SCO's Other Investor: Sun Microsystems 414
Vicegrip writes "Apparently Sun not only bought extra licenses from SCO, but also obtained the option to buy a nice stake in the company: 'The pact, signed earlier this year, expanded the rights Sun acquired in 1994 to use Unix in its Solaris operating system. But there's more to the relationship: SCO also granted Sun a warrant to buy as many as 210,000 shares of SCO stock at $1.83 per share as part of the licensing deal, according to a regulatory document filed Tuesday.'" A reader points out Ransom Love's 2000 Linuxworld keynote speech.
SCO who? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:SCO who? (Score:2, Informative)
Re:SCO who? (Score:2)
-uso.
Re:SCO who? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:This is insightful? (Score:3, Insightful)
But let's assume for a minute that you're right on the second point. Let's say it was a misjudgement.
Why then would they exploit the situation in the NYTimes with full page ads explaining how they are legal and that AIX users should all switch, in turn adding to the FUD themselves.
I wouldn't consider them the "good guys" in this by any means.
As far as open office and Java support, they're still competing with Micros~1 no matter what the situation in the IX world looks like.
Nope (Score:5, Insightful)
SUN probably wouldn't call that "without any costs what so ever".
Re:Nope (Score:3, Funny)
A sick, demented puppy.
With a heart full of evil. That wants to eat your children and steal your source code. Or something.
I need coffee.
Re:Nope (Score:5, Informative)
They would have to make public the modifications they did on the driver itself to integrate it to the kernel, but not the kernel itself!
Not exactly. . . (Score:3, Informative)
Drivers must link with the kernel so most feel that they must be GPL'd. There are companies that put out proprietary drivers NVIDIA etc. If you use these drivers they "taint" your kernel. Most people don't care.
I am of the opin
Re:SCO who? (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm sure this was far from the only reason. They could have just adapted drivers from BSD with little licensing restrictions. Also, Sun had Solaris working on Intel long before this deal. My guess is that one of the primary motivations from Sun is the FUD factor. "Switch to Sun , the ONLY 100% in the clear, IP legit UNIX vendor."
Re:SCO who? (Score:3, Insightful)
Maybe SUN just thought that paying for an expanded license now was good economics. It's certainly going to be cheaper to buy it now than it would be if (by some bizarre course of events) SCO wins.
Sun claims to be the only Unix vendor still committed to maintaining their unix version. That claim would appear to be more-or-less true. This purchase just looks like an attempt to enforce that committment.
As a Sun customer, this news is a
Re:SCO who? (Score:2, Interesting)
I don't know who said it, but there is aquate saying approximately that:
Shares (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Shares (Score:5, Interesting)
SCO price as of this moment: $11.16.
Warrant price: $1.86.
Current profit: $9.3/share x 210,000 shares = $1,953,000.
Obviously it depends on the specific terms of the trade, such as when they are allowed to actually purchase the shares, any limitations on selling, etc. Still, a couple million in profit doesn't sound bad to me, and probably doesn't sound bad to Sun either.
If Sun was smart, they'd buy then sell as quickly as possible. Who knows how long SCO can keep the FUD train rolling?
Re:Shares (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm sure some people on this board can comment on how they may have learned this lesson.
Most employee stock options allow you to sell the stock immediately upon exercising the option. I would recommend selling at least enough stock to cover the tax burden immediately just to eliminate the tax risk from your portfolio.
Re:Shares (Score:2, Interesting)
That would suck. If the contract does specify a lengthy delay (say, the amount of time SCO thinks they can continue to snow the market + 1 day) Sun would be smarter to just wait and see if this comes to anything. I wonder if Sun would have negotiated a shorter term realizing this possibility. I don't think SCO would mind, since they seem happy to deal with anyone who can l
Re:Shares (Score:3, Insightful)
We can hope anyway.
Re:Shares (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Shares (Score:5, Funny)
Warrant price: $1.86.
Current profit: $9.3/share x 210,000 shares = $1,953,000.
Knowing SCO and their cronies will be crushed by IBM the minute this thing hits court: priceless
Re:Shares (Score:3, Informative)
appears to be bailing out [theinquirer.net].
Re:Shares (Score:5, Interesting)
Look, even if shares of SCO went up by -one thousand times- their current value, Sun would only make $384,300,000. That is 2.3% of Sun's current market capitalization. As it is now, even if they buy and lose that money it is barely a dent in their quarterly operating budget.
