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.'"

Comments

Not sure if this is a good idea

[jpfed]

Hmm... while many programmers are powered by java, all life on Earth is powered at least indirectly by the Sun.

Re:Not sure if this is a good idea

[Megane]

They may not have a product _named_ SUCK, but they do have the ZUNE. That's got four letters and describes Microsoft almost as well as JAVA describes Sun.

Re:Not sure if this is a good idea

[SL Baur]

No, BSOD.

Re:Not sure if this is a good idea

[chuck]

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

Packages

[HaydnH]

As all of the Solaris packages start with the companies ticker, will all future Sun packages now be called JAVAxxxxx? That's going to annoy the hell out of us sys admins =/ Haydn.

The full quote regarding Sun's symbol change

[lancejjj]

The quote was truncated. Here it is in its totality:

"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.

Our first choice was the even more accurate DEAD, but that symbol was already taken by Emerson Burial Caskets."

Perhaps they're trying to increase share price...

[Anonymous Coward]

...because in my experience, Java increases the size of things by at least 25%.

Should APPL become IPOD? Silliness.

[dpbsmith]

GE does a lot of things besides manufacture light bulbs and generators. In fact they do a lot of things besides manufacturing light bulbs, generators, medical equipment, jet engines, finance, plastics, and railroad locomotives. Yet they feel no need to change their trading symbol.

Does anyone think that it would help Apple to change its trading symbol from APPL to IPOD?

Does AT&T worry that people will think telegraphs are old-fashioned?

GE, Apple, and AT&T are just names. For better or worse, people know what these companies are, not because of the names, but because of the companies. And the trading symbol is one step further removed.

SUN is an acronym for Stanford University Network. It should be a proud part of the company's heritage.

Wanting to fiddle with the trading symbol is a sure sign of a company that has no idea of what its identity is or what it is or should be doing. It also indicates an unhealthy focus on the stock, rather than company's business itself.