?
    6. Re:sunux? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > Sunux? Solarux? Linaris?

      Well, there is only one possibility:
      GNU/Solaris!

  20. Sun not trying to help Linux by Gerdts · · Score: 5, Insightful
    This looks like a step in the right direction for Linux acceptance in the professional server market.
    This is not what Sun is intending to do. They realize that there are a lot more people out there that are writing code for Linux and making it a desirable OS to use than there are doing the same for Solaris. By making it easier to port from Linux to Solaris, Sun is trying to make it easier for developers to keep Solaris as a top tier platform.

    For instance, if you have installed OpenSSH on Solaris, you will have been forced to look into the various methods for getting /dev/urandom or a suitable replacement. After I brought this issue up and reminded Sun that they were trying to get to a Linux-compatible API, they backported their Solaris 9 /dev/urandom to Solaris 8 with patch 112438-01. Imagine my shock that Sun actually implemented one of my RFE's.

    1. Re:Sun not trying to help Linux by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why do you find it shocking? That's what RFEs are for. You describe why you want a certain feature and they implement it. Except if it's too much work for too little gain, of course.

    2. Re:Sun not trying to help Linux by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You arrogant prick. Thousands of people have been asking for /dev/[u]random for 5 years.

    3. Re:Sun not trying to help Linux by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Come off it. You're just jealous because Gerdts tricked Sun into patching Solaris and you didn't think of it first. It's pretty easy for you to sit back and pretend that you asked for the /dev/random patch now that Gerdts's hard work has paid off.

      What's that smell? It's the SOUR GRAPES of the GREEN EYED MONSTER!

  21. Sorry, but Linux *IS* inferior... by I'm+Spartacus! · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Here's the configuration for our largest server:

    HOSTNAME: grande, OS: SOLARIS 5.8, MACHINE TYPE: E6500 , USER: Server
    MEMORY: 28GB, SWAP: 9GB, PROCESSORS: 28 400MHZ, DISK: Fibre Channel Raid 136GB

    Linux can't come close to this kind of setup, and I doubt it will anywhere in the near future. Now admittedly, Linux is hurting Sun in a big way. Sun hardware is damn expensive. But we need that kind of hardware here in our shop, and Linux simply won't cut it.

    Sun is doing this because Linux is hurting them on low end hardware, not because Linux is in any way better than Solaris for anything other than skinning your desktop.

    --
    "War is God's way of teaching Americans geography." -- Ambrose Bierce
    1. Re:Sorry, but Linux *IS* inferior... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      The only thing that Linux can't do is manage that spec on x86.

      Max processors? 16 in stock kernel, 38 in some RH patches.

      Memory? 64GB using PAE means that it should handle 28GB in a better system.

      Other bits? Yeah, has drivers. What? You think those drivers don't work?!?

    2. Re:Sorry, but Linux *IS* inferior... by I'm+Spartacus! · · Score: 1

      What's the point of using Linux on anything other than x86 hardware? Why would you use it on Sparc instead of Solaris when Sun's engineers tune Solaris to work on that platform. Linux is not going to provide you with any benfits over Solaris other than savings on hardware. It certainly won't outperform Solaris on Sparc. Solaris is already free as in beer.

      Honestly, I can't think of a single reason to use Linux over Solaris other than to save money on hardware.

      --
      "War is God's way of teaching Americans geography." -- Ambrose Bierce
    3. Re:Sorry, but Linux *IS* inferior... by Andrewkov · · Score: 3, Funny
      But it's in Sun's best interest to pave a smooth superhighway upgrade path from Linux to Solaris for users that grow beyond their x86 hardware

      Oh yeah?? Well look at *my* setup:

      HOSTNAME: mofo, OS: SOLARIS 9.2, MACHINE TYPE: Z69000 , USER: bofh
      MEMORY: 64326GB, SWAP: 52376GB, PROCESSORS: 5800 2.5GHZ, DISK: Fibre Channel Raid 593271GB

    4. Re:Sorry, but Linux *IS* inferior... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How about not being locked into sun's shitty tools? Ever used Solaris tar? And fyi, for the price of the lowest-end acceptable 1U rackmount from sun (A Netra - there's one that's lower priced but doesn't even have a CDROM drive[!]) I can buy 3 Dual-1GHz+ P3 with 2 18 gig SCSI 10krpm drives -- I know, because this was the deciding factor in whether or not to use sun or linux/intel. For a small business, which do you think we chose?

      And how about the myriad things Linux can do that solaris simply can't, like packet filtering / nat?

    5. Re:Sorry, but Linux *IS* inferior... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Honestly, I can't think of a single reason to use Linux over Solaris other than to save money on hardware.


      Ummm... it's free? (beer, and freedom)

      I mean, come on, whether you find that a strong motivation or not is not the issue; however, the fact that you'd completely ignore it in a fit of Solaris bigotry punches holes in the rest of your argument.
    6. Re:Sorry, but Linux *IS* inferior... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Freedom to copy, modify, and redistribute the software you use is one. Not being tied to Sun for support is another.

    7. Re:Sorry, but Linux *IS* inferior... by wings · · Score: 1

      Not exactly the same, but here is a machine
      that might be in the neighborhood...

      An Interesting Boot Log on Alpha;-)

      Unfortunately, the Bootlog link at the top of the article is broken, but some of the relevant boot messages have been copied in user posts. This is back from 2000.

    8. Re:Sorry, but Linux *IS* inferior... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well I guess you weren't paying attention and got ripped off. Sun's $1000 1U unit does come with a CD-rom... What brand were those P3 systems and how much did they cost?

    9. Re:Sorry, but Linux *IS* inferior... by FyRE666 · · Score: 2, Funny


      HOSTNAME: mofo, OS: SOLARIS 9.2, MACHINE TYPE: Z69000 , USER: bofh
      MEMORY: 64326GB, SWAP: 52376GB, PROCESSORS: 5800 2.5GHZ, DISK: Fibre Channel Raid 593271GB

      Yeah we've had one of these for a few years now. They make great routers/firewalls to keep our REAL machines free for the serious work...

    10. Re:Sorry, but Linux *IS* inferior... by j-turkey · · Score: 1

      Honestly, I can't think of a single reason to use Linux over Solaris other than to save money on hardware.

      Here's one: Ease of use

      If you're going to be using open source software (ie Apache), its simply better supported under Linux. Fact is, a majority of the OSS packages out there were either written specifically for Linux, or with Linux in mind -- and Solaris has always been a secondary concern.

      This is the entire reason that Sun is trying to support API comatibility -- those OSS apps (ie GNU tools) are what make Linux so great (at least for me).

      Maybe from a performance and scalability standpoint, Solaris will nose away from Linux...but from a usability standpoint, Linux kicks Solaris' ass.

      Lastly, when I read about Solaris being free-as-in-beer -- that's only for educational users. (This may have changed, I only read about when they started offering it for free) The corprate user (Solaris' primary audience) still has to pay.


      -Turkey

      --

      -Turkey

    11. Re:Sorry, but Linux *IS* inferior... by X.25 · · Score: 2, Informative


      Here's the configuration for our largest server:

      HOSTNAME: grande, OS: SOLARIS 5.8, MACHINE TYPE: E6500 , USER: Server

      MEMORY: 28GB, SWAP: 9GB, PROCESSORS: 28 400MHZ, DISK: Fibre Channel Raid 136GB


      Nothing, in comparison to 2 E10K's I've played with last week. And you know what? That is nothing to GS320 with 256GB RAM and 32 CPUs, which had Linux running on it (check linux-kernel mailing lists).

      Bottom line is - Linux runs on big hardware. It's just that you never tried it.

    12. Re:Sorry, but Linux *IS* inferior... by Kiwi · · Score: 2
      OK, you want a Solaris-vs-Linux pissing contest. Fine. All I ask is that you put your money where your mouth is.

      Download my DNS server, MaraDNS. Compile and run it on Solaris. Fins the problems that MaraDNS has on Solaris and fix them. I have ported or seen my application ported to various OSes, including FreeBSD (it's in their ports tree), MacOS/X, and Windows (with cygwin). The only port that was less than trivial was the Solaris port.

      It took me about a day to get it to compile; then it wouldn't run at all. Running truss revealed that any network application needs /dev/udp and /dev/tcp in the chroot() environment; any multithreaded application needs /dev/zero in the chroot() jail. Things no other OS I ported MaraDNS to needed.

      Even after getting it to run, it would crash when doing even a very simple strees test that the Linux (and MacOS, and FreeBSD, and Windows) version can run without problem.

      This was on Solaris 7 (x86).

      If you want to impress me with how great Solaris is, I would deeply appreciate any help you could provide making this application as stable on Solaris as it is on all of the free *NIXes.

      Then, and only then, would I feel that Solaris was a useable OS with a helpful community; right now I see Solaris as a buggy OS with an arrogant community that I don't want to be around.

      Thank you.

      - Sam

      --

      The secret to enjoying Slashdot is to realize that it should not be taken too seriously.