Yes, I work for Sun. Yes, I think this stock deal is a tiny bit of a black mark in terms of supporting the Linux community (but not in a financial sense
But seriously, the math is simple and available to anyone looking at it. This should not be a big deal. If Sun has options to buy 12,900,000 more shares of SCOX (the total outstanding), -then- I would worry about Sun's intent here.
Re:Shares (Score:2)
Not to simple for you. The warrents are not big deal. But it does show which side Sun is on.
Re:wait a minute now (Score:4, Informative)
Timeline:
December: SCOX started claiming that their code was in Linux. Suggested they may start charging Linux unsers $99 per CPU.
January: SCOX insiders gave themselves a buttload of options for $0.001 each.
February: SUNW starts secretly supporting SCOX, and gets a buttload of warrents.
March: SCOX officially files a lawsuit against IBM.
May: MSFT starts supporting SCOX's efforts.
June: SCOX is now leagally able to make good on their threat to cancle IBM's UNIX license. SCO could go to court and ask for a temporty immediate injunction that would forbid IBM from selling AIX. SCOX does not do this. Instead SCOX claims that as far as they are concerned, all versions of AIX are illegal.
Re:Shares (Score:4, Insightful)
"Yeah because that much money (210,000 shares * $2 share = $384,300) is really going to make or break Sun. Uh-huh"
I think you have the math wrong, as previous poster pointed out:
---
SCO price as of this moment: $11.16.
Warrant price: $1.86.
Current profit: $9.3/share x 210,000 shares = $1,953,000
---
"Yes, I work for Sun. Yes, I think this stock deal is a tiny bit of a black mark in terms of supporting the Linux community"
Tiny? I think penguin-suit suit McNealy has just revealed whos side SUNW is on, after having lied about it all this time. SCO and MSFT are out to ruin Linux, and SUNW is bed with both of them. What a surprise, what three companies have the most to gain from ruining Linux?
Why do you suppose SUNW wanted to keep this quite?
What a coincidence. (Score:5, Funny)
Win-win position for Sun (Score:5, Insightful)
Desperate-desperate position for Sun (Score:3, Interesting)
What kind of competition does Sun have? Consider IBM's p690 and HP's Superdome. Both are in a neck-to-neck race to be #1 on the internationally recognized TPC-C benchmark by the Transaction Processing Council [tpc.org]. Both of their scores is about 750,000. Please read "IBM touts own chips over Itanium [com.com]". By contrast, Sun's best score is about 250,0
Ransome Love and Blake Stowell (Score:5, Interesting)
Yeah...but...*flashback to Linuxworld 2000*
But clearly we are going to add components back to the Linux kernel on both IA-32 and IA-64 platforms. We'll work with Linus and everyone in order to make that available.
Thank you.
Re:Ransome Love and Blake Stowell (Score:2)
On the other hand, it could be a case of marketing foot-in-mouth without clearing stuff with lawyers etc. *shrug*
Re:Ransome Love and Blake Stowell (Score:3, Insightful)
Um, yeah, but
And you believed this? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:And you believed this? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Ransom Love and Blake Stowell (Score:4, Insightful)
Remember that the "you" in this case was Ransom Love, who led the pre-SCO Caldera. Nobody who's at SCO now seems to have any conception of the history Caldera had with Linux. It's not clear they have much conception of the history the original SCO had with Unix, for that matter.
To the person who answered this with "And you believed this?" I'd probably say, "Sure, I believe Love meant what he said." Unfortunately, while corporations may be legal persons, they very often are legal persons with no long-term memory. (As someone pointed out, Darl McBride has claimed that SCO owns C++ [zdnet.co.uk]; while I have to give the man points for ambition, I don't think he has the faintest clue about Unix and Linux history.)
hmm... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:hmm... (Score:5, Interesting)
I hope the people at Sun realize that they are just going to piss IT people off more and more. This thinly-disguised "licensing" agreement with SCO will not win them any new friends even if Sun's intentions are good and they want to expand Solaris on x86. I think the Sun will be setting (pun intended!)
Re:hmm... (Score:3, Insightful)
He may be letting personal feelings into this but that doesn't change the facts that some people wouldn't be happy using software from a company that has resorted to trying to obtain customers from that sort of method, I'd personally like a little bit of trust in a provider-client relationship.
