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Toshiba To OEM Laptops With OpenSolaris
ruphus13 writes to tell us of Sun's latest attempt to drive OpenSolaris adoption. The company has inked a deal to pre-install OpenSolaris on Toshiba laptops. "Slowly but surely, major laptop vendors are taking to the idea of shipping systems with pre-loaded open source operating systems. The latest case in point is Toshiba — one of the longest-standing players in the market for portable computers — and its new plan to pre-install Sun Microsystems' OpenSolaris on its laptops. The machines are supposed to ship in early 2009."
Why go with Solaris and not Linux?
In terms of usability and functionality for a Laptop Solaris would be at a disadvantage to Linux and even Windows. Unless you job is to write and compile and or run Solaris X86 Apps. Then you are in general at a disadvantage to Linux which has more application written for it, communicates very well with Solaris Based Type Networks, As far as End User is concerned Linux and Solaris really look so much alike that it wouldn't be much of a learning curve.
Solaris is superior as a server OS. But for a desktop Laptop OS... Why?
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
What exactly is the selling point here? I can see how ZFS is enticing for servers, and perhaps a narrow range of power users, but most FOSS stuff is more work to install on Solaris (Open or otherwise).
Perhaps on a two-harddisk laptop ZFS is an interesting option.
Not totally. Java isn't going anywhere (Microsoft hates Java), OpenOffice.org isn't going anywhere (Microsoft hates OpenOffice.org), OpenSolaris isn't going anywhere and Sun's partnerships with Canonical (Ubuntu), Red Hat and Novell/SuSE aren't going anywhere either.
Everyone thinks Microsoft is the only company to play dirty and use alliances as a means of a trap. Companies like Sun and IBM invented these tricks.
My blog
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Nobody's asking the right questions.
1) Why is Toshiba doing this? This will make them money either directly (Sun is paying them with either money or services) or indirectly (Toshiba wants to get a better deal from Microsoft).
2) Why is Sun doing this? I think they want to drive adoption of OpenSolaris among the open source developers that would normally use Linux. The low-hanging fruit is probably Java devs like me who would otherwise prefer to use Linux.
The market for developer workstations is not small, even the market for Java developers. Just look at how much of a stink Apple created when they left initially Java 6 off Leopard (now it's available for 64-bit Intel Macs only).
This space left intentionally blank.
OpenSolaris automatically detected my HP Photosmart printer by name and instantly installed the proper driver while displaying a nice, comfortable, professional-looking message window. That alone should win over skeptical Windoze fanatics.
I bet Sun is 'paying' for this with a guarentee of a minimum customer base - expect to see Toshiba notebooks in the hallways at Sun facilities. Right now I see allot Macs running Solaris at Sun facilities and most Sun employees have XP installed on their non-Mac notebooks.
I like Solaris but there is essentially zero market demand for Solaris on notebooks.
/LabMonkey09
Speaking as someone who lives and breathes in the Solaris world...
True enough that it's a niche market, but let's not forget that Linux was just as small (if not smaller) of a niche some time ago. Also, OpenSolaris ties directly into developers for back-end enterprise software--there's a lot of gear running Solaris out there!
But I have to ask: What _is_ the 'cost of giving people the choice'? Assuming that Toshiba has set up the environment to efficiently install OpenSolaris on their boxes, it's a matter of one command to choose between Solaris, Windows, or Linux.
"People who do stupid things with hazardous materials often die." -- Jim Davidson on alt.folklore.urban
True. All I've used Solaris for has been servers and it can be kind-of annoying having to edit the /etc/network/lpp file instead of the old reliable ifconfig route. I guess I'm just set in my ways. If you don't mind, I have to tell some kids to get off my lawn.
The game.
Seriously:
If I could have Solaris as an option, I would take it. There's a justifiable niche here.. Solaris is a supported alterna-UNIX with class
leading development tools.
If OpenSolaris provided the second-best iPhone application development environment, it would be strong enough to justify the move.
If Sun takes the opportunity to bundle and better integrate OpenOffice with their new Enterprise Desktop, and add all sorts of security and platform robustness choices, it might have a chance.
There's enough technology present in Solaris to make a reasonable case for allowing it to compete against the much unloved Vista for Business, especially when Linux has taken the first wave of public criticism (Eee PC, Ubuntu, et al.)
If they can somehow coordinate a "Shake 'n' Bake" style maneuver with Apple (iPhone/Solaris/Dev with Apple/Sun/ZFS backend and iPhone integration) it could be a very good thing.
Apple will never take the Corporate Desktop summit, and I seriously believe they have stopped caring. Perhaps Sun recognizes this as well.
I'm not sure if it's that the OEMs think they can sell that many, it's that they think Microsoft can't stop them any more.
We'll not know how many they could have sold before, because it's only recently that they've dared to try.
Microsoft is like a castle under siege, there's an attack from Asus on one wall, then IBM on another, then Dell at the main gate, now Toshiba... Each wave is beaten back, but the defenders look increasingly shaky.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
What needs to go down is the fucking unions. They're bleeding the companies dry, they're the reason that GM/Ford/etc. can't compete with Toyota and Honda and Subaru.
My blog. Good stuff (when I remember to update it). Read it.
Actually, by being licensed under GPLv3, I think OpenSolaris is a morally superior choice.
http://www.dieblinkenlights.com
Really, I personally think OpenSolaris is coming along quite nicely since Ian Murdock is managing things but that's a different comment.
If they can make a toshiba laptop suspend and hybernate flawlessly that would be awesome. Maybe I'll even make the switch. Unix is Unix.
"If a show of teeth is not enough, bite
Stop right there. It's not just ruining Michigan. It will hurt ohio, Tennessee, Minnesota, Arizona, and any other state with a Ford, GM, or Chrysler plant. It will also hurt foreign auto makers who will have part vendors go out of business on them. Anyone who thinks this is just about Michigan is wrong.
Mid-Michigan is screwed anyway.. GM mostly pulled out of Flint years ago. I know, I grew up there. The Volt engine plant is about it and it's been postponed.
I'm also sick of the republicans fighting this bailout. Bush proposed the damn bailout of wallstreet and they were quiet then. Until they lost the election, they didn't care about the fiscal conservative roots, it was only what one religion (and a subset) wanted.
HAHAHAHA,
just an example: Excluding myself, I personally know 5 persons with Toshiba laptops running Linux. We are all unable to use the build in Toshiba SD card controller because bl**dy Toshiba flat out refuses to release *ANY* information for this bloody SD card controller. Does anybody think that this ignorant attitude would get any better with Open Solaris ? I don't think so.
So until this controller finally gets supported for Linux by Toshiba they will never again see any money from around here - not with Windows, not with Linux and not even with Solaris.
lspci:
01:0d.0 System peripheral: Toshiba America Info Systems SD TypA Controller (rev 03)
Cheers
Max
Gnome is being tightly integrated with ZFS, you will have functionality in OpenSolaris that you will not see for a while, if at all, in Linux.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
I had xubuntu 8.1 running om my old HP ze4220 with 512mb or ram, and 1.7ghz celuron processor. I decided to try opensolaris 2008.5.
Xunbuntu won hands down, in every measurable way. I could never get music, or movies, to play on opensolaris. Also, I was never able to read .chm file on opensolaris. Xubuntu was also faster to install, and booted up faster. Opensolaris was not terrrible, it just wasn't as nice as xubuntu.
Neither OS could detect my wireless NIC. XP runs noticeably faster than either xubuntu or opensolaris, and xp does detect my wireless nic.
Again, just my experience.
$3000 of a new American vehicle go to paying pensions.. that's not a problem though?