    13. Re:Sorry, but Linux *IS* inferior... by awptic · · Score: 2

      I guess you missed the slashdot story a while back which claimed someone was able to compile the Linux kernel on some ungodly 32-way numa machine in under 8 seconds! That's right, 32-way! Linux is making _huge_ progress in the 2.5 developement series, such as the new O(1) scheduler, NUMA support, Block I/O, you can check out the 2.5 status page to see it all. Perhaps 2.4 can't scale like solaris can, but 2.5 will kick ass once it's ready. In the mean time, alot of the important patches are being backported to 2.4 (such as the new scheduler), I recommend the JAM patchset.

    14. Re:Sorry, but Linux *IS* inferior... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Back in 1997, I compiled GNU emacs (v19.34, as I recall) on an 8 CPU SGI Origin 2000.

      They were fairly wimpy 195 Mhz R10000 CPU's. It compiled, loaded the lisp modules and dumped itself in 9.3 seconds. It was a very impressive sight.

      I have since tried this on many non-SGI systems and none have come close. I would be interested to hear of other super fast compiles..

      I think the fast compile was due to multiple factors: GREAT build tool optimization; awesome XFS file system; awesome system bandwidth; SGI engineering's attention to both details and the big picture.

      Back in the day.. Sun 3/60's took around an hour to build emacs. And the old AT&T 3b1.. Sheesh..

    15. Re:Sorry, but Linux *IS* inferior... by Captain+Large+Face · · Score: 2

      How about this configuration:

      OS: Linux, MEMORY: 1.8TB, PROCESSORS: 1400 Itanium, DISK: 170TB

      Wondering if you'd seen this before? Here's your friendly reminder...

    16. Re:Sorry, but Linux *IS* inferior... by chainsawed · · Score: 0

      Download my DNS server, MaraDNS. Compile and run it on Solaris. Fins the problems that MaraDNS has on Solaris and fix them. I have ported or seen my application ported to various OSes, including FreeBSD (it's in their ports tree), MacOS/X, and Windows (with cygwin). The only port that was less than trivial was the Solaris port.


      hmmm.... I wonder if the problem is related to spelling?!

    17. Re:Sorry, but Linux *IS* inferior... by Bagheera · · Score: 2

      "Inferior" at what? I work in a mixed environment myself: Linux, *BSD, Solaris (6,7,8), and (*cough*) Win2K. While I agree 100% that Solaris scales to multiple processors at levels that Linux and *BSD can't touch, for the desktop I'd have to say Solaris is inferior - which is the point you're making.

      Perhaps, by incorporating some of the more 'desktop friendly' aspects of Linux into Solaris, Solaris will become less of a sucky proposition on the desktop - which is where most of the world's computer users live.

      Murphy knows trying to put Linux on an E65k would be nuts. Sun's Heavy Iron runs best on Solaris and usually isn't saddled with desktop apps. But for the Light Iron (eg: old Ultra5's, modern SunBlade 100's) - which are cheap by Workstation standards - a lot of the more friendly Linux features make sense.

      --
      Never attribute to malice what can as easily be the result of incompetence...
    18. Re:Sorry, but Linux *IS* inferior... by lewiscr · · Score: 1

      I never thought that I would see the day when a Linux Desktop is being ported for usability.

    19. Re:Sorry, but Linux *IS* inferior... by conway · · Score: 1

      The fact that it boots, does not mean it'll perform well!
      The main trick is not _supporting_ 32 CPU's, its using them effectively!

    20. Re:Sorry, but Linux *IS* inferior... by jdavidb · · Score: 2

      I use Linux for the freedom. I've had a taste of what the free software world offers, and am slowly migrating away from the proprietary world. I know that as time goes on, more people will follow, and the software will only get better. Ironically, I use Linux on non-Intel hardware, too: I use Debian-macppc.

    21. Re:Sorry, but Linux *IS* inferior... by Pluralization+Troll · · Score: 0
      This looks like a job for....

      Oh wait, never mind.

      --

      To me, grep -e "'s" is like Batman scanning Gotham's skyline for the Bat Signal.

    22. Re:Sorry, but Linux *IS* inferior... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You work for the NSA too?

    23. Re:Sorry, but Linux *IS* inferior... by smaug195 · · Score: 1

      There is a vast diffrence between a cluster, and a single machine.

    24. Re:Sorry, but Linux *IS* inferior... by Yankovic · · Score: 1

      I remember the story, but wasn't it just *COMPILE* and not *RUN*? Just curious

    25. Re:Sorry, but Linux *IS* inferior... by RFC959 · · Score: 2
      Here's one: Ease of use
      Ease of use for what? They're both Unix; they're about the same thing from a user standpoint, except that Solaris actually has some useful troubleshooting tools. Solaris' iostat, for example, absolutely destroys the freeware version available for Linux. Hot-swapping devices is also very mature under Solaris; I wouldn't dare try using Linux's hot-swapping in a production environment.
      If you're going to be using open source software (ie Apache), its simply better supported under Linux.
      Again, bullcrap. Do you have any evidence at all to support this? Apache works fine under Solaris and has for years. Many, many people run Apache on Solaris. Where's your evidence for the idea that problems with Apache on Solaris don't get fixed as fast as problems with Apache on Linux?
      Lastly, when I read about Solaris being free-as-in-beer -- that's only for educational users. (This may have changed, I only read about when they started offering it for free) The corprate user (Solaris' primary audience) still has to pay.
      Well, now we know you're talking out of your ass. Solaris 7 and 8 (and soon, 9) have been free for all hosts with eight or fewer processors, except for media cost (which is admittedly rather inflated). For everyone.

      Look, I'm not gratuitously bashing Linux - I'm typing this on a Linux machine. I run Linux at home and at work. But I would suggest that you go out and get a few years of experience using both of them in "enterprise" environments. You will quickly discover what Linux's shortcomings are.

    26. Re:Sorry, but Linux *IS* inferior... by j-turkey · · Score: 1

      Lastly, when I read about Solaris being free-as-in-beer -- that's only for educational users. (This may have changed, I only read about when they started offering it for free) The corprate user (Solaris' primary audience) still has to pay.

      &nbsp Well, now we know you're talking out of your ass. Solaris 7 and 8 (and soon, 9)
      &nbsp have been free for all hosts with eight or fewer processors, except for media cost
      &nbsp(which is admittedly rather inflated). For everyone.


      Did you read what I said? I pretty clearly stated that that this may have changed. Check your history.

      Normally, I'd try to have it out with you about this, I'm pretty open-minded about this kind of stuff -- but you're way out of line. Would you talk like that to my face? I'd probably punch you in the nose.

      Really though -- I've used a number of Unixes and Unix-like OS'es in the enterprise on an SA level, we might have had a pretty cool discussion, hashed out some good points...but hey, you're a prick -- you lose.


      Grow up -- play nice.
      -Turkey

      --

      -Turkey

    27. Re:Sorry, but Linux *IS* inferior... by Mistah+Blue · · Score: 1

      There is a big difference between NUMA and SMP.

    28. Re:Sorry, but Linux *IS* inferior... by Alexander+Poquet · · Score: 1

      I think I understand (and agree) with the thrust of this post, but I think that it's important to qualify your statement. Inferiority is extremely subjective. Linux is inferior in terms of scalability, stability, and such, on high end hardware. As much as I wish it weren't so, that's just how it is.

      However, Linux is not inferior in some other respects -- Linux is a pleasure to work with (especially Debian) and Solaris is not. Solaris is a major, major pain in the ass.

      We hold these truths to be self-evident, as some famous guy once said. Anyone that has ever extensively administered both OS understands that there are places Solaris excels and others where Linux excels. Saying one is inferior without qualifying your statement is silly.

      So now the question is why? I have a thought on this. Linux is, by in large, a free (non-funded) development effort. This is one of the things that makes it scream on older hardware and futz up on the bleeding edge stuff -- you need time for free software developers to get the new stuff working because most companies don't support Linux.

      Sun big-iron servers and their ilk cost a lot of money. Much more than the average Free Software developer could possibly afford. As a result, Linux is not (and cannot easily be) tuned for these systems. Is it any wonder that it doesn't run well on them?

      Solaris is designed to be the sort of OS that runs these servers -- it's not meant to have nice, user friendly tools, and increasingly Sun is coming to terms with the fact that people prefer Linux's interface to Solaris'. But Solaris will probably always be ahead of Linux in the server market, because Sun has a lot of these servers to dev Solaris on (they make them, after all) and the Free Software Linux core will never be able to afford these machines -- and since most people don't run them it's arguably a waste of effort. And unless you're a real Free as in Freedom advocate, there's no reason not to run Solaris on these machines. It's free as in beer anyway and you know it's going to work on your 64 way Sun server.

      For really expensive hardware, it's just not workable to have good Free Software. No one is making FreeMVS, for example. Where would you test it? No one has a 2 million dollar IBM mainframe just sitting at home for development.

      See what I mean?