Anyway he may be going a little OTT, but when there's a lo
Re:hmm... (Score:4, Insightful)
Bullshit. I see this on here all the time and it makes me gag. Just because a business is a non-human entity does not mean it must be soulless. Yes, businesses exist to make money for their owners, but that does not require that those in charge of the business drop their convictions at the door. I don't think is wrong for decisions to not be based solely on money, rather, a modicum of morality added to the process it is a good thing. This is just as true for corporations as it is for individuals.
I see no reason why a company needs to be a totally rational system, deviod of any feelings or beliefs. If you and your business have the choice of buying the newest widget from company A that is slightly more expensive, or from company B that is slightly cheaper but is known to anally rape baby seals in the manufacturing process, which do you choose? If you are in a position of making such decisions, it seems idiotic and immoral to ignore everything outside the bottom line.
-Ted
Re:hmm... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:hmm... (Score:5, Interesting)
Well that would require a Solaris for RS6xxx or PowerPC platform wouldn't it?
Re:hmm... (Score:2)
Software marketing scenes...2003 (Score:2)
SCO : But Linux contains our IP! You gotts pay us money....
Prospect: I'll wait till your case against IBM is over..
Exit SCO, enter MS:
MS: We'll give you 85% discounts for our secure Windows platform...
Prospect: No thanks, I'll call you later..
Exit MS, enter Sun:
Sun: We hold all Unix rights, and SCO seems like winning the case. Better switch to Solaris - it's safer than Aix.
Prospect: What the hell, GNU
Re:hmm... (Score:4, Funny)
Personal preference.. that's all.
The future is Linux and Windows (Score:4, Informative)
AIX itself wasn't bad, but the bank had a bad case of management consultants who told them that Sun was in fashion. Now it seems that Linux is in.
Quick cash for Sun (Score:5, Insightful)
Migration... (Score:5, Insightful)
What are Sun thinking? They want everyone to migrate off Sun boxes like people have been doing to SCO?
Stuff like this annoys techies and techies have quite a lot of influence over IT purchasing decisions in many businesses. Do Sun think that supporting SCO is going to win them more business than it will lose them? My understanding of business is that it is a very bad move to do stuff that your customers dislike...
Re:Migration... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Migration...now towards freebsd! (Score:5, Interesting)
I don't care if its for their shitty Intel version of Solaris, which just doesn't perform -- and doesn't have the widespread driver support -- the earlier post was correct : They could have obtained it from linux
After graduating I insisted on Sun hardware in the newco I started.
After this, I can assure you when our Enterprise Server dies, it will be replaced with an army of FreeBSD boxes (which we already run for other servers)
Good job sun -- you've soiled yourselves with the stink of the new pariah
The enemy of your enemy in this case was not your friend
I hope IBM buys your sorry assets out, because we're done with you
Reading the article it was more a purchase of code (Score:5, Insightful)
Sun purchased drivers and other stuff to use in its i86 version of Solaris, along with the rights to show that code to others.
As for the stock options; SCO probably needed the cash, Solaris had the cash so the directors of Sun decided to gamble. Solaris gets options for a price, and if SCO does good they stand to make a really nice profit. SCO gets some additional cash and has a little protection from Solaris since any action by Sun has to include potential profits from using the stock options.
Makes sense for Sun. (Score:5, Interesting)
Even the largest companies who need big iron systems rarely go to Sun anymore. Google has shown that even using thousands of 'white boxes' works, and Apple, Microsoft, and even IBM have been muscling in on Sun's traditional market. The dot com days were great for Sun, but now they're left as a giant church without any congregation.
So Sun needs a way to exercise its muscle once again, and with its recent tie up with Oracle, it's starting to do this (albeit with help). If Sun can carve out a significant role in the SCO case, it could certainly cash in from the exposure, and any potential win for SCO.
Of course, I don't think SCO stands a chance, and that we're going to see traditional UNIX crash down around itself. Sun has always been a company that intrigues me in the amazing way it runs 'behind the scenes' (the 'Sun Library' is amazing! and their usability work is delightful).. but on the front end, they're sucking big time, IMHO, and I think they could be one of the next big technology fallers.
Re:Makes sense for Sun. (Score:5, Informative)
What are you talking about?
I happen to do business with some of the largest companies on the block, and I've seen their server rooms, and I've seen their Sun Ultra 15K's. Sun isn't selling big iron to the largest companies? Yeah, right!
