Screw Sun [LWN.net]

Screw Sun

Posted Jul 30, 2003 22:32 UTC (Wed) by sandy_pond (guest, #9734)
In reply to: Screw Sun by fx
Parent article: Sun Sees Road To Prosperity Paved With Its Own Products (TechWeb)

Try this: Sun Micro's Q4 profits fall 80 percent

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Screw Sun

Posted Jul 31, 2003 8:04 UTC (Thu) by fx (guest, #12077) [Link]

The economy is still in a very bad shape, that's hard to deny. Nevertheless SUN is not burning cash, is's running more or less break-even. Yes, SUN sells a lot less servers than they used to, but to conclude that SUN is a "failing company" is just ridicilous. Most Linux companies didn't even manage to make money during the heydays of the economy.

Low end always eats the high end

Posted Jul 31, 2003 11:19 UTC (Thu) by kfox (guest, #4767) [Link]

I work for a U.S. Fortune 100 company.
We've bought a lot of Sun equipment in
the past, but that's changing. For
example, CAD (design) and CAE (engineering)
workstations are being replaced with
Windows boxes or dual-boot Linux boxes.
Our file servers are being replaced by
service companies renting us storage.

I'd be really interested in hearing
if this is happening other places.

The only glimmer of hope I have that
we're not going to become all Windows
is IBM. Some of our application servers
may become Linux IBM servers.

Long term I think Microsoft is in trouble
from Free Software. What could be lower
than Linux? ;)

Screw Sun

Posted Jul 31, 2003 14:19 UTC (Thu) by sandy_pond (guest, #9734) [Link]

> economy is still in a very bad shape

Of the major hardware manufactures they have been one of the worst performers over that time period.

> conclude that SUN is a "failing company" is just ridicilous

No one concluded that SUN can't turn things around. If SUN really wants to turn things around they'll have to figure out a way to transition from their proprietary past to embrace Linux/OSS. Right now it seems they have a Jekyll/Hyde duel personality.

> Most Linux companies didn't even manage to make money during the heydays of the economy.

Apples and oranges.

Screw Sun

Posted Jul 31, 2003 15:05 UTC (Thu) by fx (guest, #12077) [Link]

It's hard to compare SUN to the others. HP for example can hide it's UNIX business behind ink cartridges. If you'd compare HP's HP9000 server business to SUN you'd see very similar figures. IBM can hide behind services. As for SGI, they'd probably gone bust 10 years ago if the US defense department wasn't subsidizing them.
SUN (also just received a $50.000.000 subsidy BTW) is trying to move part of it's low-end business to Linux. Their V60x/V65x systems look nice. I'd definitely consider them: if anything goes wrong they support both the hardware and the software, so no fingerpointing.

Screw Sun

Posted Jul 31, 2003 15:49 UTC (Thu) by sandy_pond (guest, #9734) [Link]

Ahh ... some of the other failing proprietary UNIX platforms. Like I said in another post: "Hopefully they'll continue to remember why UNIX failed to become the dominant platform it could have become. Unless they want to hand the remainder of the business computing market over to MS they will continue to play nice."

Screw Sun

Posted Jul 31, 2003 17:37 UTC (Thu) by fx (guest, #12077) [Link]

Eeeh... proprietary UNIX *is* the dominant platform in the business computing market. It has been for a while and SUN is leading the pack.
I do think however MS should have been destroyed by the legal system and the fact that that hasn't happened might have serious consequences for UNIX or Linux in the long run.

Screw Sun

Posted Jul 31, 2003 20:39 UTC (Thu) by walterbyrd (guest, #11620) [Link]

There are three companies who's primary business is proprietary UNIX: SCOX, SUNW, and SGI. Take a look at their finacial fundamentals, then you tell me.

IBM and HP are big UNIX companies, but IBM and HP are also very diversified.

Screw Sun

Posted Aug 2, 2003 10:56 UTC (Sat) by fx (guest, #12077) [Link]

Tell you what in fact? I fail to see the point here.