    29. Re:Sorry, but Linux *IS* inferior... by RFC959 · · Score: 2
      OK, granted, I was kind of pissed off in general yesterday, and I probably spoke more harshly than I should have, for which I apologize. Still -
      Did you read what I said? I pretty clearly stated that that this may have changed. Check your history.
      Yes, you did state that this may have changed. Did you check it? You're obviously at a computer with internet access, as evidenced by the fact you're posting on Slashdot. It takes about 60 seconds to check what the current licensing situation is for Solaris, but you didn't do it, preferring to talk off the top of your head.

      I think you're out of line. You make points for which you provide no evidence, and you seem to be arguing for your right to do so. Maybe I wouldn't talk to you like that in person, but I'm a pretty blunt person, and I call a spade a spade - I've told off my bosses to their faces - and maybe you would punch me in the nose. :-) If I think you're talking shit, I'm going to call you on it. If you think I'm talking shit, I want you to call me on it! I'm sorry you think I'm a prick. I apologize for speaking so rudely. You seem like a pretty clued individual, and maybe you do have a good reason for saying what you do. Truce?

    30. Re:Sorry, but Linux *IS* inferior... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I agree with you. Turkey is obviously a FUCKHEAD who couldn't be bothered checking his facts before posting nonsense to Slashdot.

      Check your facts before you post nonsense to Slashdot! I always do!

    31. Re:Sorry, but Linux *IS* inferior... by olau · · Score: 1

      Check your facts before you post nonsense to Slashdot! I always do!

      What? Post nonsense? :-)

    32. Re:Sorry, but Linux *IS* inferior... by j-turkey · · Score: 1

      Truce? Sure man -- sorry I flipped out. :)


      -Turkey

      --

      -Turkey

    33. Re:Sorry, but Linux *IS* inferior... by Kiwi · · Score: 1
      Could you please help me get MaraDNS to be as stable on Solaris as it is on Linux then?

      As an aside, why is it that Solaris advocates have this big need to hide their identities? Most Linux advocates here have a link to their home page so I can actually get a chance to know the person I am debating. What is it that Solaris people have to hide?

      - Sam

      --

      The secret to enjoying Slashdot is to realize that it should not be taken too seriously.

  22. x86? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    What about the x86 version of Solaris? Are there plans to implement this on that platform or is x86 Solaris dead? Also another point of interest, sence Microsoft has a version of IE for Solaris how long do you think it will be until IE is able to be run alone on linux?

    1. Re:x86? by caca_phony · · Score: 1

      1) Solaris' next release will not be available for x86, as the article said

      2) If the threading on Linux is the only API differece from Solaris, than IE for Solaris might just become portable to Linux boxen, but WINE may be your best bet in this case.

      --
      ...and this lie crawls out of its mouth: 'I, the state, am the people.'
  23. UML by mikeee · · Score: 2

    I'd like to see User-Mode Linux ported to Solaris. Dozens (hundreds?) of Linux boxes running on a single Solaris machine... yum.

    Is this actually feasible, or am I on crack?

    1. Re:UML by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      It's entirely feasible.



      This does not, however, mean that you're not on crack.

    2. Re:UML by ianezz · · Score: 3, Informative
      I'd like to see User-Mode Linux ported to Solaris

      In theory it should be feasible (Wine proves it can be done even for two completely different systems).

      In practice I wonder how much overhead you are going to pay (I keep hearing that system calls on Solaris are much more expensive - and consider that each system call in UML in turn would be implemented as several system calls to the hosting system).

      GUI shouldn't be a problem: interactive applicatione are usually 99% idle anyways, and using them should be as simple as an "export DISPLAY=..."

      OTOH, I/O bound processes probably would be penalized too much, and it would be a good idea to execute then directly on the hosting system.

      In the end, if the ability to be root in your very own "partition" is worth the (hypotetic) additional overhead, I'd say "why not?" Of course, some numbers are needed here...

  24. Reverse Strategy by 4of12 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    if they integrate GPL code fron Linux into their OS

    Instead of integrating Linux code into Solaris, what Sun needs to do, rather, is to implement some of the nicer features and interfaces of Solaris into the Linux kernel, making Linux look more like Solaris.

    I mean, it already does in a lot of ways and, to be sure, they'll have to contend with differences of opinion from the benevolent dictators that control the Linux kernel (eg, POSIX threads debate), glibc, etc.

    But it's in Sun's best interest to pave a smooth superhighway upgrade path from Linux to Solaris for users that grow beyond their x86 hardware.

    Also, with their ownership of Cobalt, they could really make a pressing low end solution of Java on Linux/x86 to build flavored servers using open source interfaces without tying clients into a OurOneSizeFitsAllYourNeeds scheme. Then, customers wanting more complex business logic could opt for slicker building environment that Sun could sell.

    The other hardware route that Sun could take is to build an x86 system with the hardware reliability that has been lacking, especially compared to SPARC systems. Linux gives you a UNIX OS with plenty of nines, there's no excuse for the hardware to crap out as much as it does, especially for servers.

    --
    "Provided by the management for your protection."
    1. Re:Reverse Strategy by Andrewkov · · Score: 5, Insightful
      But it's in Sun's best interest to pave a smooth superhighway upgrade path from Linux to Solaris for users that grow beyond their x86 hardware

      Well said, I think this is the reasoning behind the move. Let "newbies" migrate their servers from Windows to Linux (hey, it's cheap), then once they outgrow their x86 box it will be easy to move to Sun hardware without porting their business application or whatever it is their running. Brilliant idea! I guess Sun realises it is better to have people using Linux than Windows, since they are more likely to move to Sun from Linux than they are from Windows. Linux makes a good intermediate step.

    2. Re:Reverse Strategy by cpeterso · · Score: 2
      Instead of integrating Linux code into Solaris, what Sun needs to do, rather, is to implement some of the nicer features and interfaces of Solaris into the Linux kernel, making Linux look more like Solaris. ... But it's in Sun's best interest to pave a smooth superhighway upgrade path from Linux to Solaris for users that grow beyond their x86 hardware.


      How would adding cool Solaris features to Linux help Sun:
      1. migrate more users from Linux to Solaris? Why buy the cow when the milk is free?
      2. sell more Sparc servers? The Solaris features added to Linux would be GPL and quickly ported to x86 Linux, undercutting Sparc server sales.
    3. Re:Reverse Strategy by 4of12 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      How would adding cool Solaris features to Linux help Sun:
      1. migrate more users from Linux to Solaris? Why buy the cow when the milk is free?
      2. sell more Sparc servers? The Solaris features added to Linux would be GPL and quickly ported to x86 Linux, undercutting Sparc server sales.


      Good questions, and I'm not sure the answers are as comforting as you would like. But here goes.

      It wouldn't actively cause migration from Linux to Solaris, but when the time comes to upgrade from a low cost Linux solution to something bigger and better, will it be Sun, HPaq, IBM, SGI? If Solaris is most compatible, then that choice will be Sun. Of course users will drink free milk as long as they can, but someday they'll need more milk than the free cows can give. The key is to insure that low end cheap server market goes into the UNIX world on a upgrade path that leads to you rather than your competitors.

      Low end SPARC hardware sales are a losing proposition at this point in time. Sun has reasonably good high end offerings, but in the low end they're offering Solaris/SPARC vs either Wintel or Lintel. Lintel is the ultimate lowest cost option and, while it eats the lunch of low- end SPARC, that lunch was going to be eaten anyway by either Wintel or Lintel. At least the Linux box keeps users in the UNIX world where Sun has a lot of software experience to offer. Logically, you want the cost of rewriting business application logic transitioning from Linux to Solaris to be small. Also, 64-way Solaris/SPARC machines give those UNIX users at the low end a scalable upgrade path that is missing from the Wintel world.

      Granted, it's harder to make money where much of what was previously offered is becoming commoditized, but it's an irresistable force that the market is demanding.

      Ride that wave and anticipate where it's going instead of trying to stop it.

      --
      "Provided by the management for your protection."
    4. Re:Reverse Strategy by ahde · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Actually, unless we're different than most, the Sun Netras (at $1000) was near the top of the heap when I went looking for 1U rack servers. Way ahead of the RAQ4, and anything from any of the major x86 players. Sun's support and Solaris' compatibility with enough Linux apps almost won out. If it shipped with gcc or there were more packages out there for Linux on Sparc, we might have gone with the Netra.

    5. Re:Reverse Strategy by RFC959 · · Score: 1

      Somewhat OT, but...Solaris does ship with GCC. It's on the "Software Companion" CD. Even if you don't have that CD, it's one freaking download from sunfreeware.com. Frankly, the fact that you weren't aware of or discounted both of these things inclines me to think you didn't have the experience in-house to properly evaluate your options.

    6. Re:Reverse Strategy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How strong is the MacOSX user base going to get? After all, if you ignore the flashy graphics, it's got nice crunchy BSD under there. Once you ssh in from a Linux box, it's pretty usable. It's important for Sun to get into low-end markets in case Apple starts building some serious hardware, which they theoretically could now that they have a multi-user OS.

    7. Re:Reverse Strategy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes he must have extremely limited experience and internet search skills if he can't find the mountain of GNU software all packaged up and ready to install on Solaris. Some people just couldn't be bothered looking for information even when it is easily and freely available.

