Here's another OpenSolaris community blog. Welcome
Sean Sprague from the
UK. I think we have 18 blogs now.
Technorati Tag: OpenSolaris
Technorati Tag: OpenSolaris
Monday Jan 31, 2005
Here's a long article on open source that's positive for IBM and
negative for Sun -- "Is
Open Source Ready for Prime
Time?"
David Skok, a general partner with Matrix Partners, and Brian Stevens, vice president of operating systems at Red Hat, are quoted in the piece:
So, IBM has a bright future, and Sun is in trouble. Our Linux servers and JDS desktops notwithstanding, I guess. Whatever. But what's up with the "losing Solaris" part? Solaris is a core competency for Sun, and now we are bringing the platform to Intel and AMD Opteron. We've invested hundreds of millions in the Solaris 10 platform, and I think customers appreciate what's coming their way. I think we'll keep Solaris. Losing it would be idiotic.
Lost? We have? I don't know. I was just talking to some guys from these markets last week, and they still have a bunch of our stuff and are more than a little interested in Solaris 10 and OpenSolaris. Perhaps Mr. Stevens was overstating a bit. I think it's ok to say that other vendors have advanced in these markets, but we certainly have not lost these markets by any stretch of the imagination. We're back now. And we're competing with a new product, a new business model, and an emerging community. May the best system win.
We did get one half hearted complement in the article, but it came with a back handed slap, of course:
Pretty lame. First of all, there are many open source communities, not just one community. Open source is a community of communities. Did IBM join NetBeans with its Eclipse project a few years back? Nope. For whatever reason, they had different business and technical goals for launching Eclipse and received almost no criticism for attacking Sun in the process. IBM deserves credit for their contributions to open source, especially the Linux community. I don't argue what that. But Sun deserves some credit, too, for our involvement in open source and also with Linux. Don't you think that's fair? Second, we believe the OpenSolaris community is already there. We're not starting from scratch here. That two decade installed base of Solaris developers out there will make a very nice open source community, don't you think? The Solaris community deserves to be recognized in its own right -- no matter its size relative to other communities. There's room enough for multiple communities.
So, do we think open source is ready for prime time. Absolutely. We're open sourcing the very core of Sun's entire product line. Our position on this is clear.
No one from Sun was quoted in this article, by the way. Oh, well. Maybe next time.
Technorati Tag: OpenSolaris
David Skok, a general partner with Matrix Partners, and Brian Stevens, vice president of operating systems at Red Hat, are quoted in the piece:
Skok
pointed to IBM as a major company that has harnessed open
source to great benefit. "They've managed to capitalize on Linux. Their
major competitor on hardware used to be Sun, but since Linux, IBM has
been able to thrive and sell a bunch of services and hardware."
Stevens agreed. "It's a fantastic move by IBM," he said.
Sun is a different story, Skok said. "I think Sun's in trouble. They have a very serious problem of a business model that can change, but when it does change it'll be hard for their shareholders. It's Intel economics. Sun has to become an Intel seller; they not only have to lose the Solaris and Sun hardware edge, but they have to compete with Dell."
Stevens agreed. "It's a fantastic move by IBM," he said.
Sun is a different story, Skok said. "I think Sun's in trouble. They have a very serious problem of a business model that can change, but when it does change it'll be hard for their shareholders. It's Intel economics. Sun has to become an Intel seller; they not only have to lose the Solaris and Sun hardware edge, but they have to compete with Dell."
So, IBM has a bright future, and Sun is in trouble. Our Linux servers and JDS desktops notwithstanding, I guess. Whatever. But what's up with the "losing Solaris" part? Solaris is a core competency for Sun, and now we are bringing the platform to Intel and AMD Opteron. We've invested hundreds of millions in the Solaris 10 platform, and I think customers appreciate what's coming their way. I think we'll keep Solaris. Losing it would be idiotic.
Moreover,
"the challenge Sun is going to have is they lost their
top two markets: financial services and telecommunications," Stevens
said.
Lost? We have? I don't know. I was just talking to some guys from these markets last week, and they still have a bunch of our stuff and are more than a little interested in Solaris 10 and OpenSolaris. Perhaps Mr. Stevens was overstating a bit. I think it's ok to say that other vendors have advanced in these markets, but we certainly have not lost these markets by any stretch of the imagination. We're back now. And we're competing with a new product, a new business model, and an emerging community. May the best system win.
We did get one half hearted complement in the article, but it came with a back handed slap, of course:
Stevens
lauded Sun's moves to come back with its recent foray,
"but it's not causing a reverse," he said. "Instead of really joining
the community like IBM has, Sun is trying to create its own developer
community."
