Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Sun Steps Back from Linux JDS

Posted by timothy on from the crowded-house dept.

chill writes "ZD Net UK is reporting that Sun is pulling back from their JDS desktop Linux initiative. The big question is what happened to those half-million to million-plus units that were supposed to ship in China in 2004? One hint may be that in April, Novell announced a deal with CSSC to 'cooperate to provide technology, services and marketing to optimise and promote Linux to the Chinese market.' Sun's JDS was based on SUSE Linux, now owned by Novell."

12 of 202 comments (clear)

  1. This was inevitable by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Sun only supports linux because it is forced too. Sun developing for linux is ultimately counterproductive to its own long term future.

    1. Re:This was inevitable by tomhudson · · Score: 3, Insightful
      Sun developing for linux is ultimately counterproductive to its own long term future.
      Not necessarily - and actually probably quite the opposite. The whole idea was to get *away* from being *just a hardware vendor*, and sell all sorts of support services.

      Someone should whack them with a cluestick - everyone knows there are severe penalties for early withdrawal (from a new market).

    2. Re:This was inevitable by AKAImBatman · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Sun developing for linux is ultimately counterproductive to its own long term future.

      That's not entirely true. Sun's strategy has always been to sell hardware and complete solutions. It really doesn't matter to them if they're selling Linux or Solaris. In fact, long before JDS they provided an option to preload RedHat on many of their systems. Why anyone would chose RedHat over Solaris for a server system is beyond me, but a lot of customers were demanding it.

      All the JDS is lacking is a true follow through. This half-assed release-it-and-then-drop-it strategy is guaranteed failure.

      --
      Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
    3. Re:This was inevitable by Decaff · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Sun only supports linux because it is forced too.

      What is the evidence for this? Linux is a good platform for them to provide software for and sell services for.

      Sun developing for linux is ultimately counterproductive to its own long term future.

      Why? They are moving towards being increasingly a software services company.

    4. Re:This was inevitable by AKAImBatman · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Depends on the architecture - Solaris on Sparc makes sense, why anyone would choose Solaris over Linux on an x86/amd64 platform is beyond me. (I support both at work, and aim to replace as many Solaris boxes as possible with Linux.)

      Depends. If it's an actual Sun-built box, then it's just as good as a Sparc box. If it's Solaris/x86 on a random Dell or something, then I agree completely.

      --
      Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
  2. How is Sun making any money these days? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Could someone clue me in?

    1. Re:How is Sun making any money these days? by mu51c10rd · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Government contracts perhaps?

  3. Might be inevitable, but is it wise? by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Sun only supports linux because it is forced too. Sun developing for linux is ultimately counterproductive to its own long term future.

    From a business viewpoint, you're probably right, if they want to keep selling what they're selling.

    On the other hand, sometimes you have to transform the firm - just ask Groves about Intel changing from making memory to making CPUs.

    --
    -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
  4. I don't think Sun's leaving open source desktops. by Rahga · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If there's one thing that's a reported definite in Sun, it is that they've decided on GNOME for their desktop environment on Solaris sometime in the near future.... I think JDS was a nice experiment at rebranding of both Suse and GNOME software, but never really a serious product with R&D devoted to improving software upstream from it. To make matters more complex, Suse joining the Novell fold has made a mess of the Suse and Ximian desktop offerings. Novell up top seems to be aiming for a losely defined linux services platform in the mold of IBM, not a strongly defined Linux desktop and distribution product. No reason they should go for the later either, since that market is decently covered by other products from other companies.

    So, Sun had JDS which is derived from a distrtibution (Suse) that is not nice to GNOME (wtg, germans), and are giving up on it. No biggie, IMHO.

  5. Re:Would someone please... by slashdot_commentator · · Score: 2, Insightful
    Pulling JDS because its runs on SUSE Linux makes about as much sense as Sun's decision to piddle around with eDirectory (then NDS) and not actually implement it on Solaris (this after Novell *gave* them the source code for the purpose of putting NDS on Solaris).

    Eventually Novell got tired on Sun sitting on its thumbs and took it all back and did it themselves. Another opportunity lost by Sun.

    Actually, these partnerships work the other way. Microsoft rarely goes to the new platform or new hardware; the 3rd party players front up all the porting costs. It makes no sense for Sun to lead the effort to port eDirectory. Its straightforward to cross-compile eDirectory. But its going to take Novell engineers to figure out why eDirectory would glitch out in situation X. Sun should have just donated hardware and a couple of engineers. But agreed, Sun is pretty stupid for arranging the agreement conditions it did in the first place, and not realizing what a goldmine that eDirectory represents.

    I *like* Sun. I use a lot of their hardware and I cut my UNIX sysadmin teeth on SunOS and Solaris. But its getting disheartening watching them stumble from one stupid decision to another.

    Me too. I don't look at their decisions as being stoopid . They really are between a rock and a hard place. But they have to see the future at this point. They are dead if they continue on their present course. Stupid is throwing willy-nilly a half dozen initiatives to the wall, and seeing what sticks. That's not vision. (I'd love to see their internal analysis which tells how much money their making with Java.)

    Which is *another* reason I'm sharpening my Linux skills.

    What, you need a reason?

    --
    There is no America. There is no democracy. There is only IBM and AT&T and DuPont, Dow, General Electric, and Exxon
  6. This is becoming amusing by tji · · Score: 2, Insightful

    How many times is Sun going to start a Linux initiative, then change their mind? There must have been four or five of these in the last few years.

    They can't decide if Linux is an opportunity or a competitive threat.

    The answer: It doesn't matter. You guys are doing a great job of killing your company all by yourself.

    Who's steering that ship anyway?

  7. just a bait and switch by porky_pig_jr · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Sun has made so much noises how THEIR distribution of Linux is true to the LInux spirit whereas Red Hat isn't - I've never doubt their linux campaign won't last that long. Just another half-backed marketing idea which boils down to bait and switch. Except it smelled fishy for me right from the start, and I guess for many others as well.