      When we can get people on all platforms to code to a standard like POSIX, and a cross platform graphics API gets standardised and everybody uses that too, we're going to see some really fast advances in software technology.

      Portability is not a dirty word!

    8. Re:Reverse Strategy by aonaran · · Score: 1

      The answer to you question lies in this question
      when you've outgrown a 4cpu xeon where do you go from there?

      X86 hardware will only take you so far, it doesn't have the scalability that Sun can offer. When you become big enough to need a Really powerful machine you're already halfway into Sun's hands.

  25. already happening (at the GNU level, at least) by dspeyer · · Score: 2, Interesting

    This is the sort of thing where the GNU/Linux distinction becomes significant. It isn't very clear about precisely what is being copied/encorporated, but if they want to easily run software from 'Linux', they will need pieces of both.

    For anything remotely shellish, they will likely need the GNU file-utils and text-utils. This would, IMHO, greatly improve Solaris anyway. They already include bash, gcc, and emacs (though they do ship their own shell and compiler as default) and are already planning to include GNOME.

    In short, Solaris already includes massive parts of GNU.

    Now Linux is a somewhat different issue. Duplicating kernel APIs is pretty new (by Sun of Linux, that is). It shouldn't be that big a deal, though -- there is still POSIX underlying everything.

  26. Big boost for Linux by neilb78 · · Score: 0

    This could be a very big boost for Linux. This could mean companies with Solaris start buying Linux softare which in turn means more Linux developers have jobs!!!!

    --
    © 2004 The SCO Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
  27. Picture link? by kilgore_47 · · Score: 2
    from the article:
    In a dramatic departure in February, though, the company embraced Linux as well, with Chief Executive Scott McNealy dressing as Tux, the penguin mascot of the Linux movement.
    Surely, someone can link a picture of this, right? Please?
    --
    ___
    The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason. --Ben Franklin
  28. What I would _REALLY_ Like: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    1) An "opensource" version of the Solaris
    kernel with the ability to have more kernel drivers (that will make it run also on my crappy hardware)
    2) Compliance to the Linux File Hierarchy Standard
    3) Apt-Get and DPKG as standard packaging structure
    4) An installer that allows you a better set-up (it is soo anally retentive and has less options... even OpenBSD is easier to setup)
    5) Phase out Csh for Bash
    6) XFree as standard XWindow implementation
    7) Kde 3.0 as standard desktop
    8) NTSysV-style Init scripts
    9) Solaris Manpages donated to LDP
    10) See the author of Solaris Format utility walking on hot coals. (Unless he acknowledges to say here on Slashdot frontpage that there is nothing better than mk2efs+gnufdisk)

    If you think that I would better use Debian for all the stuff, think twice: having Solaris TOO as an alternative Operating System/Kernel and community only enriches Unix and helps to stress better development practice (for portability) and research for alternate solution. That's why Unix still wins on Windows :)

    1. Re:What I would _REALLY_ Like: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "1) An "opensource" version of the Solaris"
      And their people should pay their bills...how?

      And no unrealistic service&support bull please.

      "6) XFree as standard XWindow implementation"

      ? Why on earth do you want this?

      "7) Kde 3.0 as standard desktop"

      Yeah, couldn't agree more, atleast give people the choice between kde and gnome.

      "10) See the author of Solaris Format utility walking on hot coals. (Unless he acknowledges to say here on Slashdot frontpage that there is nothing better than mk2efs+gnufdisk)"

      It's actually quite easy and unpainful to walk on hot coal, I have done it myself so thats not bad enough :-)

    2. Re:What I would _REALLY_ Like: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >> "1) An "opensource" version of the
      >> Solaris"

      > And their people should pay their bills...how?

      > And no unrealistic service&support bull please.

      Yes, I may be mistaken :)
      I meant "an opensource version" like they have done for OpenOffice/StarOffice. StarOffice has a big amount of features (fonts and the database) that the OpenOffice version simply lack. OpenOffice is still usable for home using (like for me, I need it only for 4 things and it is good), but if I was going to run a business, I would buy the full version of it.

      Giving out a trimmed out kernel or system (like: only IA32 support) and with a main-system contribution philosophy like as "we only accept dual GPL/Sun Shared Licence patches" would help:

      1) people to understand their technology
      2) non kernel-people to give a hand for non-kernel tasks (like packaging or manuals)
      3) add more eyes
      4) accepting "safe" contributions (like drivers
      or libs taken from BSDs)

      >> "6) XFree as standard XWindow
      >> implementation"

      > ? Why on earth do you want this?

      Their X implementation (like their sound implementation... and their choice of NICs) lacks a hellishy sheer amount of drivers.
      Yes, I may sound like the usual l4m3r complaining that Solaris won't run on his own l33t G3f0rC3-IV b0cH5, but it is a pain to see that you can use only the half of the hardware.

      I don't want accelerated drivers... I only want to be able to use their administration tools as "solstice" and "equinox" BESIDES the text-one, only to have a totally round look on their tools. And I can't buy a Sunblade either for this job.

      >> "7) Kde 3.0 as standard desktop"

      >Yeah, couldn't agree more, atleast give
      > people the choice between kde and
      > gnome.

      Eheh. That was an inside joke :) Sun, like HP, is part of the GNOME Foundation, and Solaris 9 was going to be shipped with Gnome 2.0 as standard UI, instead of CDE :) (which is good, but shows the signs of the times) ...

      Unfortunately as Gnome 2.0 slipped and slipped and slipped, Sun announced that the standard UI still was going to be CDE, with Gnome 2.0 avaiable as an add-on on the media pack.

      >> "10) See the author of Solaris Format utility
      >> walking on hot coals. (Unless he
      >> acknowledges to say here on Slashdot
      >> frontpage that there is nothing better than
      >> mk2efs+gnufdisk)"

      > It's actually quite easy and unpainful to walk
      > on hot coal, I have done it myself so thats
      > not bad enough :-)

      You mean that pouring hot grits on his pants would be a worse fate for him? ;)

      Ciao.

  29. Well then dont use CDE by Gekko · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Well the use KDE if you want. Or if you want Gnome. Nothing is limiting you from making it shiny on the surface but you lack of effort. Matter of fact on Solaris 9 Sun is dropping CDE iirc.

    I know I will also take my lumps for this, but for big data centers solaris is ALOT better under the hood. It expodentially scales in perforamce up to 72 processors and then linerally up to 108. Sure you can make linux clusters and the like, but for rock solid stability on big iron you go with solaris.

    Having said that having the linux apis available for solaris is a good thing. Hopefully this is better than the Linux Port kit sun released, that thing failed HARD.

    --
    I mod down any one who says "I'm sure I will get modded down for this"
  30. umm... duh. by BryceH · · Score: 1

    Danese Cooper (of Sun) Finally Answers by Roblimo with 175 comments on Thursday May 09, @02:00PM

    http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=02/05/09/0242 21 9&mode=thread

    question number 8 addresses this.

    --
    "Shut up brain or ill stab you with a Q-tip" Homer Simpson
  31. Maybe this needs to be qualified? by bachelor3 · · Score: 3, Interesting
    A quote from Mehra, who has the "Linux advocacy role" at Sun:

    "Linux is where Solaris was five or 10 years ago."

    You make your own cynical comment : )

    1. Re:Maybe this needs to be qualified? by zrodney · · Score: 1

      makes me wonder where Mehra has been for those last
      five to ten years -- blindfolded maybe?

      someone's been drinking the company cool-aid too long, and he's starting to believe his own stories.

      ;)

    2. Re:Maybe this needs to be qualified? by devphil · · Score: 2
      "Linux is where Solaris was five or 10 years ago."

      You make your own cynical comment : )

      Okay, I will. How about, "That's pretty accurate, and most anyone who uses both Linux and Solaris on a daily basis will agree."

      Possibly not the cynical comment you were looking for :-) but the design and stability of Linux has a long way to go to catch up with Solaris 8. As far as cool'n'nifty user features go, I can just compile the occasional GNU utilities on my Solaris box.

      --
      You cannot apply a technological solution to a sociological problem. (Edwards' Law)
    3. Re:Maybe this needs to be qualified? by gorilla · · Score: 2

      It depends a lot on what exactly you're doing. Solaris is better for support for 'big iron' things like RAID, there is nothing like Veritas's VXVA on Linux, or for logical paritioning. On the other hand, Solaris's /proc implementation isn't as good as Linux's, which can make a big difference in day to day usage of Linux.

    4. Re:Maybe this needs to be qualified? by Bob9113 · · Score: 3, Funny

      "Linux is where Solaris was five or 10 years ago."

      You make your own cynical comment : )


      Thank you, I will:
      Ya mean Linux is the runaway growth leader in the production server OS market? OK, I'll buy that.

      :-)

    5. Re:Maybe this needs to be qualified? by victwenty · · Score: 2, Interesting

      The Linux software raid and LVM support are actually fairly comparable to Sun's free Solaris equivilant (Disk Suite). This changes with the new version now called Solaris Volume Manager howerver, which introduces "soft partitions" which makes it more like VxVM. This should be bundled with Solaris 9.

