Sunday June 13, 2004

Posting to blogs.sun.com is the perfect opportunity to air Sun dirty laundry. You know, I don't see what others see in dirty laundry. Is it the fact they like to see others make mistakes? Is it because they can tell their friends "I know the inside scoop?" I know people that have to be the first ones to forward information they read on a website around so they can be perceived to be "in the know".

What is this obsession with seeing others either failing, having trouble or perhaps airing their greatest fears? I liken this to Reality TV. America is really into Reality TV. For international customers, Reality TV is a pseudo-live look into the lives of individuals or groups with some inane topics. I say "pseudo" because most lives are just average and boring, which makes Reality TV an oxymoron. Now we have the Hilton sisters doing another reality show. So what does this have to do with airing Sun dirty laundry? Well, I'm getting there.

Our industry is chock full of examples of this. I get a kick out of much of the rumours that flow around the net. I read some about Sun and I just wonder how people come up with some of these things. One person makes some outlandish remark, it gets repeated, they tell two friends, and they tell two friends, and so on, and so on. Pretty soon you have a rumour. No company or individual is immune. Because I see how far out of whack rumours are regarding Sun, I have learned that any rumours I come across regarding the competition are more-than-likely just as far out of whack.

Don't people have more important things to do like educate themselves with *meaningful* data, do *real* work, and investigate a company for their *real* value for solving your *real* problems? So now let me go check up on my dirty laundry to see if it is good for use. Hold on ...

OK, my dirty laundry is ready. I have this old Sun Education t-shirt I use when I do yardwork. While washing the car it got a bit wet, so I had to air it out. It is now completely dry. I feel pride in the fact hat I have just aired Sun dirty laundry.

Gotcha ... :) Next time, visit our sun.com website and get something that will *really* make you "in the know".