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Sun Steps Back from Linux JDS
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."
One hour later, they were hungry for Windows again.
Sun only supports linux because it is forced too. Sun developing for linux is ultimately counterproductive to its own long term future.
The big question is what happened to those half-million to million-plus units that were supposed to ship in China in 2004?
What about those of us here in the US who *paid* for JDS and were promised major upgrades every quarter? We saw the JDS 1.0 -> 2.0 upgrade, then it stopped while Sun worked on JDS/Solaris.
Sun needs to learn that the only way they're going to make inroads into the desktop market is if they follow through. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither was the popularity of Java or Solaris. If Sun would take the time to listen to their customers and implement the features they are demanding, then they'd have a very good chance at success. *sigh*
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
Could someone clue me in?
That means the Gnome, Java-for-desktop-apps and Open Office efforts will keep on, and they'll switch kernels on the desktop offering.
davecb@spamcop.net
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! --
This is what the highly hyped partnership is all about
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.
Why wasn't I told about this? I swear if I lose another grand from this SUN company I am going to sell. O.o
"Even the BSD's have made it to the desktop (MacOS) with more success than Linux. It's no surprise, look at the licensing differences."
Perhaps Sun and Microsoft's new partnership with end with a melding of Solairs kernel with some sort of Microsoft added GUI akin to Apple and FreeBSD? As much as I dislike Microsoft, this could be a great product!
It makes sense too. They have a world class Unix based OS and it made little sense for them to just abandon it and move to Linux. If they are able to generate some interest in an open source Solaris, that might be a more sensible path forward for them
All you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be
Sun was never and never will be a supporter of Linux.
Anybody who thought the Java Desktop was a "real" Linux distro is nuts. Sun is a proprietary UNIX shop and never will be anything more.
They're doomed. Flee from their products (except Java which is being open-sourced whether they like it or not) like the plague.
"Open" Solaris will never develop the community Linux has, and Linux will match and exceed Solaris' capabilities within five years.
Sun is the "new" SCO. In five years, they'll be suing Linus for "copyright and patent violations".
Richard Steven Hack - This sig is TOO GODDAMN SHORT TO DO ANYTHING USEFUL WITH! MORONS!
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.
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.)
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
On a related note, IBM has, contrary to your claim of "jumping off", just posted an article detailing the changes they will be contributing to Linux to take full advantage of the astonishing horsepower of the Cell chip.
STFU about slashdot bias.
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?
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.
We had a presentation from some Sun guys, and they basically spent the entire session apologising for the fact that JDS didnt offer the latest packages e.g. 'if youre looking for the latest and greatest, JDS won't give it to you'.
I mean, why even bother doing it if youre going to settle for half-assed - and then tell your customers upfront you want them to pay for half-assed...
Needless to say nobody present left the meeting feeling very excited about where Sun was going with JDS.
Personally, I think dumping Linux is an understandable move in the larger scheme of things - ultimately Solaris is the OS that Sun wants to see succeed, but signalling a lack of support in the JDS offering is baffling.
There is absolutely no reason why JDS shouldnt run on OpenSolaris and offer the same experience as Linux - it seems that Sun, having finally come to the realisation that an old version of GNOME (which is hardly flawless in it's latest iteration) is a tough sell, especially when compared side-by-side with highly polished offerings from Microsoft and Apple.
So, instead of doing something about the obvious flaws in their product - Or god forbid come up with something better - they publically throw in the towel, with a vague suggestion that they might decide to have another half-assed attempt at it in future.
I mean, GNOME and the rest of the Linux desktop is going to improve and will compete head-on with the best that the rest have to offer, and the day will come when Sun will have to try and re-enter the market with a revised offering and explain away this flip-flopping, which isn't going to be at all easy.
Does nobody at Sun get that this is a pathetic, embarrassing show of weakness?
I gots ta ding a ding dang my dang a long ling long