      VxVM and VxFS have been ported to Linux, though who knows when it will ever be publicly released. RedHat has been bankrolling the port and the release should be available for their Advanced Server product. I have an early beta version that only compiles against a 2.4.0-pre kernel but it works. I think the many changes that have occured as 2.4 has only recently stabilized have probably held things up. Veritas is doing a lot of kernel work and I'm unsure how widely it would be accepted by the community if/when it's released since it won't be entirely open or cheap.

      I think the real areas where Solaris far outshines Linux include scalability beyond 8-procs and things like hotswap CPU support. But all these areas are being actively addressed. The new scheduler in 2.5 should go far towards addressing scalability and pretty much everything else is being actively worked on. Given the fast pace of Linux development, the real gap is probably only a year or two. If the big iron issues don't affect you and you don't need anything >4 procs, I don't think there even is a meaningful gap. Just massive $$$ savings and easier administration (at least w/Debian).

    6. Re:Maybe this needs to be qualified? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ...and linux runs on most of the world's servers? :)

      (wild ass guess)

    7. Re:Maybe this needs to be qualified? by gorilla · · Score: 2

      If you've got a problem which requires it, then it's definatly worth the money for Veritas, which is why it's still being sold even with the free package available. I'd imagine this would remain the same, even for Linux. However, there are a lot of products in the product line, and until they're all available, then I'd not consider Linux a possible replacement. HSM & FlashSnap are part of the reasons why I want to use Veritas.

    8. Re:Maybe this needs to be qualified? by Tet · · Score: 2
      there is nothing like Veritas's VXVA on Linux, or for logical paritioning.

      Ahem. I assume you mean VxVM (which is what does the partitioning). And since you ask, there are three things that do that on Linux: LVM, EVMS, and yes, genuine Veritas VxVM (and also VxFS thrown in, to boot). Solaris may be better at some things than Linux, but the number of things that fall in that category is shrinking rapidly. Volume management no longer qualifies.

      --
      "The invisible and the non-existent look very much alike." -- Delos B. McKown
    9. Re:Maybe this needs to be qualified? by dunstan · · Score: 2

      No, in many ways she is right. The jewel in the crown of Sparc/Solaris is the RAS features, which they justifiably use as a stick to beat IBM/HP with.

      Solaris/Sparc allows automatic system recovery - if your machine crashes with a hardware fault, it will find the fault at POST time, and boot the kernel around the faulty hardware. Not such a good thing when thieves broke into XXXX organisation, nicked a load of system boards leaving one in each machine, and the machines recovered and restarted the applications running on what hardware was left.

      Solaris/Sparc allows you to add and remove CPU/memory boards to and from a *running* domain.

      And Solaris/Sparc has a SMP kernel which will scale linearly to over 100 processors - this isn't just a particular design choice about the kernel architecture, it's a lot of choices about the hardware, firmware and kernel details.

      So while the Linux kernel has proved itself massively capable for horizontally scalable systems, the Solaris kernel has been designed for vertical scaling. There's actually no need for the Linux kernel to head in this direction - it's a good solution where you can have multiple boxen scaled out, or where you are using a HA/clustering solution, but for large installations with (for example) massive database instances and requiring the RAS features which Solaris/Sparc offers, the Linux kernel doesn't fit.

      Dunstanb

      --
      The last scintilla of doubt just rode out of town
  32. Why maintain all that SysV cruft? by emil · · Score: 3, Interesting

    What exactly is it about SysV cp, mv, tar, awk, ls et al that makes them so much more valuable than their GNU equivalents?

    Sun has no idea how to address Linux. However, if Sun were to replace all possible SysV components in Solaris with their GNU equivalents, they would be much farther down the road towards a free OS than the Sun Community Source License ever got them. This would at least give them some short-term PR, plus cutting development costs.

    I really don't understand why every UNIX distribution isn't making these moves. If I were to say that 90% of the GNU UNIX utilities could replace the proprietary components with no visible effect to the OS, would that be a conservtative estimate?

    Sun could go even further by wrapping Red Hat Linux around the Solaris kernel, and scaling Red Hat onto an e15k.

    And, if Sun were to take the step of open-sourcing the Solaris kernel, Sun could put an end to the question of enterprise UNIX on any Intel platform - Sun takes all.

    Come on, guys, wake up! You're asleep at the wheel!

    1. Re:Why maintain all that SysV cruft? by irix · · Score: 4, Insightful
      if Sun were to replace all possible SysV components in Solaris with their GNU equivalents

      It would cause chaos. Come on, they just can't ship Solaris 9 and replace the Sun tar with the GNU tar. I'll give you that GNU tar is way better than the one Sun ships (the GNU tar comes first in my $PATH), but people have written software (Solaris package install scripts, for example) expecting the Sun tar to be there and take a certain set of arguments. Maybe tar is a bad example, but you get the idea.

      Sun is doing the smart thing by gradually switching things over. They have some GNU stuff available in the core install, and some GNU stuff available on a second CD. I now can write software for Solaris assuming Perl is installed, for example.

      This will improve slowly, over time.

      --

      Do you even know anything about perl? -- AC Replying to Tom Christiansen post.
    2. Re:Why maintain all that SysV cruft? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      GNU UNIX - ROFL!!!

      Don't you know what UNIX is, or what GNU stands for, for that matter???

      *BSD is more 'UNIX' than Linux, but UNIX is still UNIX(tm).

    3. Re:Why maintain all that SysV cruft? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      GNU's not unix.

      That statement will be quite ironic if that happens, considering that GNU will essentially be unix.

    4. Re:Why maintain all that SysV cruft? by calidoscope · · Score: 1
      The biggest stumbling block is a lack of 64 bit with gcc - and that the GNU software is often not portable to non-GNU platforms.

      Keep in mind - GNU is not Linux.

      FWIW, Sun does supply a lot of GNU utilities on the Companion CD-ROM and sets them up in the /opt/sfw directory so youse can put them ahead of the SysV utilities in your PATH.

      IMHO, Sun would be better off paying more attention to what is going on with OpenBSD than Linux - and they have been paying attention. Solaris has strlcpy, IPsec built in before Linux and will be integrating OpenSSH.

      And I still prefer CDE over KDE and Gnome (although haven't seen KDE 3.0 in action).

      --
      A Shadeless room is a brighter room.
    5. Re:Why maintain all that SysV cruft? by scrytch · · Score: 2

      I really don't understand why every UNIX distribution isn't making these moves.

      Because the GNU utilities also come with Richard Stallman hounding you and everyone connected with you to rename your OS and prefix a GNU/ in front of it...

      More seriously, they come with the GPL: while 'cp' isn't exactly primo intellectual property, it makes even the developers (not just the lawyers) happy to have a base system that's all owned -- coders would rather think about technical compatibility when they copy or link in a routine from another subsystem ... not political compatibility. Developers don't want to lose their job because the flagship product needs a critical component replaced if it doesn't want to become GPL'd.

      --
      I've finally had it: until slashdot gets article moderation, I am not coming back.
    6. Re:Why maintain all that SysV cruft? by broody · · Score: 1

      I really don't understand why every UNIX distribution isn't making these moves.

      Some vendors started well before Sun.

      IBM comes to mind. What do you think the L in AIX 5L stands for? HP has a different take but an interesting one for HP-UX 11i. Don't forget the company formerly known as SCO has Open Unix with LKP. Honestly I am sure Linux fits in with just about every other Unix vendor these days but you can do your own homework.

      You might want to ease up on your Linux horse. I love the OS and spend most of my time there at home but it still has a ways to go before being truly competitive with Unix on the high end. HA clustering, Failover, Common Criteria certification, and widespread SAN vendor support are still lagging.

      To pick on just one aspect of your RH tools + Solaris kernel theory, imagine adding heartbeat support to all those tools. Sure it's HA & Linux growing by leaps and bounds but it will take time.

      Don't even get me started about CC.

      --
      ~~ What's stopping you?
  33. Sun change isn't that new by sjvn · · Score: 2

    Note, it's their Linux guying talking. When McNeally gets up and says we're merging Solaris and Linux, then you can get up and pay attention. This is just another step in Sun's long, slow embrace of Linux on the x86 platform. So long as they make most of their money from SPARC boxes running Solaris, I don't expect you'll see Linux at their core. Running Linux programs in a compatibility mode, ala Caldera's OpenUnix, yes; running a Linux kernel on SPARC, as the recommended course, no.

    Steven

  34. ELEMENTS OF LINUX by Joel+Ironstone · · Score: 1

    ... trying to integrate elements of Linux into Solaris

    I think this is the sort of situation in which Linux and open source in general will shine. Sure a lot of the open source code is crap, but some, lets say lots of it, is very clever and very useful. It comes in pieces, and each of these pieces is the expression of someone who has tackled this sort of problem before (especially in the linux-solaris case). I commend solaris on their humility in this affair, and hope others will follow suit.

  35. Re:Please expand on your comments... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    >Or are you speaking from your ass?

