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Sun's Trading Symbol Going From SUNW To JAVA

Mortimer.CA writes "Straight from Jonathan Schwartz's weblog, Sun is changing their ticker symbol from SUNW to JAVA: 'JAVA is a technology whose value is near infinite to the internet, and a brand that's inseparably a part of Sun (and our profitability). [...] To be very clear, this isn't about changing the company name or focus — we are Sun, we are a systems company, and we will always be a derivative of the students that created us, Stanford University Network is here to stay. But we are no longer simply a workstation company, nor a company whose products can be limited by one category — and Java does a better job of capturing exactly that sentiment than any other four letter symbol.'"

8 of 356 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Uhm. by MMC+Monster · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Actually, I was under the impression that SUNW was a more respectable name. Workstation gives the suggestion of serious computer power.

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  2. Wait a sec.... by Churla · · Score: 2, Interesting

    So they don't want to just be associated with workstations, so they change their symbol to the name of one particular software product they produce. I boggle at this.

    Why not change the symbol to something like SunS (Sun Systems, oops taken), or SunT (...technologies) , or Sunn (...networking, but also taken...)

    You get the idea. Keep the identity they have as Sun, because that does carry recognition. Far more than I think they think Java does. It would be like MS changing their ticker to WNDZ or the federal government getting the ticker symbol DCMA...

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    I'm a fiscal conservative, it's a pity we don't have a political party anymore
  3. Re:Uhm. by ednopantz · · Score: 2, Interesting

    This is the platform company that spent the 1990s evangelizing a language that makes it easy to write platform independent code.

    Java may be nice, but it was a butt-stupid move for a company that made its money in OSes and hardware.

  4. Well JAVA did make a pile of money ... by supersnail · · Score: 2, Interesting

    ... only trouble is it made it for IBM not sun!

    IBM seem to be the only company capable of actually selling java based product.
    But then again they persuaded people to part with ready cash for Lotus Notes
    so it doesnt really say much about Java.

    I think SUN is desperate not to be seen a a hardware manufacturer becuase
    of its associantion with commodity products and declining profitability.

    However the only way to become a succesful software business is to SELL
    software to customers, which, SUN does not do at all well.

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  5. Re:Not sure if this is a good idea by squoozer · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I thought at least some of the life around under sea thermal vents was powered by the hear from the earths core which, if I'm not mistaken, comes primarily from radioactive decay deep within the Earth and has nothing to do with the sun. The radioactive material did come from a star though so you could argue that all (known) life derives it's energy from stars in one way or another.

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  6. Linux by Rocketship+Underpant · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I humbly suggest 'RTFM' for any of the big Linux vendors. :)

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    He who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me.
  7. Re:Not sure if this is a good idea by chuck · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Interestingly, the New York Stock Exchange has reserved the stock symbol M for Microsoft, if they ever jump ship from Nasdaq.

    http://invest-faq.com/articles/triv-one-letter-tic k.html

  8. Re:Unfathomable. by cmat · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Ya know, something I've always found bizarre about this "everyone thinks java has poor loading times" comment... most everyone that uses a computer and is not a programmer seems to look at the slow loading of any app as a "problem with my computer, hang on a sec, it's just loading now". So most of the time I would argue that the average user of such applications care more about overall performance slowdowns and almost never associate the real causes of slowdown to any particular factor.

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    -- Humans, because the hardware IS the software.