Re:Makes sense for Sun. (Score:3, Interesting)
Solaris is very mature, and has several advantages over Linux (simple example: buil
Re:Makes sense for Sun. (Score:3, Insightful)
In short, Linux threatens Sun in the short- to medium-term far more than it threatens Microsoft, and i
Re:Makes sense for Sun. (Score:2)
That said, the above is just around the corner and it won't be long before Linux on Optero
Re:Makes sense for Sun. (Score:2)
Yawn. (Score:2, Insightful)
This is a very interesting development (Score:3, Interesting)
With this in mind, it would be wise to look on other Sun news with suspicion. For example, they are a safe harbor [slashdot.org]. Could Sun be playing Senator Palpatine to SCO's Darth Maul and Microsoft's Trading Federation?
I'm sorry, but... (Score:5, Funny)
And that's quite an accomplishment, sir
Re:This is a very interesting development (Score:2)
The Unix server market was $4.3B in 1st qtr 2003. Of that HP and Sun are tied for first, IBM gaining rapidly [internetnews.com]. The SCO debacle is mostly about competing with IBM for the big server market, less about holding off Linux, which after all, will run on any hardware. Look at IBM's "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" approach toward Linux.
Re:This is a very interesting development (Score:5, Funny)
Good lord, tell me you don't say shit like that in corporate meetings.
Re:This is a very interesting development (Score:3, Funny)
Re:This is a very interesting development (Score:3, Funny)
I'd just like to thank PG for another class A troll and special prizes to all the intellectual giants who, at the the present moment have elevated this gibberish to Score:5 Interesting.
What this seems to indicate... (Score:5, Interesting)
2. More and more, there seems to be some Coke-Pepsi posturing, with MS and Windows pitted against Sun& Unix. Linux is too well entrenched for such a thing to work.
3. All the firms who've picked up a stake so far in the Unix code patent have been American firms. This could be the beginning of some polarisation, where all important IP is within the US. This could have serious repercussions for firms like Fujitsu, Siemens etc. who aren't based in the US.
The saving grace: Any number of firms (SCO, Sun etc.) haven't managed to achieve a small fraction of the success which Linux has done - on the Intel platform. It appears too late now for anyone to rollback on the spectacular progress made by Linux.
If Sun does indeed pick up stakes in SCO, they'd be hated more than Microsoft - if ever that would be possible.
Re:What this seems to indicate... (Score:3, Insightful)
3. All the firms who've picked up a stake so far in the Unix code patent have been American firms. This could be the beginning of some polarisation, where all important IP is within the US. This could have serious repercussions for firms like Fujitsu, Siemens etc. who aren't based in the US.
Huh? How so? Linux is by far not US bound IP property... Neither is Word Perfect *, or Open Office... Need I continue.
Besides, how does that impact the rest of the world? It doesn't there is enough talent outside the
Re:What this seems to indicate... (Score:2)
Or it will be the final breaking point that convinces the Europeans not to seek a patent system modelled after the Americans. Especially with regards to software patents.
Re:What this seems to indicate... (Score:2)
Sun buys SCO. Sun is now failing, IBM picks up Sun. Microsoft starts failing because Linux is kicking its ass. IBM buys Microsoft, and now the Old Evil Empire replaces the New Evil Empire, and everything starts all over again. Bill Gates rises to power at IBM and becomes chairperson. I, who have played the stock market well through all this, buy Bill Gates and become Ruler of the Known Universe.
Muahahahahah!!!! My EVIL PLANS are SUCCEEDING!
It sounds like.. (Score:2, Interesting)
Fuck Sco, Fuck Microsoft, Fuck Sun, Fuck a goat.
I was with you... (Score:3, Funny)
Repost of my question from the last SCO story (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Repost of my question from the last SCO story (Score:2)
I wonder what the best way is to silently document the fact that they continue to distribute everything, even if they are not collecting money for it, without repeatedly stating it on slashdot.
If we keep pointing this out, perhaps they will get wise and stop distributing it, so they can say "we stopped distributing all source code shortly after discovering it" -- what is 6 months versus 3 -- as opposed to being ambushed years later by the fact that they still distribute the GPLed code presumably containing
Re:Repost of my question from the last SCO story (Score:3, Informative)
That's how. One code is GPL (Linux), another is not (Unix).
Linux != Unix
Re:Repost of my question from the last SCO story (Score:3, Informative)
Is [vnunet.com] that [linuxjournal.com] a [computerworld.com] fact? [sco.com].