    No, I'm just really angry that IBM shouts about its collection of free software that it ships with AIX (making "AIX5L") as if it's some ground-breaking development in rocket science or brain surgery, when Sun did it first, and better (and still does) with the Solaris Freeware Companion CD, and you can download the packages here

  36. great! by yanyan · · Score: 1

    So Sun is integrating bits of Linux into Solaris. That just proves how great Linux is. Now, if Sun were to return a favor and integrate some really cool parts of Solaris into the Linux kernel, e.g., excellent multiprocessor scalability, tried-and-true enterprise level performance, etc., etc., and make these features available in the mainstream releases...

  37. if all things were posix compliant... by gimpboy · · Score: 1

    then this might be possible. the fact is that while alot of the basic functionality of the unix commands remains the same, each unix vendor has their own switches and other happiness that makes porting associated applications very hard.

    say sun has alot of scripts that use tar, awk, etc but these scripts use alot of the propritary extensions in sun_tar. the gnu equlivents wont just plug in where the old ones left off. this would require alot of testing that can become expensive.

    --
    -- john
    1. Re:if all things were posix compliant... by emil · · Score: 2

      If Sun went to the maintainer of GNU tar and said "integrate these patches and we will use your app as the primary Solaris TAR," how quickly do you think the GNU people would wet themselves? They'd leap at the chance.

    2. Re:if all things were posix compliant... by jrstewart · · Score: 1
      If Sun went to the maintainer of GNU tar and said "integrate these patches and we will use your app as the primary Solaris TAR," how quickly do you think the GNU people would wet themselves? They'd leap at the chance.
      I think it's more likely that the GNU maintainers would piss on Sun than wet themselves. Why would s/he give a damn what Sun ships by default? GNU doesn't need Sun's blessing for legitimacy. GNU tools are already used by hundreds of thousands of people.
    3. Re:if all things were posix compliant... by mikeee · · Score: 2

      You mean, the primary GNU/Solaris tar.

    4. Re:if all things were posix compliant... by tfb · · Score: 1

      They might leap, they might not. They might not be able to (conflicting options or features or not want to or it might be difficult or any number of other problems might arise.

      Go and look at the roots of the Xemacs / FSF Emacs saga for how hard it can be.

    5. Re:if all things were posix compliant... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't think you get that GNU was formed to destroy commercial UNIX.

  38. Suns agenda (for real) by JDizzy · · Score: 2

    This looks like a step in the right direction for Linux acceptance in the professional server market.

    Only somebody with zero Unix, and hardly any linux would say such a stament. The fact is that SUN doesn't give a damn about Linux, it jsut wants the exposer... Suns strategy is to Maintain Solaris 9 for the server environment, and deligate a Linux kernel for the desktop space. And don't let the word "Linux" fool you either... Linux is a kernel program, not an Operating Environment. So yes, Sun plans to sell Solaris 9 in the server space, and sell solaris with a linux kernel (possibly) for the Intel x86 systems on the network. It is possible SUn may make a distro of Sol9+linux for Sparc too, but who really cares. Most of the stuff that would make me want to use Linux on a Sparc box is now a default feature in Sol9.

    The big mess Sun got into when they anounced they were dropping Solaris 9 for x86 ARCH wasn't such a suprise to me, considerign they have for a year now been say they are going to develop their own Linux distro to handle that segment of users. I wish people would wake up and pay attention. This is such old news!

    --
    It isn't a lie if you belive it.
    1. Re:Suns agenda (for real) by Mistah+Blue · · Score: 1

      This is actually quite correct and informative.

      Linux is the kernel, as SunOS is the kernel.

      Solaris is an operating environment consisting of SunOS (kernel) and other programs and utilities. Same with RedHat, Debian, etc. consisting of Linux (kernel) and other programs and utilities.

  39. Linux is dying by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The truth is that Linux is on its last gasp. Just look up RHAT stock price for the collective wisdom of the efficient market. According to the efficient market theory, *linux has no future.

  40. Should help App developers by jfsather · · Score: 1

    I really hope that they do get to a better level of API compatability. We run Solaris here and on the server side they are perfectly stable. Still, I can understand why it hurts developers when you have to look at all the hooks for Solaris in the Apache build files. Not that this is odd for any platform--they all have hooks. Still, if Sun can make some progress in getting compiles more seamless between a Linux Intel box and a Solaris 9 Sparc box more power to them.

    On the other hand, you have to wonder what this means for their desktop systems. I haven't had to have a Sun box on my desktop since I started doing Java development and could run javac just fine under Windows (business environ and all), but maybe they are looking to make Linux the default devel platform for things destined to run on Sun big iron. Any ideas?

  41. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 2

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  42. It all makes sense, read Danese Cooper by NorthDude · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Generally however we've found that the cost of open sourcing code for a proprietary product is non-trivial. I know it seems counter-intuitive but consider this: the reality is you can't just toss code over the fence.

    Open-Sourcing Solaris is non-trivial, she explain it in her answers. But working on already open-sourced coded is not. It benefit both Sun AND the Linux community because Sun's change will get back to the community and it benefit sun because they have a very solid base to work on.


    Sun's position on Linux has long been friendly, since we see it as a commodity unix variant which has been very successful at growing the community of Unix users.

    I wonder how much "has long been" really is, but it's not the point. I found it is rather honest on their part to say it that way. The first 8nix variant I saw was Mandrake 6.0 or somehing like that. I felt in love with it and since I had the chance to deploy aaplication on Solaris a couple of time. So the comment makes sense, Linux has a lot of visibility and it happens sometimes that it is what brings users to the realm of Unixes. So, even from a marketing point of view, it all make sense to adopt it. It gives them free publicity because of their implication with Linux. And afterward, it benefits them because they can either sell more Solaris or just more server, even with Linux on it instead of Solaris, they make te buck with thehardware.


    All that being said, they had to previously (well, they have to) "support" both Linux AND Solaris and port appliation to both platform. By trying to standardise both, they keep the previous;y stated benefits, and they do a cut in the devellopment budget.

    And in the end, it benefits us to. That's is the way I would like all business to work. Make your own business, cleanly, and work WITH the community. It can only do good, both for the business and to the consumer/user/geek/etc etc...

    --


    I'd rather be sailing...
  43. Sun proting Solaris features to Linux... by ryanflynn · · Score: 1

    ...But Sun has also begun work to bring Solaris features to Linux, said Vivek Mehra, vice president and general manager of Sun's Cobalt group.

    That's nothing; I heard Microsoft was porting BSoD and their instability daemon to Linux.

  44. linux is where solaris was 5 or 10 years ago"=true by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    SUN kicks the crap out of Linux for VM management
    SUN kicks the crap out of Linux for filesystem support ( 3rd party as well )
    SUN REALLY kicks the crap out of Linux for multi-CPU support.

    Linux beats SUN hands down on cheap firewall functionality. Although with there free firewall its close now.

    Solaris is one integrated product. Linux is 3000 products thrown together in a somewhat semi-cohesive distro.

    I work with SUN and Linux and HP and SGI and DEC alot in a large way. Linux is still far behind Solaris in terms of the total package. SGI coulda been king, but they kept themselves to small and exclusive.

  45. Thank You! by ignatzMouse · · Score: 1

    Now if only HPQ people would get off their duffs and do the same for HP-UX.

    --
    No artist tolerates reality. -- Nietzsche
  46. Re:linux is where solaris was 5 or 10 years ago"=t by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Don't forget that graphics capabilities are still better on SUN. Hollywood is only a small % of the total high end graphics user. I will admit though that in the next 2 to 3 years this could change and probably will in favor of Linux if the kernel can better scale to handle more memory better vm and more cpu's.

  47. A really crass way to see this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    I hate to say this in public, even anonymously, but Sun finds itself in a very bad situation with respect to Linux, one that lends itself to a particularly nasty image. In short, they're like a woman with a gun to her head who's being told she can either work as a prostitute or take a bullet in the brain.

    Working that way is definitely not a "good" alternative in her opinion, but it's still preferable to death. Sun has a choice: Embrace Linux and its openness, lower cost, etc. ethic, or get killed by it.

    If anything, I'm surprised that it took Sun this long to come to their senses.

  48. Playing nice to hurt Microsoft. by jellomizer · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This move is good for Linux, is good for Sun, its good for IBM it good for HP and it is Bad for Microsoft. When you try to talk to middle managment about using Unix systems they come up with the excuse that there is little software for that platform. And Comerical Developers will more likely program for MS Stuff becuase that is where the market share is, ms is reported to have between 30-45% Marketshare), Now Add the big UNIX guys Combined make up about 50% of the market share all start playing nice with each other, Sure they are compeating against each other but they try to make a better product the the other guy, And agreeing on a Linux format API. Why Linux because Linux is not owned by any company so you are not giving one company a head up on the other. With a simular API style it is easier for Comerical Programmer to make programs for the different platforms so say I made FooBar Server program on my Linux box that the source code can port super easy to a Solaris, HPUX, AIX box it a good thing because my FooBar Server can be accessed on 50% of the servers.

    Consumers get the benefit because there are more and cheaper programs available for their Platform. And they can choos the type of *X platform they want to use.

