Sun flaunts free software to woo clients

In yet another ploy to attract enterprise customers, Sun Microsystems has decided to package a huge bundle of developer tools and middleware as the Solaris Enterprise System, anchored by the Solaris OS. And, just like Solaris itself, the entire stack is now free.

The intention is to increase volume through the free distribution of these products and then build revenue through selling related support, services, and Sun hardware. Sun sees its platform as a robust alternative to Windows.

“I think we’ve seen consistently that volume wins in the marketplace,” said Sun President/COO Jonathan Schwartz.

Solaris Enterprise System features Solaris 10 with the PostgreSQL database; Java Enterprise System, including identity management and integration software from the recent SeeBeyond acquisition; N1 management software, featuring service provisioning and Sun’s grid engine; tools for C, C++, and Java development such as Sun Studio 11 and Sun Java Studio Creator; SunRay thin-client software; and Sun Secure Global Desktop Service.

Sun’s move was described as “pretty radical” by Shawn Willett, an analyst at Current Analysis.

“This will have the most effect on integration and portal markets, where there [are] not really good open source products on the market,” Willett said.

Would you recommend this article?

Share

Thanks for taking the time to let us know what you think of this article!
We'd love to hear your opinion about this or any other story you read in our publication.


Jim Love, Chief Content Officer, IT World Canada

Featured Download

Featured Articles

Cybersecurity in 2024: Priorities and challenges for Canadian organizations 

By Derek Manky As predictions for 2024 point to the continued expansion...

Survey shows generative AI is a top priority for Canadian corporate leaders.

Leaders are devoting significant budget to generative AI for 2024 Canadian corporate...

Related Tech News

Tech Jobs

Our experienced team of journalists and bloggers bring you engaging in-depth interviews, videos and content targeted to IT professionals and line-of-business executives.

Tech Companies Hiring Right Now