I suppose someone ought to tell the guys at SCO that, because they seem blissfully unaware.
Re:Repost of my question from the last SCO story (Score:3, Informative)
It has no bearin
Interesting (Score:2, Interesting)
--
Now playing: Leper Messiah (Metallica/Master of Puppets)
I hope the IBM lawyers appreciate our efforts (Score:5, Funny)
Think of it as open-source lawyering.
The Ransom Love speech is evidence (Score:4, Informative)
How is SCO's Lawsuit affecting sales of Linux? (Score:5, Funny)
FWIW, even if OSS is FAIB, if the DOJ considers *nix IP with a TM, then it basically become's SCO's LIC, meaning our OSS becomes a CSS OS, which would RSTBO.
AIBO going w/ an ASP that manages our OS? BTA, we might end up w/ a BOFH giving us ZA, which WWAD PMS.
AFAIK, INMP if SCO wants to be ITM by enforcing its supposed IPR - *nix IP should be PD or GNU, like BSD just on GP, IYKWIM. I keep asking myself in this situation - WWLD?
Oh, BTW - IITYWIMWYBMAD?
---
balls to the original:
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=68
C-oinki-dink? (Score:2, Interesting)
Didn't Sun announce earlier this year that they were dropping their Linux program?
Coincidence?
Re:C-oinki-dink? (Score:5, Informative)
Well yes, they aren't making "Sun Linux" any more. However it was just Red Hat under the covers. Now they just call it RedHat. Move along, nothing to see here.
Coincidence?
yes
Re:C-oinki-dink? (Score:3, Informative)
Not really surprising (Score:3, Interesting)
As for the share options, that's like playing the lottery except that you only have buy your ticket if your numbers come up - it's highly unlikely that you're going win, but if you do you'll win big and it doesn't cost anything to play. This was probably just a little sweetener from SCO to get some extra cash in the war chest - enough to make Sun go from "That's a bit expensive for the marketing value" to "What the hell, have some cash"
Tk
Love Ransom (Score:2, Funny)
Incredible hidden meaning!!!! (Score:5, Funny)
Clearly, Sun is on our side.
Nothing new (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Nothing new (Score:2)
Re:Nothing new (Score:2)
Msft and sco-caldera aren't exactly the best of buddies either. sco-caldera is the company that sued msft over the dr-dos thing.
sco-caldera had just bought dr-dos, after sco-caldera got a big fat msft settlement check, soc-calder threw dr-dos on the scrap head.
sc-caldera = rambus.
How can "Sun Linux" be kosher but not others? (Score:2)
From the article:
"Sun's complete line of Solaris and Linux products...are covered by Sun's portfolio of Unix licensing agreements. Solaris and Sun Linux represent safe choices for those companies that develop and deploy services based on Unix systems," Sun declared the day SCO filed suit against IBM.
Unless Sun changes the licensing terms of "Sun Linux" it's released as GPL'd code, right? Once ANYONE releases, with SCO's blessing, the "secret sauce" code as GPL it's free for everyone, right? What am
In other news senior VP bails from SCO (Score:5, Informative)
In other news senior VP bails from SCO, demonstrating a likely opinion of advanced technologists there about the merits of the case and the future of the company. [theinquirer.net]
This post was not intended to be funny, but only off topic, since I have been repeatedly unsuccessful with story submissions that actually contain significant new interesting information about the case.
That Sun was trumpetting their status as a SCO licensee of Unix in disregard for any solidarity with Unix or Linux vendors or users was obvious, and this "revelation" was not a suprise in the least. It just means that Sun gave them a small amount of money a bit more recently.
Possible correction (Score:2)
NEWS.com should stick to the news (Score:3, Insightful)
Profiting? No, what they're actually doing is telling customers (current and future) that while SCO is wielding that axe trying to find someone to hit and profit from, Sun has already got all the licenses in place (since 1994) and people with Sun products don't have to worry.
Remember, SCO is running around telling people that even buying and running Linux will get you sued. Sun's just trying to say "whoa...none of our customers are going to get sued for things they've been running for quite some time now.
Re:NEWS.com should stick to the news (Score:2)
That's a major logical leap. They're not spooked by proprietary software. If they were, no one would ever buy Microsoft products.
The SCO nonsense will backfire...you're right about that.
Re:NEWS.com should stick to the news (Score:2)
Sun is telling people they don't have to worry about SCO suing them. They can't be sued because of prior agreements made long ago, when they licensed the technology. Licensed, like so many other companies do, for all kinds of software products. Bashing Sun for this is stupid, since they're not the ones threatening lawsuits.