    The UNIX companies get extra insurence that there is a chance that they can get repeat business form there Customers. And have the advantage of more software for their platform.

    Smaller Developers and Support personal get the advantage of easy comunication between the different Unix systems.

    But it will hurt the following people.
    Microsoft. Becuase they are being "more" seporated from the curent standards. And being shunned my more third party developers.

    Windows only programers. But it is there fault for not following the real standards. And opening there mind into more cross platform development.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    1. Re:Playing nice to hurt Microsoft. by Captain+Large+Face · · Score: 2, Offtopic

      Parlez-vous Anglais?

  49. WOW, About time by the_chr0n1c · · Score: 0

    Linux is so great I'm surprised MS hasn't tried to use it. Novell, now Sun. Maybe MS is next, or would they just F it up like everything else they touch?? Once companies start realizing if they work with Linux, not against it, they may be spared once Linux takes over the world! Linux is so cool!!!

    --
    Another essential factor in "control" is to conceal from the controlled the actual intentions of the controllers. -WSB
  50. Linux is not accepted in pro server market??? by harlows_monkeys · · Score: 2
    This looks like a step in the right direction for Linux acceptance in the professional server market.

    Huh? Every couple of weeks, there is another story in the news of some big company dumping their Suns for x86 servers running Linux. Where did you get the idea that Linux is not already accepted in the "professional" server market?

  51. Problem Space ? Refactor? by Arakonfap · · Score: 1

    In my opinion, if a problem or software design requires that much processing power and HD space in one unit, then something is wrong with the approach to the problem.

    Very very few problems have only one approach to solve. Basically it comes down to getting it all in one package at a much greater price, or hiring some skilled technicians to rearrange the problem.

    All in all it probably comes out even in the end - cheaper hardware and more expensive labor, or more expensive hardware, and less hassle.

    Linux may not beable to match that in a single box, but it can get close, and when arranged in clusters, can probably solve the same problem with less expensive hardware.

  52. Re:I think the reasons are different by aralin · · Score: 2

    That was really impressive examination of my grammar. Considering that English is only my third foreign language, its not bad, right? :)

    --
    If programs would be read like poetry, most programmers would be Vogons.
  53. Solaris is worse than linux in some ways by frankie_guasch · · Score: 1
    I work daily with Linux and Solaris and I must say that Solaris boxes come with very few software installed compared to linux.


    When I finish the installation of a Solaris box I spend many hours installing by hand things so it's
    more like linux. So it's easier to work with.



    We're lucky there are things like sunfreeware




    Recently, one of my co-workers, who only had used linux, had to install a Solaris box. He couldn't believe it was so bare-bones. At last even the user of the host decided he prefered linux in the Sparc !




    Sun's move is towards have these linux tools handy and should bring a more complete solaris installation.


    1. Re:Solaris is worse than linux in some ways by TheVision · · Score: 2, Insightful

      When I finish the installation of a Solaris box I spend many hours installing by hand things so it's
      more like linux.


      Spend a couple of hours setting up and customizing a Jumpstart server instead. It's a simple matter to have a script automatically install the packages you want from sunfreeware (or from your own repository).

    2. Re:Solaris is worse than linux in some ways by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Funnily enough, this is a Good Thing for setting up a server. I don't want ten million text editors and countless daemons installed by default. Maybe I only want to run my database on it.

    3. Re:Solaris is worse than linux in some ways by frankie_guasch · · Score: 1

      At least bash !

  54. proc - process information pseudo-filesystem by pHDNgell · · Score: 1

    Solaris' /proc is just like /proc has been on many systems. It's a filesystem designed to show you process information. Linux's /proc has always been an irritating thing for me. On Solaris, NetBSD, IRIX, etc... I can cd into /proc and see processes. That's all that's there, as one would expect by a filesystem named *procfs* and documented as ``process information pseudo-filesystem.''

    NetBSD has kernfs which, while it doesn't have all of the info found in Linux's /proc it's *separate*.

    For example, I often want to do something over a all processes in a Solaris machine (check for fd leaks or whatever). I do it by cding into /proc and doing ``for i in *'' usually. I suppose I could assume that anything that starts with a number is a PID or whatever, but I just don't believe it makes sense to mix all that crap together, and then claim that Linux's is ``better'' than all the rest because they put a lot of incompatible crap in it.

    --
    -- The world is watching America, and America is watching TV.
    1. Re:proc - process information pseudo-filesystem by devphil · · Score: 2

      Absolutely. In professional technical circles, Linux's procfs has a well-earned and well-deserved reputation as a random dumping ground for anything which strikes the LKML folks as k3w1. There's a very clearly-written article on the subject buried somewhere in Usenet; I thought I'd saved a copy but cannot find it at the moment.

      --
      You cannot apply a technological solution to a sociological problem. (Edwards' Law)
    2. Re:proc - process information pseudo-filesystem by redactor · · Score: 1

      You might want to look at the ptree command. It is quite useful... There are also other proc utils: pmap, pfiles, pflags, ptime, pstack, prun, pstop, pwdx... You can do a lot of stuff with those...

    3. Re:proc - process information pseudo-filesystem by gorilla · · Score: 2
      Yeah I know about those, but it's still got stuff missing. I just finished debugging a problem which turned out to be a process not having it's DISPLAY variable set. Easy to check in Linux, very hard to check in Solaris. Similarly for the cmdline, the binary, the shared libraries, etc.

      Mind you, it's a lot better now that it used to be. Early Solaris, all you could get was a handle to the memory image of the process, useful for gcore and nothing else.

    4. Re:proc - process information pseudo-filesystem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wouldn't doing a truss on the process have helped you find the DISPLAY problem?

    5. Re:proc - process information pseudo-filesystem by gorilla · · Score: 2

      No. Truss prints off system calls. putenv(3) and getenv(3) are not system calls, so when you truss, you don't see them.

  55. Sun still playing catchup by markhb · · Score: 2, Informative

    Gee, adding Linux compatibility to a proprietary Unix. Isn't that exactly what Big Blue has done with AIX 5L?

    --
    Save Maine's economy: write stuff down. All comments are exclusively my own, not my employer.
  56. KDE on *real* Unix by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm running KDE on AIX (4.3.3 with Linux library extensions installed, not even running AIX 5L yet) and it works great on my RS6000/p660 (4GB memory, 182GB SSA array, quad 750MHz processors (copper, RS64-IV w/8MB cache each). I still run CDE at the system console, just because it's quick and simple, but all my user sessions run KDE for the desktop window manager.

  57. Re:I think the reasons are different by Pluralization+Troll · · Score: 1

    That was an incredibly civil response to my juvenile posturing. Considering that my nick is "Pluralization Troll" I will attempt to elicit harsher responses in the future.

    --

    To me, grep -e "'s" is like Batman scanning Gotham's skyline for the Bat Signal.

  58. SUN STOP! This should be the other way around! by Quazion · · Score: 0

    Now please take your good SUN Solaris and open it up and stuf it into the Linux Community, why do you need an OS when you sell hardware, ditch the OS and sell Hardware.

    I know this doesnt make any good sence, but never the less we need to work together to make a better world =P

    Quazion.

  59. Sun is about 5 years ahead by timbrown · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Sorry, but I think you Linux evangalists are plain wrong. I work for a company that supplies managed services to blue chip firms and the demand is still there for Sun boxes, due to the quality of the OS and hardware they ship. Linux may have the some features of Solaris, but it doesn't *yet* have the track record and enterprise level support that our clients require. The worrying thing is that whilst for smaller shops Linux is being used for low end web servers etc, for our customers they'd rather use W2K in the cases where they can't justify the cost of a Sun box :
    A few things I like from Solaris that Linux doesn't really have yet... Scalability, I know its not an issue for most of you guys, but Suns 106-way boxes are really quite neat. Technologies such as JumpStart, which make rolling out a new web cluster a breeze. Stable IPv6/IPSEC support. Comprehensive support, from *one* source. A top class architecture to run the damn thing on.
    I like Linux, don't get me wrong, I personally have 2 Debs boxes and manage a Slack box in Slovenia, but I also have a FreeBSD box, Sparc running Solaris 8 and a HPUX powered PA-RISC machine.
    My attitude is that if it has /bin/ls I like it, but of all the UNIX like platforms I've worked on Solaris is my favourite.

    --
    Tim Brown
    1. Re:Sun is about 5 years ahead by timbrown · · Score: 1

      ROFL... having an interest in UNIX is not diametrically opposed to having a social life (I go out every night of the week and still find time to play with UNIX at work), I don't as it happens have a girlfriend atm, but thats not due to my UNIX interests but more the fact that I've recently moved to the other end of the country and started a new job.

      --
      Tim Brown
    2. Re:Sun is about 5 years ahead by t482 · · Score: 1

      Unix users - particularly admins generally sit on a high horse. Particularly when it comes to scalability.

      Why is Solaris/AIX so scalable? Research institutions, governments and others bought machines - and essentially paid for the scalability work. Have a look at what most research institutions are buying now. Linux. What unix are the big banks exploring running on their main frames? Linux.