Pretty lame. First of all, there are many open source communities, not just one community. Open source is a community of communities. Did IBM join NetBeans with its Eclipse project a few years back? Nope. For whatever reason, they had different business and technical goals for launching Eclipse and received almost no criticism for attacking Sun in the process. IBM deserves credit for their contributions to open source, especially the Linux community. I don't argue what that. But Sun deserves some credit, too, for our involvement in open source and also with Linux. Don't you think that's fair? Second, we believe the OpenSolaris community is already there. We're not starting from scratch here. That two decade installed base of Solaris developers out there will make a very nice open source community, don't you think? The Solaris community deserves to be recognized in its own right -- no matter its size relative to other communities. There's room enough for multiple communities.
So, do we think open source is ready for prime time. Absolutely. We're open sourcing the very core of Sun's entire product line. Our position on this is clear.
No one from Sun was quoted in this article, by the way. Oh, well. Maybe next time.
Technorati Tag: OpenSolaris
Check out this article from NewFactor Network -- Sun
Releases Open Source Details -- Now What?
Now what? Simple. Well, we keep building the OpenSolaris community, that's what. Just as we had planned all along. But there's no mention of the Solaris community in this article, which I find odd considering that's what we've been talking about all year long -- building an open source community of Solaris developers.
Under the subhead of "If They Build it Will They Come" we find this about OpenSolaris:
Pssst ... guys ... this is the OpenSolaris community we're building here. OpenSolaris. Not clear? Ok, try this. Look at the Solaris market. Just take a snapshot. Now, imagine all those developers, system administrators, customers, partners, and power users from all of our markets around the world. The whole crew. Now, just imagine all those guys as the basis of the OpenSolaris community. That's it. Stop there. That's the only perspective from which you can understand what we are doing here. Anything else will disappoint you. We are turning the Solaris "market" into a Solaris "community." That community is already talented, it will help improve the Solaris platform, and it will grow based on the quality of the code and the innovation an open project naturally enables..
Regarding that marketing bit ... oh, goodness, no! Please no more marketing campaigns! I can't take it! If Sun does Cluetrain marketing, ok, I'm fine. That would be cool, actually. If not, they'll just make a mess of things. Developers know this, though, so I'm not really concerned. All kidding aside, though, the point is well taken -- Sun is arguably the leader in open source but is still not recognized as such. You can't kick marketing for that entirely. That's the fault of the entire company, not just one department. All of us at every level have to engage with the community and realize that we are part of a community business model now. It's pure opportunity.
Technorati Tag: OpenSolaris
Now what? Simple. Well, we keep building the OpenSolaris community, that's what. Just as we had planned all along. But there's no mention of the Solaris community in this article, which I find odd considering that's what we've been talking about all year long -- building an open source community of Solaris developers.
Under the subhead of "If They Build it Will They Come" we find this about OpenSolaris:
But
will the Linux community bite? Does open
source Solaris have the mind share
potential to tempt enough Linux developers to start dabbling in its
code and possibly realign in Sun's direction?
...
Yankee Group analyst Laura DiDio tells NewsFactor. "Sun will have to launch a tremendous marketing campaign to convince people they are a player in open source," she says. "They will have to find a way to reverse that trend and recast themselves in the image of an open source provider since that is not the first thing people think about when they think about Sun."
...
IDC analyst Dan Kusnetzky, for one, does not believe Sun will be able to stem the momentum established by Linux. "Some developers may be enticed to take a closer look at Solaris, but I doubt it will attract the mainstream Linux developers," he said.
...
Yankee Group analyst Laura DiDio tells NewsFactor. "Sun will have to launch a tremendous marketing campaign to convince people they are a player in open source," she says. "They will have to find a way to reverse that trend and recast themselves in the image of an open source provider since that is not the first thing people think about when they think about Sun."
...
IDC analyst Dan Kusnetzky, for one, does not believe Sun will be able to stem the momentum established by Linux. "Some developers may be enticed to take a closer look at Solaris, but I doubt it will attract the mainstream Linux developers," he said.
Pssst ... guys ... this is the OpenSolaris community we're building here. OpenSolaris. Not clear? Ok, try this. Look at the Solaris market. Just take a snapshot. Now, imagine all those developers, system administrators, customers, partners, and power users from all of our markets around the world. The whole crew. Now, just imagine all those guys as the basis of the OpenSolaris community. That's it. Stop there. That's the only perspective from which you can understand what we are doing here. Anything else will disappoint you. We are turning the Solaris "market" into a Solaris "community." That community is already talented, it will help improve the Solaris platform, and it will grow based on the quality of the code and the innovation an open project naturally enables..
Regarding that marketing bit ... oh, goodness, no! Please no more marketing campaigns! I can't take it! If Sun does Cluetrain marketing, ok, I'm fine. That would be cool, actually. If not, they'll just make a mess of things. Developers know this, though, so I'm not really concerned. All kidding aside, though, the point is well taken -- Sun is arguably the leader in open source but is still not recognized as such. You can't kick marketing for that entirely. That's the fault of the entire company, not just one department. All of us at every level have to engage with the community and realize that we are part of a community business model now. It's pure opportunity.
Technorati Tag: OpenSolaris
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