SCO can't touch them...or, IMHO, anyone else either. It's just SCO in the death throws.
Anyone bashing Sun for this already hated Sun in the first place....so their
With apologies to..well everyone! (Score:3, Funny)
Enter a certain Well Known Penguin.
Waiter: Morning, welcome to the Lawsuit and Buyout Cafe, sit right here and may I take your order?
CWKP: (scanning menu) Morning! Well, what have you got?
Waiter: Well there's IBM; IBM and Redhat; IBM and SCO; IBM, Redhat and SCO; SCO, IBM, Redhat and Sun; SCO, IBM, Sun and Redhat; SCO, SCO, Redhat and SCO; SCO, SCO, SCO, and SCO;
Background voices: SCO! SCO! SCO! SCO! Lovely SCO!
Waiter: Or you can have any distro of Linux you want with a nice side of SCO.
CWKP: Do you have anything without SCO?
Waiter: Well there's SCO, Ibm, Redhat and Sun, that's not too tied up in SCO.
CWKP: You dont' understand, I don't want ANY SCO!
etc
etc
etc
etc
ad nausuem.
210,000 shares? (Score:2)
- A.P.
Is this actually a surprise? (Score:2)
Secondly, the SCO CEO said in an interview a while back that Sun were the only company that they considered `safe' from their IP allegations.
Don't read too much into this (Score:4, Informative)
Before you get too pissed at sun (Score:5, Insightful)
300K$ is chump change in corporate circles. That's less than the cost of 2 programmers for a year.
If they got options that are now worth 2 million in the process, I'd say they are good businessfolk.
Sun and ethics (Score:5, Interesting)
5 years later, the bloom pretty much faded from the rose. Sun made a lot of stupid decisions and strictly in my *opinion* started behaving unethically. They began to reap what they sowed, and the current sad state of affairs at SUNW is a reflection of their abandonment of core Sun ideals. I don't think it's wrong to use ethics as a measuring stick for your business decisions, but I seemed to be in the minority.
I think this SCO deal is a reflection of the 'new Sun' and an example of everything that is wrong with the company currently. I mourn the loss of the old Sun, and I mourn the impending death of a giant, for I truly believe that Sun is destined for failure if they continue along the current path.
I used to respect and admire Scott McNealy for his willingness to take a stand and fight for what he thought was right, but somehow along the way Sun leadership no longer does this... they instead hedge their bets, play both sides of the fence, and refuse to stick to their guns on anything when push comes to shove.
I was one of the many thousands of engineers who got laid off from Sun in the last few years. I did well while I was there, did everything that I thought was humanly possible to ensure Sun's success despite the odds, and I'm sorry to see them fall. I still truly believe that Sun has the potential to regain their dominance in both the market and mindshare, but unfortunately they got rid of all the people who had the intestinal fortitude to make a stand for what they believe in instead of what was politically expedient.
Sun hardware kicks ass, plain and simple. Solaris is a damned good OS, but no longer the far and away market leader that it used to be. Can it be again? Who knows... I believe that it could given the right attitude and resources but again, that's just a personal opinion. I think Sun could do extremely well partnered with the Linux community (like IBM is doing) instead of being an adversary to it.
Am I bitter? I'm not bitter about losing my job to economic forces, and I'm not angry towards Sun, nor do I wish them failure. I truly enjoyed working there and would work there again if I felt that they were willing to commit to what it takes to succeed. I'd work until my fingernails bled to help them achieve that, but I don't see them even acknowledging the issues and problems they face, let alone actively striving to correct them. I don't think that makes me bitter, only honest.
I only hope that Sun some day wakes up, yanks back on the control yoke and comes out of their tailspin before it's too late. Things like this SCO business aren't helping them at all and they are too shortsighted and stubborn to admit it.
-- Gary F. (who refuses to post as an AC)
Chump change (Score:3, Informative)
For me, that would be the equivalent of dinner and a movie, not a new home in the Hollywood hills and a new Hummer.
Which one did you just add? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Very Disappointing News (Score:3, Interesting)
While Sun's SCO technology acquisitions, and even stock buying, I could excuse, the apparent letters to AIX customers that others here have mentioned is a disgusting attempt to prey on IT department uncertainty and management fears. Sure, that kind of tactic is par for the course in capitalism, but