      The product manager for AIX said in 2 years, if Linux matured he could see it replacing AIX.
      Do you think they would charge any less for their AIX machines? Nope. Think of IBMs cost savings!

      With GNOME on the desktop and GNU utilities under the hood - Solaris will look more and more just like another linux distro.

      Anthony
      http://xminc.com/anthony/

    3. Re:Sun is about 5 years ahead by timbrown · · Score: 1

      Umm, just the other week I was offered a job working for a UK bank and last summer I was interviewed for a position in Frankfurt, which was a wee bit far to commute and I doidn't want to move. The point is in both cases they wanted Solaris admins, they also wanted HPUX guys and AIX guys, but no Linux... maybe 5 years down the line *when* Linux has caught up they will. But in my experience Linux boxes aren't being used in production environments yet.

      --
      Tim Brown
  60. Wow! this IS funny! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I think I just cracked my funny bone man! Stop!
    This story is so funny I'm currently thinking of raising my filter to higher than 2 so I never have to read such lame crap again.

    Winolaris. This is truly dull.

  61. Gnome and KDE front-ends ??? by InodoroPereyra · · Score: 1
    It's fast and stable, and yet it sucks? What more could you want? Uhhh, hello! CDE is NOT Solaris. It's merely a front-end, much like Gnome, KDE, et al are front-ends. You can put Gnome on Solaris and suddenly it's just as shiny as Linux. Moron.

    I cannot disagree more. Both with the contents of what you say and with the tone of your response (there is no need to say moron simply because you dissagree). The point is: DO YOU REALLY THINK Gnome and KDE are FRONT ENDS ?. This is not the case. The desktop environments are NOT front ends to the kernel. They run on top of it, which is a different thing. Some of the software distributed with in these environments could qualify as front-end (for example CD burners, which are mainly front ends to cdrecord), but please !.

    ( As for whoever moderated your message: someone insulting another poster should be modded as flamebait)

  62. Playing mean to hurt Microsoft. by fractaltiger · · Score: 1
    Actually, Apple just announced its XServe rack systems. If the price of the cheapest model is $2,999, compared to the normal $2,000 tag customary of moderately loaded Macintoshes, I would say it sounds like a good price. Remember that it is the Mac OS is now an "industrial strength" Un*x system, and it's included in the bundle.

    It is interesting to see that Linux and Unix will be joining forces. If you join that with the XServer license fees, quoted below for your convenience, it gets kinda scary for the expensive Microsoft server license deparment:

    No per-user "taxes"

    Xserve lets you eliminate the most galling expense in your department's budget: the usurious per-user "tax" you've been obliged to pay for using server software. Since Xserve comes with an unlimited-client license of the UNIX-based, industrial-strength Mac OS X Server, you can serve thousands of additional users -- without spending thousands of additional dollars in licensing fees.

    The only reason many businesses still use the buggy single user Win98 is because NT has very pricey licensing fees and is not as easy to use. Windows 2000 is changing that, but it still needs a lot of horsepower that companies can't afford yet. Just my 2 cents.

    --
    "Wireless : LAN :: Laptop : Desktop"
  63. Microsoft banner ad by sitturat · · Score: 1

    I know this is completely offtopic, but I can't believe my eyes.

    There is a banner ad for Microsoft Visual Studio .NET on the slashdot page I see before me!

    Does MS know that they are paying to be laughed at by thousands of /.ers who are reading comments about Linux and Solaris?!

    1. Re:Microsoft banner ad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I beat ya too it:
      March 21st, 2002

      http://austin2600.org/Pictures/freshmeatsucks.jp g

  64. The States will demand a Modular Solaris by infonography · · Score: 1

    This stifles competition from other OEM shells when Bourne is the root shell.

    Also Sun Micro is practically notifying Crackers and Cyber criminals about security issues in bug notices and regular updates.

    Security bugs should be kept private until the Company deems it necessary to take action.

    Thankfully the current political administration is sufficiently Luddite and will step in a correct these inequities.

    --
    Sorry about the writing. Robot fingers, you know? Cliff Steele in DOOM PATROL #23
  65. What "Linux interfaces"? by g4dget · · Score: 1
    I'm a bit confused about what Linux interfaces they are planning on supporting. I mean, from the point of view of most application software, Solaris and Linux don't look all that different already. They both are POSIX compliant and they both support a lot of the BSD stuff. Most of the porting problems are byte order issues and idiosyncratic header differences.

    So, what is Sun actually going to do? Are they going to make their headers 100% identical to Linux? What other interfaces are they going to support? Is there going to be a /proc and a devfs?

    1. Re:What "Linux interfaces"? by belg4mit · · Score: 1

      Sun has a /proc, in fact somebody has
      been working on reimplementing some of
      Sun's proc tools to Linux;
      [http://freshmeat.net/releases/82887/]

      --
      Were that I say, pancakes?
  66. Re:I think the reasons are different by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And I was worried that you were losing your edge! You certainly have slipped from your previous level of performance on that analysis. Don't wory, there are many rooting for your comeback!

  67. Re:Sun (solaris 2.9) by overbom · · Score: 1

    The new version of Solaris, 2.9, will have GNOME as the default GUI, that's why they've given so much code back to GNOME for useability, gloss, etc. recently. Due sometime this summer, IIRC.

  68. RTFA by Arker · · Score: 2
    They already have a "Linux compatibility layer" on their x86 solaris -- it is basically a load-time translator which understands Linux's ELF and translates linux system and library calls into their solaris equivalent. This works because they're both on x86. I don't know how they plan to do this on SPARC, without a recompile of the app for SPARC.

    Read the article. They're improving compatibility for native compilation, so the source code needs less work. While binary compatibility is not a bad thing, it's much more limited. Linux hasn't had much use for ELF lately, for example. Binary translation ages. Source code doesn't.

    --
    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
    Friends don't let friends enable ecmascript.
  69. Hail Aralin, Trollslayer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Not bad at all really. I mean, it did stink. But so many natives stink worse. So not bad really.

  70. Re:Sun (solaris 2.9) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    " The new version of Solaris, 2.9, will have GNOME as the default GUI, that's why they've given so much code back to GNOME for useability, gloss, etc. recently. Due sometime this summer, IIRC."

    It won't have GNOME as the default GUI initially, it will be CDE. GNOME 2 won't be included until it is ready, probably in the December time frame.

  71. Re:Crapflooder! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    heh Tourettes Troll, classic

    you should however not direct your profanity along the lines of your statement

    to be a true Tourettes Troll your profanity should be a statement within itself FUCK ARSETITS

  72. you might have a point.... by redzebra · · Score: 1

    but you sure don't make a decent argument....

    > XSun is based on the X-server from X11 and thus contains all problems/bugs that one has.

    you forget about all the problems you introduce by addapting the original code :-)

    > So if something is an open standard, it sucks by definition?

    eeuhm that's not what the parent claimed. He just said that the hardware provided by sun ain't better than those from other manifactures because
    the hardware is standarized.

    > My main interest in Sun and Solaris is the nice technology Linux still cannot compare to. From the few things I've heared from the upcoming Solaris 9, it's going to be great ...(examples)...

    eeuh and now you state solaris is superior because all of the things
    that will be in there in the next release .....

    really if you try to make a point give some decent examples.

  73. I'm not sure what you do... but... by willis · · Score: 2
    At work we use our machiens for some pretty heavy math computations... and we're not really looking into Solaris anymore. The fact is, that e6500 costs a SHITLOAD, and for similarly priced low-mid range hardware, Linux wins hands down.

    Actually, I'm quite curious -- what do you guys need that monster machine for. You don't have to give away everything, but I can't really imagine too many uses for something that heavy. (esp. that couldn't be done with a more distributed architecture)

    --

    there is no thing
    what else could you want?
    1. Re:I'm not sure what you do... but... by Mistah+Blue · · Score: 1

      Think Oracle...

  74. Re: BIG hardware doesn't make a good machine/OS by octogen · · Score: 1

    It's not only that Solaris supports (in general) bigger hardware than Linux.

    What about high availability features in Linux? Does Linux support Sun's Service Processors on the Fire 15k? Dynamic domain reconfiguration?

    What about ACL support? What about C2 Security, or even B1 Trusted Operating Systems like Trusted Solaris? Is there something equivalent on Linux?

    Yes, Solaris *IS* superior in many things - it just depends on whether you need all these things or not.

    Personally, I like Linux and it's really fine for small- and medium-size webservers, but sometimes it is a good idea to make use of ACL support, Role Based Access Control or even B1 security, especially when you have got credit card numbers or something like that on your disk.

  75. Nitpick! by qeL3-i · · Score: 1

    I hate to nitpick, but http://news.google.com/news?q=linux is shorter, and therefore is all you need. In other words, you don't need "hl=en".

  76. it's not the Solaris GUI by rp · · Score: 1

    Yes most of the 2000 packages that come preinstalled with your Linux distro can be obtained or source compiled for Solaris, including the GUI stuff you prefer. But it's a lot of work. Why do the work when PC hardware is better for a desktop in the first place?